With everything going on in the world today, it is easy to just ignore what you see and hear. That is true even in many churches today. The message of tolerance is everywhere and in all forms of the media today. Major advertisements during the Super Bowl told the message that Jesus loved everyone and even washed their feet. There is a huge church in Houston that preaches every Sunday that all you must do is just ask Jesus for anything and He will give it to you. That you should just love yourself and feel good about who you are just as you are. We have been told, “Love is love, no matter what”. However, the Bible tells us that is not true. Love takes different forms and is not the same in God’s eyes.
Storge Love “Familial Affection” – This is the type of care that exists between family members, friends, or companions. Longer lasting, it goes beyond an initial infatuation or attraction. Built on a familiarity between people, the emphasis of storge is on devotion and intimacy that develops over time. Real-life examples include parents toward children, siblings, spouses, and sometimes very close friendships.
Phileo Love “Friendship” – Phileo most often describes a relationship between people, one of generous warmth for another. But in a broader sense, it can also apply to churches and even cities. The basis of this common bond is shared beliefs, values, or interests.
Eros Love “Passion” – This kind of affection is meant to describe a healthy, sensual love between husbands and wives. Romance and physical attraction play a part in it. God gave us this kind of desire with the clear instruction to express it only within the bonds of marriage. Scripture clearly tells us that He cares about what we do with our bodies. Believers are cautioned to avoid showing Eros love to anyone but our spouse so that the choices we make honor God.
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
Agape Love “Charity” – Agape love is probably the most talked about of the four kinds of love. It is the highest, most complete form of affection. God’s love for us is the foundation of this love. And Jesus gave us many lessons about and examples of agape – a strong, selfless, and sacrificial love – during His earthly ministry. The early church actually used the term to describe two separate activities they practiced. One was a sacred rite with bread and wine, similar to the Eucharist today. The other was a regular fellowship meal they held, to which the local poor were invited.
Does the Bible agree with the other messages like those presented during the Super Bowl? The message was that Jesus did not hate people; he washed their feet. Here is where in the Bible where He washed the feet of His Disciples.
John 13:1-17 New International Version
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
The message is clear as to why He did this act at that time and to use that to tell a different story is false teaching. The message that Jesus did not hate anyone is partially true, but there is more that must be told.
John 13:34 New International Version
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
1 John 3:23 New International Version
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
Luke 12:49-53 New International Version
Not Peace but Division
49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Ephesians 4:20-24 English Standard Version
20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self,[a] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Jesus clearly says only those who accept Him as their savior will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He also says that we must be a new creation.
God laid out a great deal more instructions about how we are to live out our lives and to be aware of deceptions that can lead us down the wrong path? False teachings are a lot of things and include partial truths. By taking a scripture out of context, adding additional comments, or leaving out part of the message, the message can take on a different meaning. God says when that is done, it is lying, and all lies are from Satan. The Federal government is controlled by people in powerful positions who implement controls that go against God and those who worship Him. Too many people assume that because they are laws or regulations, somehow God agrees with them. There are many examples in the Bible when the government authority followed God’s will and God blessed their country in mighty ways. There are also many examples when they went away from God and did what pleased them. God dealt with them in harsh ways. However, there is no example of anyone being saved by following the laws of the land.
After God had created the heavens and the earth, and all of the things including the plants and animals, He was not done. He said, “Let us’ make man in our image,” in our likeness, and let them rule’ over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” At that point, God created man to rule over every plant and creature. Man was created exactly as needed with all the organs and functions included in the very first model. God put the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. God only gave him one restriction, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. The Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. With this, God had created both man and woman. Woman was made from part of Adam with every function in her body to be exactly as required for the expansion of mankind through future generations. Every body function that needed to be the same and every body function that needed to be different to complement each other. The initial model design is unchanged after thousands of years.
With only one restriction, Adam and Eve had what they needed to live a happy life. However, the serpent presented a seed of doubt in the mind of Eve about eating from the tree of good and evil. Eve questioned Adam if God had actually told him he could not eat from that tree. Satan made the idea of what could be gained by eating the fruit so appealing, they chose to disobey God. With that, sin was brought into mankind via a little lie.
Adam and Eve gave birth to their first child Cain. Later their second child would be born named Abel. Cain would get angry with Abel because he believed God favored Abel over him. Cain killed Abel. There are examples of how future generations moved away from God and did what pleased them and the story of Noah is there to show us the contrast of his family to the other families. Noah was in a relationship with God and doing the things God asked him to do like building an ark when no one had ever seen it rain before. Everyone was convinced he was crazy, but Noah did not question it. God saw how wicked man had become and decided to start again with only Noah’s family and two of every kind of animal. With that flood, God reset mankind and animals. God gave us the rainbow as a sign that He would never destroy everything again with a flood.
Again, we see how wicked people had become and Abraham tries to save the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah from God’s destruction. Abraham finds he cannot even find ten righteous men to keep God from destroying the cities. Lot was told to take his family and leave the city. While leaving the city, Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with everyone within. These stories demonstrate that God created mankind with “free will” which gives us the ability to make choices and that God reacts to the choices we make.
In the Book of Exodus, we see Moses is called and directed by God to lead the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt. We see all of the miracles and plagues used to force the Pharaoh to release the Israelites. It is not until the 20th chapter of Exodus that God provides what we know as “The Ten Commandments”. Those rules were presented in a manner for all of the people to clearly understand the power of God and that they would be judged according. God had given them their freedom and here is how you must live your lives.
Around 700 to 1000 years before Jesus, the Book of Proverbs was written to provide a wealth of wisdom or common sense. 31 chapters explain what you should be cautious of believing as true and guidance that will bring joy into your life. There is so much helpful information that touches on every evil circumstance and the correct choice to make. This chapter is just an example of the wisdom shared and when compared to our society today you can see how far away from God we have traveled.
The laws of our government have created protected classes of people based solely on their actions and chosen lifestyles. In the interest of fairness to grant government rights and protections to same-sex marriages, they now have special protections that can cause people to lose their jobs for questioning. We have a large percentage of our population who cannot tell what a woman is or how a woman can be defined. We have pornography describing sexual acts with pictures in our school libraries and drag queens performing at some elementary schools. We now have hiring practices and college entrances based on skin preferences again.
Proverbs 21 English Standard Version
21 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
3 To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
the lamp[a] of the wicked, are sin.
5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.[b]
7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.
8 The way of the guilty is crooked,
but the conduct of the pure is upright.
9 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
11 When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
12 The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;
he throws the wicked down to ruin.
13 Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered.
14 A gift in secret averts anger,
and a concealed bribe,[c] strong wrath.
15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.
16 One who wanders from the way of good sense
will rest in the assembly of the dead.
17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
and the traitor for the upright.
19 It is better to live in a desert land
than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
20 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,
but a foolish man devours it.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life, righteousness, and honor.
22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty
and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself out of trouble.
24 “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man
who acts with arrogant pride.
25 The desire of the sluggard kills him,
for his hands refuse to labor.
26 All day long he craves and craves,
but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
28 A false witness will perish,
but the word of a man who hears will endure.
29 A wicked man puts on a bold face,
but the upright gives thought to[d] his ways.
30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
can avail against the Lord.
31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the Lord.
Romans 1:18-32 English Standard Version
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[g] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
2 Timothy 3:1-7 English Standard Version
3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
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