Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 4,121
“I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:1-4 ESV)
When we, as humans, get married to our spouses, if we are Christians, we most likely have a pastor be the one to “marry us,” i.e. to perform the marriage ceremony and to guide us in saying our vows to one another. And our vows should include the promise to be faithful to our spouses and to no longer go after other lovers. Well that is what Paul is referring to here, only this marriage is the Christian’s marriage to Christ where we become his bride and he becomes our husband, not physically, but spiritually.
And Paul saw himself in a kind of pastoral role performing the marriage ceremony, only this ceremony was between the people and Jesus Christ. So this is not to be taken literally, but more symbolically, and not physically, but spiritually. But it is God who draws us to Christ (John 6:44), so it is God who gets the credit when someone trusts in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. And our salvation is persuaded of God, and gifted to us by God, so it is not of our own flesh or of our own doing. So God gets all the glory.
And when I say this is to be taken more symbolically and not literally, I am speaking only of Paul’s statement that he betrothed them to their husband, Jesus Christ. The Word of God, including this passage of Scripture, are to be taken very literally. But what Paul meant is that God used him to share with them the gospel and to teach them the truth of the gospel that faith in Jesus Christ means dying to sin and living to God in walks of obedience to him in purity of devotion to our Lord and no longer as those who are living in sin.
And, because of that role that Paul played in the salvation of these people out of their bondage to sin, and into walks of purity of devotion to Christ, it grieved him greatly that, at least some of them were putting up with false teaching which evidently was not teaching the same gospel as what Paul was teaching. Some of them had probably already been led astray while others may have been on the verge of receiving a false gospel and of rejecting the one that Paul taught and that Jesus Christ and the other apostles taught.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
But sadly this is not what is being taught predominantly in the USA today. The popular “gospel” message of today is that we can make a verbal confession of faith in Jesus Christ and now all our sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), and now heaven is guaranteed us when we die, but regardless of how we live. And many are teaching that obedience to God and repentance (dying to sin) are not required by God, for they call that “works salvation.” But Jesus taught that death to sin and obedience to God are required of God for genuine salvation of sin and for eternal life with God.
So, please make sure you are believing the gospel that Jesus taught.
Gospel:[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
A Pure Virgin to Christ
An Original Work / August 17, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Video Talk on same Scripture:
Caution: This link may contain ads
When we, as humans, get married to our spouses, if we are Christians, we most likely have a pastor be the one to “marry us,” i.e. to perform the marriage ceremony and to guide us in saying our vows to one another. And our vows should include the promise to be faithful to our spouses and to no longer go after other lovers. Well that is what Paul is referring to here, only this marriage is the Christian’s marriage to Christ where we become his bride and he becomes our husband, not physically, but spiritually.
And Paul saw himself in a kind of pastoral role performing the marriage ceremony, only this ceremony was between the people and Jesus Christ. So this is not to be taken literally, but more symbolically, and not physically, but spiritually. But it is God who draws us to Christ (John 6:44), so it is God who gets the credit when someone trusts in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. And our salvation is persuaded of God, and gifted to us by God, so it is not of our own flesh or of our own doing. So God gets all the glory.
And when I say this is to be taken more symbolically and not literally, I am speaking only of Paul’s statement that he betrothed them to their husband, Jesus Christ. The Word of God, including this passage of Scripture, are to be taken very literally. But what Paul meant is that God used him to share with them the gospel and to teach them the truth of the gospel that faith in Jesus Christ means dying to sin and living to God in walks of obedience to him in purity of devotion to our Lord and no longer as those who are living in sin.
And, because of that role that Paul played in the salvation of these people out of their bondage to sin, and into walks of purity of devotion to Christ, it grieved him greatly that, at least some of them were putting up with false teaching which evidently was not teaching the same gospel as what Paul was teaching. Some of them had probably already been led astray while others may have been on the verge of receiving a false gospel and of rejecting the one that Paul taught and that Jesus Christ and the other apostles taught.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
But sadly this is not what is being taught predominantly in the USA today. The popular “gospel” message of today is that we can make a verbal confession of faith in Jesus Christ and now all our sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), and now heaven is guaranteed us when we die, but regardless of how we live. And many are teaching that obedience to God and repentance (dying to sin) are not required by God, for they call that “works salvation.” But Jesus taught that death to sin and obedience to God are required of God for genuine salvation of sin and for eternal life with God.
So, please make sure you are believing the gospel that Jesus taught.
Gospel:[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
A Pure Virgin to Christ
An Original Work / August 17, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Video Talk on same Scripture:
Caution: This link may contain ads
