Who rules your heart ?

" There is no salvation in any other ; under heaven

there is no other name given among men ,

whereby we must be saved . "

( Acts 4:12 )

The Scriptures clearly affirm the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Daniel said that his kingdom " shall never be destroyed , the kingdom shall not be left to other people; break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms , and it shall stand forever " ( Daniel 2:44) . In another Messianic prophecy , Daniel said about Jesus : " He was given him dominion , and glory , and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and men of every language serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away , and his kingdom will never be destroyed " ( Daniel 7:14) . Daniel's prophecies refer to Christ's kingdom would be established during the period of the Roman Empire . It was in this historical period that John the Baptist came preaching : " Repent , because it is near the kingdom of heaven " ( Matthew 3:2 ) . Jesus preached the exact same message ( Matthew 4:17 ) . A few years later , having accomplished his mission , Jesus said, " All authority has been given me in heaven and in earth" ( Matthew 28:18 ) .

The words of the apostles and other New Testament writers emphasize Jesus' statement . Peter preached on the absolute authority of the Messiah when he said at Pentecost : " Be absolutely certain , therefore, all the house of Israel that this Jesus , whom you crucified , God has made Lord and Christ " ( Acts 2:36 ) . The author of Hebrews completed the report, saying that Jesus , " after having made ​​purification of sins , sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" ( Hebrews 1:3 ) . Paul said that Jesus reigns over all except the Father himself ( 1 Corinthians 15:27) . When he wrote to the Colossians , said the kingdom already existed and that the faithful saints were part of him : " He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son " ( Colossians 1:13) . John described Jesus as "the ruler of the kings of the earth " ( Revelation 1:5 ) and as " King of kings and Lord of lords " ( Revelation 19:16 ) .

The undeniable conclusion of a careful study of the Bible is that Jesus reigns with absolute authority over all men . For this reason , we must voluntarily submit in obedience to His Word .

It is sad to note that many people in various ways , try to remove Jesus from the throne , denying His full authority . I say " try to take " because , in fact , no man would be able to take the Anointed of the position given to him by the Father ( Psalm 2:1-6 ) . Regardless of the attitudes of men , Jesus is the Sovereign .

To not fall into the traps of the adversary , we must be mindful of the tactics of those who oppose Christ , trying to get him to the throne. Let us consider a few examples.

As men try to take Jesus to the throne ?

Denying the unity and universal authority of the gospel

It is common to hear someone trying to divide the teachings of the New Testament in two or more categories . Some say that we must fulfill the words of Jesus , but we do not need to care about the instructions of the apostles . Others leave the words of Jesus at the time of the Old Testament Law , saying that the important thing is to respect the words of Paul and other apostles . Thus , they claim to have found differences between the teaching of Jesus and the apostles . When we examine the Scriptures , we find that both approaches are wrong .

The doctrine taught by Jesus and the doctrine taught by the apostles is one and the same gospel , the word of God to everyone. Jesus told the apostles to teach people of all nations " to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" ( Matthew 28:20 ) . Paul spoke of " the gospel " and said he " is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes , to the Jew first and also to the Greek " ( Romans 1:16) . The same apostle says that God has called all men everywhere to repent ( Acts 17:30 ) . He said that the message he preached was " the gospel of Christ " ( Galatians 1:7-9 ) . Judas said that faith - not two different words - was once for all delivered to the saints ( Jude 3 ) . The author of Hebrews said that the same word of salvation announced by Jesus was confirmed by the apostles ( Hebrews 2:3-4 ) .

Some find it convenient to try to separate the words of the apostles of Jesus , looking for loopholes to defend their sinful acts . For example , many say that the words of Jesus in Luke 16:18 and Matthew 19:4-9 does not apply to everyone . They want to justify adultery of people who do not respect the words of the Creator and Lord in relation to marriage , suggesting that unbelievers are not subject to God's law on marriage . But Jesus used to teach about language universal principles that apply to all men . We have no right to reduce the impact of word of the King of kings to accommodate trends in a society adulteress.

Denying the finality and sufficiency of Scripture

The Word of God is revealed once and for all , and we have no right to modify it ( Galatians 1:6-9 ; Jude 3 ) . Peter said that the revealed word in the first century have included " all things that pertain to life and godliness " ( 2 Peter 1:3 ) . Paul says that the Scriptures are sufficient to " the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work " ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ) . We do not need new revelations , visions of renovating or doctrines updated , and we should not accept any change or " adapt " the message of Scripture .

Several churches and movements , however, deny this principle of the sufficiency of Scripture . Throughout history , the Catholic Church has been adding new doctrines , saying that God gave the church the authority to update the Truth . But this error is not limited to Catholics . Most evangelical churches , especially those who participate in movements on or influenced by the movement G12 , also believes in other revelations that go beyond the word of Scripture .

Paul taught , but not ultra we passed the written word ( 1 Corinthians 4:6 ) . John was even stronger , saying that those who do not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God ( 2 John 9 ) . Clearly , we must be content with the Word as revealed in Scripture , because it is sufficient for us .

Submitting to God's Word to the sieve of human wisdom

Some biblical instructions are shocking , especially for people heavily influenced by trends in society. Many people find themselves able to decide what God wanted to say , even when he said something else ! For example , Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ , wrote : " As in all the churches of the saints , be kept women silent in the churches , for they are not permitted to speak ... " ( 1 Corinthians 14:33-34 ) . Elsewhere , he condemned sexual relations between persons of the same sex ( Romans 1:26-27 , 1 Corinthians 6:9 ) . Today , our society rebels against such restrictions , and some accuse Paul of sexism or homophobia . Want to spend God's teaching through the sieve of current thinking men . Trying in vain to get Jesus out of the throne . But if we truly want to know the mind of Christ , we need to hear the words revealed by the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures ( 1 Corinthians 2:11-16 ) .

Celebrating ecumenism

The ecumenical spirit so prevalent in today's culture and praised , contrary to the principles taught by the King The gospel of Jesus is not only one of several philosophies good . The service of Christ is not only one of many valid paths to life , happiness or salvation . Outside of Jesus Christ , there is no possibility of eternal salvation ( Acts 4:12 ) . This fact offends Jews, Buddhists , Muslims , Hindus and others, but the acceptance of this fact is the only hope of the same people . Ecumenism seeks to minimize or deny difference between life and death , trying thus to take Jesus to the throne !

Disobeying God in their conduct of life

Many people do not seek doctrinal arguments or philosophies complicated to try to take the King 's throne . Can even speak of their faith and say that Jesus is your Lord . But when , in practice , live according to his own will and not submit to the will of Christ , Jesus is trying to take his throne . When the Scriptures forbid lying and we lie , we deny the authority of Jesus in our lives ( Ephesians 4:25 ) . When she condemns adultery and we practice , we deny the domain of the Lord upon us ( Hebrews 13:4 ) . When the gospel requires total sacrifice of the disciple , and we seek a way to retain a part of our lives for our own selfish purposes , try to get the King from its position of sovereignty ( Romans 12:1-2 , Galatians 2:19-20 .) Ie , there is no way to keep Christ in the government of our hearts , when we shared with our interests and carnal inclinations .

reflecting

The world and the false faith attempt to evade Christ His throne , but still, Jesus is the King He has and always will have all authority . Men may deny the Creator's rule or rebel against the Word of God , but " the word of the Lord ... abides forever " ( 1 Peter 1:25 ) . Only Jesus is the Sovereign Lord and Christ !

Who governs your heart !