“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” (Prov. 24:16)
“Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” (Matt. 18:22)
The key word in these verses and others like them is not the amount of times, for if we would judge ourselves, that number would be much higher. It is the word brother, and it brings to mind Mark 3:33,
“And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?”
It is imperative for us who have been born-again to recognize who our brothers and sisters in Christ are.
“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Gal. 6:10)
We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, we are, as much as lieth in us, to live peaceably with those we know and meet, but we must also come to the realization that those who will live in eternity with us in the Kingdom of the Almighty are to be treated differently than those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ. These we are not to let into our house, we are not to bid them godspeed, we are to treat them as Gentiles.
There are words being employed by those unbelievers today that are meant to shame those who would follow the Word of God, racist, bigot, hater, and there are laws being passed by those in authority over us that will cause some form of punishment to ensue if we do not love our neighbor.
“Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” (Romans 1:32)
The verse right before that one that speaks of judging is the one that sadly, even some who have been saved by grace through faith, will use to reply to any of the previous truths offered in this short letter to you, that we are not to judge, completely forgetting John 7:24.
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
It is not so much the evil laws of men that are being employed that they fear, though that may influence their thinking, it is a lack of, or perhaps a fear of judging one that may either be saved and is at that point in their lives a fallen seven times brother or sister in Christ, or one who may yet come to the Lord later in their life. In other words, they are not going to take any chances, and so they will love everyone the same.
The proof of this can be seen on many marquee boards outside of churches today, the words “All are welcome.”
“And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;” (2nd Peter 2:13)
If one is not accepted as they are, and left to remain in that state, with no attempt to offer them the truths of the Scriptures, freely allowed to live lives of sinful rebellion against the Almighty, and continuously invited not only into what is to be a house of worship, reserved for those we are to forgive seventy times seven times, but even into the personal lives of those who have been born-again, then we are seen as not loving, and is not God love?
These either cannot or will not discern between their neighbor and their brother.
I will repeat myself again, for it is worth repeating, and it would be wise of you to contemplate your answer to this question. When the Lord said, “Who is my mother, or my brethren” to those in that house that day, did He then get up and go outside, or did He stay seated and continue to teach truths to those within?
Satan’s plan in this present day is to corrupt and twist Matthew 22:39, “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” to force a form of love for all from all, but specifically from those who are born-again, but cannot, or will not, discern between their brothers and sisters in Christ, and the unrepentant sinner who has no fear of God before their eyes.
And nearly every church that once knew the difference has fallen into this most subtle trap.
How many that sit in the pews do, I cannot say, the question is, have you? Can you tell the difference between your brother and sister in Christ, and the swine you are not to cast His pearls before?
