Matthew 7:11-12: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” 

It is no coincidence that in the verses which follow the ones we just read, Jesus speaks of entering in at the narrow gate and walking in the narrow way to life, while avoiding the broad gate and the broad way which lead to destruction.  If we want to be right with God we need to keep His ways; and that means not withholding help from those who cry to us or those whom we otherwise see need help.  God is good, and God is a Father who is concerned to help the poor and needy in the multitude of ways that a person might truly be poor and needy.  

The Scripture says in Proverbs 3:27-28: “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.  Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.”

One of the many reasons that the counterfeit of the gift of tongues is so dangerous, and the reason that any counterfeit spiritual gift or experience can be so dangerous, is that there is really only one way that a person can be godly and fit for heaven- and that is by denying self and following Christ faithfully on the narrow way of submission and faithfulness to God’s Word.  All the conflict, the agony, the suffering, the loss, etc. which that involves is inevitable for those who would obtain and continue in an authentic Christian walk.

False spiritual gifts and experiences ultimately accomplish something dreadful.  However, that dreadful consequence is something which one might very well let happen anyways.  Apart from being deluded by false spiritual gifts and/or false spiritual experiences, one could yet find their own reasons and justifications for not doing all that the Lord has commanded us to do. 

The true God requires of us a heart and mind actively set on glorifying Him and meeting the needs of others.  Look at how the Apostle Paul exhorts Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:10-18.  Note how active, and not passive, running the Christian race is.  

1 Timothy 6:10-18: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.  I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth (makes alive) all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate (all-powerful one), the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting.  Amen.  Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;”

They are to take heed to not look down on others due to their wealth; and to rather use their wealth to do good in God’s eyes, distribute (especially to those whom they see in need obviously), and communicate (the Greek speaks of being inclined to share and impart what one has to others).

1 Timothy 6:19 then says: “Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

Christians who slack in what Paul has been talking about are not laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come.  They are setting themselves up to fall away from the faith instead of laying hold on eternal life.

Even not talking, when silence is appropriate, can occasionally take effort.  You have to open your eyes to see the needs of the afflicted and needy in order to actually love your neighbor as yourself and do the good which we ought to in meeting those needs.  Since sin so easily besets, and our flesh is weak, we also have to watch and pray to keep ourselves unspotted from corruption of the world.  

James 1:26-27: “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”  

Embracing what the true God has revealed about Himself, and what He expects of man through His Word, will cause a person to be bound from the heart to do the things that are pleasing to Him.

Hence we read in Ezekiel 18:1-9 (note here how people can go their own way in sin by failing to do the righteous deeds which they ought to do, as well as by actively doing evil deeds): “The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?  As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.  Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.  But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, And hath not eaten upon the mountains (this is a reference to participating in idolatrous feasts), neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbor’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase (my note- giving forth upon usury and taking increase refer to predatory lending- using the desperation of the poor and needy as an opportunity to profit from them in the long-term), that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity (my note- that covers a lot right there; and this is very much an active thing overall since sin so easily besets), hath executed true judgment between man and man, Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.”

This isn’t talking about trying to be justified by works (like many would say).  This is talking about walking in a living faith before the true God that isn’t vain.

Habakkuk 2:4: “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”

Hosea 14:9: “Who is wise, and he shall understand these things?  prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.”

Hebrews 12:1-2: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith (my note- literally “of faith”- the Biblical Jesus must be pursued as the goal of faith through taking up one’s cross and obediently following His directions; and He must be looked to as the perfecter of faith as well); who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Having a covetous heart will prevent one from doing good in God’s eyes.  Those who don’t do the good which they ought to do resist God’s grace and live in sin.

James 4:13-17: “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.  But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

Note the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37.  It is unlikely that those who did the wrong thing when confronted with the beaten, wounded, man in this situation hurt their reputation before men (which in this case doing the wrong thing was a blatant sin of omission since righteousness demanded that they attend to him in his affliction and not ignore him).  However, God sees all and knows the whole story.  

Jeremiah 17:7-10: “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?  I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

Hear the testimony of a man bound to the truth of God, a man who by God’s own testimony to Satan, and his own honest testimony about himself, practiced pure and undefiled religion before God.  He diligently and persistently heard the Word of God and did it.

(Job’s own testimony about how he lived) Job 23:11-12: “My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.  Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”

This was a true witness.  

Going back to chapter one (God’s own testimony about Job).  Job 1:1: “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” 

Job 1:6-8: “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.  And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou?  Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.  And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”

Job walked before God and diligently sought Him in everything he did.  This is a man who feared God to the point where he sought to do what was right before Him in everything.  He would be inconvenienced, he would adjust as more light came before him, he shunned “feel good” religion, and he built his whole life, in a very practical way, around worshiping the true God acceptably.  There was no attitude of “no way I’m doing that.”  There was no adjusting according to his own preferences nor to avoid controversy with the fallen society around him.  He would have stood against the world alone if he had to.  There were no people which he considered out of the question to help, or be in the company of, if doing righteousness before God required that. 

It is necessary to swiftly do what God says- even when that is painful.  This is epitomized in Genesis chapter 17 by how Abraham had himself, along with every male born in his household, circumcised at God’s command.  Abraham did this on the very same day which God commanded it (see Genesis 17:26-27).  Abraham embraced the inconvenience, the pain to his body, along with the risk of his reputation before his household, in order to keep God’s Word.  That also shows the true spiritual symbolism of circumcision in the Bible.   Abraham’s obedient faith was also eminently displayed by taking his son Isaac quickly to the mountain which God told him to offer Isaac upon.  God told Abraham to do it; and Abraham rose up early in the morning, took Isaac, and went to the place which God told him to go in Genesis chapter 22- totally ready and willing to offer up his son.  

Proverbs 26:13-16 says: “The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.  As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.  The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.  The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.”

This also applies to failure to do one’s duties before God through sins of omission.

To walk in a true, living faith before God which works what is pleasing to Him requires diligence to obey His instructions, requires diligence to be active to side with His verdicts, and requires that we be ready to do good towards any in genuine need.  

The Christian life is more than just giving up your most destructive sins.  It is a wholehearted turning from sin, striving against sin, and a living commitment to learn and follow through with doing well before God- even to (figurative and perhaps literal) bloodshed.  There is no other way to know God as a Father in truth; and there is no other way to obtain glory and to escape damnation other than by pursuing this through Christ diligently, strenuously, and persistently- until the end.

Aaron’s email is: [email protected]

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