Tag: theology

From the series “The Commands of Christ — Love in Action”

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
— Matthew 6:19–20, NASB 1995

Love for Christ changes what we value.
It reorders the heart.
It frees us from chasing what cannot last and calls us to invest in what cannot be lost.

Jesus didn’t say, “Give everything away so you’ll be poor.”
He said, “Don’t treasure the temporary.”

Because where your treasure is, your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).
And Jesus wants your heart.

Earthly treasures fade.
Moths eat, rust corrodes, thieves break in.
The kingdoms of this world will fall, and all that seemed secure will one day vanish.
But those who belong to Christ are called to live for another Kingdom—one that cannot be shaken.

To love Christ is to loosen our grip on this world.
Not because the things of earth are evil, but because they are fleeting.

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
— Colossians 3:2

The early Church lived this out radically.
They weren’t known for wealth or power—but for generosity and simplicity.
They did not store up—they gave freely.
Because they believed Jesus was coming soon, and they longed to be found faithful.

Justin Martyr (c. AD 150):
“We who once valued wealth above all now bring what we have to share… so that none among us may suffer need.”
— First Apology, Ch. 14

Tertullian (c. AD 200):
“What we have is not hoarded in chests, but distributed for the poor… for we know it is better to have treasure in heaven than gold in hand.”
— Apology, Ch. 39

Their hearts were not tied to empires or coin purses.
They lived as strangers and exiles on the earth (Hebrews 11:13).
And the world saw something in them it could not understand:
Contentment. Joy. Eternity in view.

We cannot say we love Christ and still live like the world is our home.
We cannot cling to earthly security and walk in faith.
We cannot hoard what was given to us to bless others.

This doesn’t mean every Christian must take a vow of poverty.
But it does mean every Christian must take a vow of stewardship—a willingness to use every gift, dollar, and possession for the glory of God and the good of His people.

“Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts that do not wear out… an unfailing treasure in heaven.”
— Luke 12:33

This is not loss. It is wisdom.
It is investing in eternity.

To obey this command is to trust God more than money.
It is to live free from the grip of materialism.
And it is to live ready—eyes fixed on a Kingdom that is coming soon.

📚 Sources & References

Do Not Store Up Treasures on Earth

Scripture (NASB 1995):

• Matthew 6:19–21 – “Do not store up… treasures on earth…”
• Colossians 3:2 – “Set your mind on the things above…”
• Luke 12:33 – “Sell your possessions… treasure in heaven.”
• Hebrews 11:13 – “Strangers and exiles on the earth.”

Ante-Nicene Sources:

• Justin Martyr, First Apology, Ch. 14.
  “We bring what we have to share… none among us may suffer need.”
  [Available at: EarlyChristianWritings.com or CCEL.org]
• Tertullian, Apology, Ch. 39.
  “What we have is not hoarded… we know it is better to have treasure in heaven…”
  [Available at: NewAdvent.org]

From the series “The Commands of Christ — Love in Action”

“Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there… and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”
— Matthew 5:23–24, NASB 1995

Worship does not bypass reconciliation.
God is not honored by offerings brought from an unforgiving heart.
Love that honors Christ must also seek peace with His people.

Jesus does not say, “If you are angry, go.”
He says, “If your brother has something against you…”
This is not about waiting to be approached. It is about taking responsibility—even when the pain is mutual, the fault is unclear, or the path feels awkward.

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.”
— Romans 12:18

Reconciliation is not always possible.
But obedience always is.
We may not always restore the relationship, but we must remove the offense.

God does not want worship from hearts that are unwilling to be humbled.
He wants truth in the inner being (Psalm 51:6).
And that means going—not in pride, but in repentance.
Not to accuse, but to own.
Not to lecture, but to love.

The early Church knew that unity was not a bonus. It was a requirement.

The Didache (c. AD 50–100):
“Do not let the sun go down on your anger… and do not come together with a grudge in your heart. Let your sacrifice be pure.”
— Didache, Ch. 14

Clement of Rome (c. AD 96):
“Let us put away the quarrels that arose from foolishness… let us be reconciled in Christ, and walk in the fear of the Lord.”
— 1 Clement, Ch. 51

They knew what we often forget:
Reconciliation is not a side issue.
It is part of what it means to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God (1 Peter 2:5).

Sometimes the hardest obedience is not confronting those who hurt us—
but seeking peace with those we’ve hurt.
Even if unintentionally.
Even if they misunderstood.
Even if it means bearing shame.

But this is the way of love.
This is the way of the cross.
And it is the command of Christ.

If we want to walk in the presence of God, we must not carry bitterness toward the people of God.
We must seek peace.
We must repent where we have sinned.
We must release where we have been wronged.

This is not weakness—it is worship.

📚 Sources & References

Be Reconciled to Your Brother

Scripture (NASB 1995):

• Matthew 5:23–24 – “First be reconciled to your brother…”
• Romans 12:18 – “If possible… be at peace with all people.”
• Psalm 51:6 – “You desire truth in the innermost being.”
• 1 Peter 2:5 – “A holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices…”

Ante-Nicene Sources:

• The Didache, Chapter 14.
  “Do not come together with a grudge in your heart… Let your sacrifice be pure.”
  [Available at: EarlyChristianWritings.com]
• Clement of Rome, 1 Clement, Chapter 51.
  “Let us put away the quarrels… let us be reconciled in Christ.”
  [Available at: NewAdvent.org]

From the series “The Commands of Christ — Love in Action”

“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.”
— Matthew 7:1, NASB 1995

This verse has become one of the most misused and misunderstood words of Christ—quoted by those who reject accountability and often avoided by those who are called to speak truth. But Jesus was not forbidding judgment. He was forbidding hypocrisy.

He was not calling His people to silence.
He was calling them to purity of heart before speaking.

“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
— Matthew 7:3

The command is not “never judge,” but “judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)
To love as Christ commands is to speak truth—not with pride, but with humility.
Not with arrogance, but with a heart willing to be examined first.

Hypocritical judgment crushes.
It condemns without compassion.
It sees clearly in others but is blind to its own sin.
It says, “Let me fix you,” while refusing to be sanctified.

“First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
— Matthew 7:5

This is not a call to silence truth—it is a call to truth that flows from repentance.

The early Church knew this danger.
They preached boldly—but they also examined themselves continually.
They spoke of sin—but never from superiority.

Clement of Rome (c. AD 96):
“Let each of us examine himself first… for judgment must begin with the household of God.”
— 1 Clement, Ch. 56

The Didache (c. AD 50–100):
“Do not hate any man; but some you are to reprove, and others to pray for. Yet do nothing without examining yourself first.”
— Didache, Ch. 2–3

Judgment without self-awareness is dangerous.
Correction without humility is damaging.
But silence in the name of comfort is not love—it is cowardice.

To obey Christ here is to walk a narrow path:
We are called to confront sin with clean hands and a broken heart.
We are called to uphold righteousness without self-righteousness.
We are called to correct others only as those who are also under correction.

So before we speak, we must kneel.
Before we confront, we must repent.
And if we are unwilling to let God deal with us first, we have no business pointing at the sins of others.

Because love does not seek to shame.
Love seeks to restore.
And judgment without mercy is not Kingdom love—it is Pharisaical pride.

📚 Sources & References

Do Not Judge Hypocritically

Scripture (NASB 1995):

• Matthew 7:1–5 – “Do not judge… first take the log out of your own eye…”
• John 7:24 – “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Ante-Nicene Sources:

• Clement of Rome, 1 Clement, Ch. 56.
  “Let each of us examine himself first… judgment must begin with the household of God.”
  [Available at: NewAdvent.org]
• The Didache, Chapters 2–3.
  “Do not hate… do nothing without examining yourself first.”
  [Available at: EarlyChristianWritings.com]

From the series “The Commands of Christ — Love in Action”

“If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
— Luke 9:23, NASB 1995

This is not a call to comfort.
It is not an invitation to moral improvement.
It is a summons to die.

To follow Christ is to walk the road He walked.
There is no other path to life but the one that leads through death—death to self, to sin, to pride, to reputation, to everything the world says is valuable.

The cross is not a symbol of inconvenience.
It is a tool of execution.

And Jesus didn’t say, “Take it up once.”
He said, “Daily.”

The command to deny yourself flies in the face of everything our culture worships.
The world says, “Love yourself. Express yourself. Exalt yourself.”
Christ says, “Crucify yourself.”

Not literally, but spiritually.
Not in despair, but in obedience.

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
— Galatians 5:24

This is the heart of discipleship.
Not that we add Jesus to our lives—but that we surrender our lives to Him completely.

To take up your cross daily means you no longer belong to yourself.
Your time. Your body. Your rights. Your dreams.
All laid down in loving surrender.

“He died for all, so that those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose on their behalf.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:15

The early Church did not water this down.
They didn’t lure people in with promises of ease.
They preached Christ—and Him crucified. And they embraced suffering, rejection, and even death, because they had already died to this world.

Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 107):
“Let me be food for the wild beasts… that I may be found the pure bread of Christ. I no longer desire to live according to the flesh, but to suffer for Christ.”
— Letter to the Romans, Ch. 4

Tertullian (c. AD 200):
“To bear the name of Christ is to bear the burden of the cross… not only in suffering but in denying our sinful nature daily.”
— On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Ch. 23

They did not cling to their comfort.
They clung to the cross.
Because they knew: to lose your life for Christ is to find it.

This is not a one-time prayer.
It is a daily surrender.
It’s not about perfection—but persistence.

Every day, you wake up and lay your life down again.
Every day, you choose obedience over pride, holiness over comfort, truth over popularity.

And every day, the world may look at you and see loss.
But heaven sees love.

Because no one loves Christ more than the one who is willing to die for Him—and live for Him every single day.

📚 Sources & References

Take Up Your Cross Daily

Scripture (NASB 1995):

• Luke 9:23 – “Deny yourself, take up your cross daily…”
• Galatians 5:24 – “Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh…”
• 2 Corinthians 5:15 – “No longer live for themselves, but for Him…”

Ante-Nicene Sources:

• Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans, Ch. 4.
  “Let me be food for the wild beasts… I no longer desire to live according to the flesh.”
  [Available at: EarlyChristianWritings.com]
• Tertullian, On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Ch. 23.
  “To bear the name of Christ is to bear the burden of the cross…”
  [Available at: NewAdvent.org]