A Robot Or A Man?

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9

                        In life I have met many Christians who were robots or clones of their idol or leader be it Apostle Paul, their pastor, or a T.V. Evangelist. They could not think for themselves or manifest the power of God but only spewed out mechanically doctrines or ideas spewed out by others. It was obvious they were not like Jesus who was a true man who was at a home with evil and wicked Pharisees and the poor, needy and sick common man. Jesus was self-sufficient as a result of prayer and the Spirit of the Lord to handle any situation that came His way including dealing with tough questions posed to him by His antagonists. The bible records for our profit:

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  "Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  "Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way. Matthew 22:15-22

Just because Jesus in a specific debate made a statement "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" doesn’t mean that we are to turn it into a doctrine or commandment of God that we are to pay taxes without question. If this was the case, the American Revolution of 1776 denouncing taxation without representation as a threat to colonial liberties was biblical illegal according to the words of Jesus! A view that some Christians maintain. But the American reveloution was about personal liberties including what Thomas Jefferson stated:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.--We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,--That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.(The Declaration of Independence)

I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever, in religion, in philosophy, in politics or in anything else, where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent.. – Thomas Jefferson Letter To Francis Hopkinson, Paris Mar. 13, 1789

Jesus Christ never denied the fact that all men created equal,and  they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Rather He came to destroy the works of the devil in the lives of men and owmen and taught:

"Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.  "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  "But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  "Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. "And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. John 8:43-50

"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. "But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  "The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  "As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. John 10:9-15

Jesus Christ didn’t bless anyone who took away the personal freedoms from men but rather cursed them. Woe to you doesn’t mean something good is going to happen to you. God’s word is unchanging:

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Matthew 23:14-15

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  "Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. "Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,  "and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'  "Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  "Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.  "Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Matthew 23:23-33

Jesus taught us all to beware of false prophets, pastors, and politicians who come to us in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. He said:

"You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  "Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:16-20

If we are going to come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13) we are going to have to learn to be discerning and to stand up to ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing whoever they are and curse them just as Jesus did and not bless them and not be like them but warn others about them! God’s word is unchanging:

"Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.  "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.  "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.  "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.  "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.  "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.  "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. "Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.  "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "Acts 20:26-35

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1