Living in the Promises of God - Part 2 - Knowing
A Christian Living Article from All-Creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

True Christian living requires us to live according to Kingdom standards which bring Heaven to earth.

FROM Frank L. Hoffman, all-creatures

Isaiah tells that our understanding of God's will for all of creation is directly connected to our perceiving the knowledge of God, and then living by that knowledge.  If we know the truth, then we should live by the truth.  Note what we are told in Isaiah 11:6-9:

6    The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

7    The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8    The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

9    They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. (NIV)

This is a great and wonderful promise of the Lord.  No one who has the full knowledge of the Lord will knowingly harm or destroy another living being.  This seems to apply to both humans and non-humans.  When this prophecy comes to pass, the wolf and the lamb will not hurt one another, neither will the leopard and the goat, nor the lion and the calf.  And neither will we eat these animals.  We, and all these animals, will learn not to harm one another and to eat only the vegetation God provided for them during His creation of the earth; just as we are told in Genesis 1:29-30.

29    Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

30    And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so. (NIV)

The knowledge of the Lord should cause is to do no harm.  Thus, if we do harm to others, the knowledge of the Lord is not perfected in us, or we have suppressed it.  Therefore, much of the way we live, today, is a departure from the knowledge of the Lord. And if it's a departure from the knowledge of the Lord, it must be conforming to some other knowledge or will - a worldly one - a deceptive one - a demonic one.

Let's look at a few prolife examples:

Some people commit crimes against other people; they rob, destroy property, and kill.  In retaliation, we do our best to remove such people from our society, which is a good thing, because these people don't seem to want to conform to the proper way to live.  But sometimes our retaliation extends to the killing of such a person (capital punishment), which is equally out of the scope of not hurting or destroying.  Such an act is not in the knowledge of the Lord. 

We also legalize other forms of killing.  Abortion is an excellent example of this, for it sparks much controversy.  The people in favor of "choice" say it's the woman's right.  The pro-life movement calls abortion murder.  Biblically, abortion is clearly destroying a life, thus it is outside the knowledge of the Lord.

We also cannot be living in the knowledge of the Lord if we hunt other living beings, for we are hurting or destroying them.  It is not a pro life stance.  Furthermore, to take pleasure in such a "sport" is beyond any concession God may have given us.

So, say we don't participate in sport hunting, but go to the super market and buy an animal's flesh to eat.  Is this not equally participating in the hurting and destroying of another living being?  Is this not outside the scope of living in the knowledge of the Lord?  I believe the honest answer to both questions is, "Yes!", even if it is covered by God's concession of Genesis 9:1-4.  We are to seek a higher plane.  We are to seek to live in the knowledge of the Lord.   We are to seek to have the heavenly state of being once again exist upon this earth.

And then we come to the dilemma of war.  To start a war is clearly outside of the scope of living in the knowledge of the Lord.  Acts of terrorism also fall into this category.  The problem of living in the knowledge of the Lord comes in how we respond.  Do we bomb the "hell" out of them, and kill as many of them as possible?  Do we become like them and react equally out of the realm of truly knowing and living in the will of God?  Or, do we stand firm against such acts, clothed in the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), even if we die?   Such a response worked for Gandhi and King.  If it worked for them, couldn't it work for others, too?

Did not Jesus give us the promise, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26 NASV)   Do we believe this?  Then what are we to do?

We can and should live in the promises of God. 

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8 - KJV)

Photos by Sue Holloway - Creatured Connection, Farm Sanctuary, and Pets Alive

Go on to: Living in the Promises of God - Part 3 - Liberating
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