There's Only One Side - God's

"We walk in the Spirit."

GOD NEVER takes sides in an argument because He is always right. He is not tempted by evil (James 1:13), so He can never be wrong. He is the source of all wisdom, so He can never be confused or uncertain (1 Corinthians 14:33). He isn't swayed by emotions, though He is constantly joyful. He gave up being angry when Jesus came. He desired to show love because He is love. He is peace, shalom, a Hebrew word meaning well in every aspect (Isaiah 9:6).

Shalom
H7965, safe, that is, (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, that is, health, prosperity, peace: - X do, familiar, X fare, favour, + friend, X greet, (good) health, (X perfect, such as be at) peace (-able, -ably), prosper (-ity, -ous), rest, safe (-ly), salute, welfare, (X all is, be) well, X wholly.

He takes no side because He will never argue. Never. So if you're arguing you're not in the right. I said this, days ago, see the link below, but Jesus doesn't argue. He doesn't have to win. He's already won. Sin and death have no hold over Him. He died voluntarily, although He did no crime. He has never sinned. He cannot sin because of His deity, but when He lived on earth, He was submitted to God entirely and without even a desire to rebel and do things His way. He never thought sinfully (2 Corinthians 5:21).

READ “For Argument’s Sake.”

The devil did tempt Him in the wilderness. But the Spirit had come upon Him completely just days before at His baptism by cousin John. He had the Spirit without measure (John 3:34) and filled all ministry offices outlined by the apostle Paul. He manifested every gift of the Spirit, as they are often called. But in His temptation, He was not swayed toward sin in any way. Not in His mind nor in His desires.

His answers were all meant to show who He is. Tempted with bread, He replied, "Man shall live 'by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).'" He is the Word of God (John 1:1) who declared the truth of God. He is truth (John 14:6). The devil wanted to see how desperate Jesus was. He wasn’t. Next, the devil tempted His knowledge and understanding of the Law, giving Him a vision of the temple and misquoting the Scriptures, Jesus replied to him, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God (Matthew 4:7)." He is the Lord thy God and the temple's design. It pictures Jesus, and Jesus knew this.

I find it ironic that the devil, a fallen angel, quoted a Scripture about obedient angels to cause God who created all things to fall. It would not happen. And another irony, that the devil didn't recognize Jesus, though they’d met before. Here was Satan not in the form he was before he sinned and Jesus not in the form He was before He came to earth. Jesus told His disciples He saw Satan fall from heaven (Luke 10:18), yet Satan didn’t know Him as a man.

Satan, which means "adversary," then tempted Jesus' pride with an outright lie. The devil had no glory nor power over kingdoms to give to anyone. He is the father of lies and there is no truth in him (John 8:44). Nor would he have given Jesus anything if Jesus had bowed to him. He had nothing to give and no intention to give it. Jesus put him in his place, yet still, the devil didn't see him.

“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matthew 4:10)

The devil didn’t know the plan of God, having lost all connection with God. He has no form or substance, no beauty. This is why he inhabited a snake. He makes himself larger than he is and gives himself airs. He was the first to sin (and is no prince), and is the source of all strife. We must see this and refuse to argue with anyone - anyone in the world, anyone in the church. We are told to do all things peacefully. This does not mean under our own strength but that we walk in the Spirit, being led of Him to peaceful words and actions.

“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (James 3:16)

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

God is not violent. There will be no violence in the end of days. And He is not violent with us nor with the world. No one is His target. Jesus made the way of peace with complete and full salvation. It is a gift, willingly and freely given. The Father sees us through His shed blood. Jesus sees us through His loving Father and the sweet Holy Spirit. The Spirit shows us both Jesus and the Father. Though He is all-powerful, He is the most humble.

We have no reason to argue. The devil gives us one. But the truth is God has solved all things. There is nothing left unsolved. Nothing to argue about. Whether we feel angry or not, we are told to let our anger go out and not told hold onto it. To seek peace and pursue it. This means not being so easily angered. Even greater, I love Psalm 119:165 which says I can be so peaceful that I’m never even offended. I like that immensely. What if no one made me mad? And what if my default behavior was, like God? Love. Who could God’s Spirit save through me? What more can He do in me because I’m not angry?

“We should love others completely.” (1 John 4:17 T4T)

“We love God and our fellow believers because God loved us first.” (1 John 4:19 T4T)

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com