Re: It's pretty simple

As you said:
" By the way, if you follow the law to the letter as the "certain ruler" had done, then - per Jesus, you must sell all of your possessions and give the proceeds to the poor, in order to follow him. How many people do that!"


Jesus has not always been literal in all the things that he says. He uses parables in many of his teachings...actually in most of his teachings. There is a reason for this. The Lord doesn't want you to just read it over, he wants you to study it, contemplate the meaning of his story so that you may realize the message with such clarity you will grow in immense faith and spirit. I do not believe that he means that you should give up everything and follow him in a literal sense as with your possessions. I do believe he means it in a way that you should give up your earthly and fleshly baggage. Such things as your love for money, pride, power, selfishness, jealousy, judgment, anger, resentment etc... I believe he is saying to give up the desires of the soul, the flesh and follow him by living with the desires of the spirit. Walk with him...give your spirit to him...display love, kindness, mercy, selflessness, compassion. Basically to strive to live with the heart of Jesus.


Matthew 7:1-5
"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

There is a piece of this message I feel you are ignoring. This passage clearly says "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." This says do not judge others b/c you will be judged...not you will judge yourself, but you will be judged in the same way you have judged others. Even to think about that logically...do you really think if you were judging yourself on judgment day that you would use the same measure you judged others with. Do you really think you would be as cruel to yourself as you were with someone. I don't think that would make any sense.


John 5:22
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

This clearly says that all judgment is passed to the son. Jesus says if you do not know him then you do not know the one who sent him. Jesus also says that if you know him and love him he will know you when you come before GOD, but if you do not know him then he will not know you. That is expressed in this scripture:

Matthew 10:32-33
"What about someone who says in front of others that he knows me? I will also say in front of my Father who is in heaven that I know him. 33 But what about someone who says in front of others that he doesn't know me? I will say in front of my Father who is in heaven that I don't know him.

The road to salvation is through your believe in the savior, in Jesus Christ and no other.


John 8:15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

I believe you are also interpreting this scripture in the wrong way. "Ye judge after the flesh"...I believe Jesus is say that it is up to us to judge our flesh. To look at ourselves and discover our fleshly ways. That it is up to us to judge these things and make the steps to change them. It does say that he will judge no man. Once you die you are no longer a man, you are only a spirit. There is nowhere in the bible that says that Jesus will not judge your spirit. Flesh and spirit are two totally different things. This scripture doesn't say that you will judge your spirit, it only says you judge your flesh. There will be a judgment of your spirit, and it will be done by Jesus Christ himself. Just as Matthew 10:32-33 states - he will be the one who will stand with you before the Lord and it is up to you whether or not he knows you or not. And knowing does not mean physically knowing...I believe knowing means whether you have forged a relationship, brought him into your life as your savior and walked in his ways.