There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Sin is a ravaging menace, a bloodthirsty criminal, an ever-present threat to our joy in Christ. And yet, as one in Christ, we are benefactors of God’s grace and mercy in that He has removed sin from us in various ways, some immediate, others progressive.
Charles Spurgeon, the famous London “Prince of Preachers,” noted that God removes sin in three distinct-yet-connected ways: “Remember that the Lord Jesus came to take away sin in three ways; He came to remove the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and, at last, the presence of sin.”
Let’s explore.
Removing the Penalty
By His death on the cross, Jesus once and for all removed—completely—the penalty our sin had incurred. What was that penalty? you may ask. Hell for all eternity under the righteous and just wrath of God. People shudder, individuals clamor. The wrath of God itself is an unnerving concept, but a biblical one we must admit. More so, it is a concept we must speak of. Hell is not terrifying because it’s Hell, but because of God’s wrath.
However, this isn’t strictly about God’ s wrath, but the removal of it—thanks be to God. Through dying on the cross, Jesus reconciled us to God by taking on our sin, thereby removing its penalty (Romans 5:10). Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for our sin (1 John 2:1-2); His perfect and sufficient atonement completely removed sin, as He took it all upon Himself and suffered God the Father’s wrath.
Jesus died, and suffered (1 Peter 3:18), to ultimately bring us to God. By removing the penalty of sin, we now have access to the Father through the person of Jesus Christ! Jesus bore our sins on the cross (1 Peter 2:24), and now the penalty of God’s wrath is appeased and we no longer have to fear it.
And here’s the best part—its removal was immediate. We need not wonder if the wrath of God is still hanging over our heads or if we need to do something on our end. Jesus removed it completely by His death. I know I may sound like a broken record, but sometimes our thick skulls need that.
Removing the Power
As a Christian, I will continue to fight against sin until glory comes, until the day I die. But when God saved me—and you—He removed the ginormous power of sin in our lives, to the point where we can, by the power of His Spirit, fight back against it—and win.
The Apostle Paul goes as far to say that we must reckon ourselves “dead to sin” (Romans 6:11). Though sin will wage war against us daily, it doesn’t have power over us anymore. We can attack, we can fight back against sin by the Spirit’s power.
John Owen wrote:
The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin.
Just because God has removed the power of sin in our lives doesn’t mean we should not take sin seriously, nor should we be passive in relation to sin. Though it doesn’t have power over us anymore, it still seeks to attack us daily. This is why, by the power of the Holy Spirt, we must “mortify [kill] the indwelling power of sin.”
But thanks be to God that the power of sin in our lives is significant less than it was before salvation. Because of Christ’s atonement and the Spirit who lives in us, we can resist sin. Sin doesn’t have dominion over us. We are not enslaved to sin anymore (Romans 6:1-7), but slaves to Christ.
Removing the Presence
This is what we look forward to. This is the culmination of all things, the blessing of being with Jesus in Heaven—no more sin. Any presence of sin will be eradicated in glory.
No more fighting, no more resisting, no more caving. Sin will cease to exist in Heaven. Is that not the best news? What I look forward to the most about glory is being with my Lord, but knowing I won’t have to deal with sin is a wonderful thought.
There will be no more tears, no more pain, no more anguish. Crime will be erased, immorality will vanish, vulgarity will cease to be. We won’t have to worry about how to combat society with the gospel or how we possibly can be lured away by sin and our own temptations. In glory, we will be made perfect—glorified!
Let us marvel at our God who provided His own Son as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of His people. Through the death of Jesus, the penalty of our sin—God’s wrath—has been removed, the power of sin in our lives has been squashed, and the presence of sin will soon be a distant memory when we enter in the presence of our triune God.
4:24put on the new man As in v. 22, Paul uses the imagery of changing one’s clothes to describe believers’ responsibility to actively participate in Christ’s transformative work in their lives (compare Col 3:9–10; 2 Cor 5:17[1]
4:24put on the new self (lit., “man”; see note on v. 22). Paul focuses on the individual aspect of the corporate “new man” as described in 2:15. Believers are created anew in Christ (see also 2:10). Created after the likeness of God further shows the connection with the original creation in Genesis, where “God created man in his own image” (Gen. 1:27; cf. 1 Cor. 15:49).[2]
4:24 put on the new self. The renewal of the mind in salvation brings not simply a renovation of character, but transformation of the old to the new self (cf. 2Co 5:17). in the likeness of God has been created. In Christ, the old self no longer exists as it had in the past; the new self is created in the very likeness of God (cf. Gal 2:20). in righteousness and holiness. Righteousness relates to the Christian’s moral responsibility to his fellow men reflecting the second table of the law (Ex 20:12–17), while holiness refers to his responsibilities to God, reflecting the first table (Ex 20:3–11). There is still sin in the believer’s unredeemed human flesh (see notes on Ro 7:17, 18, 20, 23, 25; 8:23).[3]
4:24 — … put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
When Paul tells us to “put on” the new man, he means that we have to make a conscious, moment-by-moment choice to depend upon the Spirit’s power to transform us into the likeness of Christ.[4]
4:24. Mind renewal makes it possible to put on the new man. The Church is a new man. The Ephesian believers were to live as the new people they were in Christ. This new man was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Believers are placed into the Church to live a righteous and holy lifestyle as new persons.
Paul then gives specific instructions on how Christians are to live in their relationships with others.[5]
4:24 The third lesson is that they had put on the new man once for all. The new man is what a believer is in Christ. It is the new creation, in which old things have passed away and all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17). This new kind of man is according to God, that is, created in His likeness. And it manifests itself in true righteousness and holiness. Righteousness means right conduct toward others. Holiness is “piety towards God, which puts Him in His place,” as F. W. Grant defines it.[6]
4:24. Finally, we are to put on the new self. This means, we are to allow the new self to govern our activities. We are to begin living the lifestyle that corresponds to who we have become in Christ. This new holy self shows we are maturing, growing in unity with the body, and doing our part of the body’s work.[7]
4:24 “put on” This is an AORIST MIDDLE INFINITIVE. This is the clothing metaphor which emphasizes the continuing decision to be in Christ (cf. Rom. 13:14; Gal. 3:27; Col. 3:8, 10, 12, 14; James 1:21; 1 Pet. 2:1). This terminology of putting on Christ may have even been connected to the ordinance of baptism in the early church, where new converts put on clean, white clothing after baptism.
Ver. 24. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.—
Putting on:—Observe—
I. That Christian life begins in renunciation, but does not finish there. It is a great mistake to imagine that Christian life ends with renunciation, or that renunciation constitutes the sum of that life. Great, however, as that mistake may be, it very largely prevails, and works much mischief. It is felt that Christian life is chiefly occupied with sacrifice and resistance; what we forego is the main matter, the great idea being that of renunciation throughout. Out of this negative view, constantly set forth and exaggerated, sprung great evils. 1. One unfortunate result of this view of Christian life is disappointed experiences. It is no uncommon thing to find Christian people with a sense of disappointment in the life they are striving to live; they do not experience all the satisfaction and joy the New Testament obviously promises. A lady told the present writer, that on returning from India with her little daughter, when the cliffs of England first came into view she lifted the child to catch sight of the welcome land. The child had heard much, of course, of England, of its wonderful scenes and stories, and seeing the cold coast in the grey mist, she was much disappointed and murmured, “Is that England? It does not look much!” No; England does not look much from that particular point of view; you must land; you must penetrate it; you must wander on the banks of the Wye, by the lakes of Cumberland, on the hills of Derbyshire; you must see the ferns and flowers of Devonshire; the gardens of Kent, the orchards of Gloucestershire, rivers, mountains, parks, landscapes, cities, cathedrals; and then England will grow upon you, and you shall acknowledge the half has not been told. Many are similarly disappointed with religion, simply because they have not gone on to realize its treasures and blessings. They have understood that Christianity means renunciation rather than appropriation; and whilst they have given up the false and base, whilst they have left the far country and returned to their fatherland, they have known little more than its grey cliffs, and feel the sense of keen disappointment. For all that we give up for Christ’s sake, a new world opens to us of fresh interests, activities, and pleasures, and this world we must forthwith claim and realize. We put off not that we may be found naked and comfortless, but that we may put on—put on beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. 2. Another unhappy result of this negative view of Christian life is found in poverty of character. It is not enough that we are free from old vices; we must put new virtues in their place, equally living and bold; and we suffer when this view is not fully entertained. Carlyle has a pregnant passage on this subject: “Washington is another of our perfect characters, to me a most limited uninteresting sort. The thing is not only to avoid error, but to attain immense masses of truth.” There are many such as Washington—perfect characters so far that they refuse evil and avoid error, and yet limited, uninteresting, because they have not gone on to attain fulness of knowledge, depth of feeling, strength and richness of character. Simply to renounce error and evil will leave us neutral characters, without attractiveness or force; we must attain immense masses of truth, immense masses of purity, immense masses of kindness, immense masses of whatever is lovely and of good report. As in the springtime the old withered leaves are expelled by new buds and replaced by unfolding blossoms, so the old evil characteristics of our life must be rejected and supplanted by the new radiant graces and joys which spring from the Spirit of God renewing the spirit of our mind. 3. Another unhappy result of this negative view of Christian life is found in many painful lapses. The Christian life begins with renunciation, but renunciation leading to possession—possession of higher and nobler qualities and characteristics. The ground is cleared of the thorn, that the green fir-tree may disport itself; of the brier, that the fragrant myrtle may fill the air with sweetness; and if the fir and myrtle do not speedily spring forth, the wild growths of the wilderness again shoot and bear their fruits of bitterness.
II. That the good of the Christian life is the assumption of sublimest character. We are to aspire to a Divine moral likeness, to be “perfect, even as our Father who is in heaven is perfect.” Some say they cannot believe in God, the God of the Bible, because He is only “a magnified man.” Well, and what special difficulty is there if that were so? What is a true man? The best we know! and that magnified can be no bad thing. What could be more admirable than the genius of Shakespere indefinitely magnified, the charity of Howard, the righteousness of Paul, the gentleness of John? We might have the conception of a worse God than that; could we easily have a better? What about God being a magnified man, if man is first a minified God? Here is the truth: there is more of the Spirit of the Universe in us than some think. We were made in the image of God, our nature in its depths bears the likeness of God, and it is our calling to strive until we put on that glorious personality which after God’s image is created in righteousness and holiness. But where shall we acquaint ourselves with this “new man,” so utterly glorious and Divine? The truth for us is “the truth as it is in Jesus,” and all the glorious features of our great ideal are definite in Jesus Christ. (W. L. Watkinson.)
The new man:—
I. New thoughts. Formerly chaos; now light.
II. New motives. The glory of God and the welfare of fellow man take the place of selfish and sinful motives. Order and beauty dislodge confusion and fruitlessness.
III. New dispositions. The blood of Jesus has washed away the corrupting inclinations of the heart.
IV. New enjoyments. The surroundings are new, the experiences are also new, and consequently the heart has new joys. The new man is immortal. (The Weekly Pulpit.)
Moral renewal:—I. The great purpose of the gospel is our moral renewal. II. This moral renewal, is a creation in the image of God. III. This new creation has to be put on and appropriated by us. IV. The means of appropriating this new nature is contact with the truth. (Homiletic Hints.)
Spring clothing:—At this season of the year many living things around us are daily putting on a new appearance. The grass, which, during the winter, has worn the dullest green, is now putting on the brighest verdure. The shrubs, which have been clothed in raiment of leaden hue, are now putting on their beautiful garments. The trees, which put off their foliage for the dark and cold months of winter, are now again putting on their new and shiny leaves in harmony with the lengthened days and with sunny skies. Seeds and roots, which, during many weeks, have been hid in the soil, are putting off the old man of the unquickened and undeveloped state, and are putting on the new man of germ life, and of plant life, and of bloom life. The effect of all these changes around us is to produce corresponding changes in the spirits, and in the health, and in the habits of the people. This extends to things both small and great, All, who have the means, lay aside the raiment which spring suns show to be threadbare and soiled, and attire themselves in clothing which will bear the manifestation of light; while those whose poverty prevents such changes, try to make all things new, by making all things clean. The changes to which we refer in the vegetable kingdom, are the result of newness of life. Under the influence of vernal light and heat, the seed germinates, the sap rises in the shrub, and in the tree, and circulates through every branch, and bough, and stem; and the improved appearance of all things in the vegetable kingdom, is the result of an increased power of life. The changes, too, which men make at this season are partly the result of an increase in the animal spirits and in physical energy. No such changes as those we have been speaking of, pass however upon that which is artificial. The grass, and the shrubs, and the trees, in the landscape of the painter, change not with the season. The true Christian has a new man to put on. The mere formalist, like a stuffed animal, or like an artificial flower, or like a painting from the life, is now what he was in the beginning. There can be no change, no satisfactory change even in the outer life, just because there is no religious or spiritual vitality in the soul. The new man which, according to this precept, we are to put on, and which is of God, is, as the very words indicate, outside the man. The reference here is not to the inner man which God alone sees, but to the outer man, which is the only part of our being that our fellow men can see. There are precepts which require attention to the inner man, as for example, “Keep thy heart with all diligence,” and it is useless to attend to the outer man, unless we give first and commanding attention to the inner man; but the outer man—the character which a Christian has among his fellow Christians, and which he has in the world—is of immense moment—of such immense moment that God gives us directions like the text, “Put on,” He says, “the new man.” Now, the outside man consists, as you well know, of words, looks, demeanour, behaviour, actions, the company which a man keeps, the occupation he adopts and pursues, the connections he forms, his pleasures and recreations, and especially his habits. Well, this outside man, we say again, is of importance, for this is the only part of the man that is really seen—by his fellow men. Hereby, therefore, is the man judged, judged in the Church, and judged in the world. The influence of a man upon his fellows, and the services he renders them, are dependent entirely upon the outward life. And then, this new man is to be put on in connection with a new heart and with a renewed heart. Sometimes, when men are describing hypocrisy, or describing conduct which they resent, they say of certain behaviour, “it is put on.” Now there is a putting on which is of course sinful and to be deprecated, but there is a putting on which becomes a duty. The artiste in the theatre puts on a certain attire for the sake of acting, for the sake of mere play. But a man in ordinary circumstances, puts on raiment for the sake of covering, for warmth and health, for convenience and preservation of life. Now, because some clothe themselves in peculiar attire simply for the purpose of play, we do not condemn the putting on of suitable clothing for the purposes of work. Just so with reference to outward character. There is an outward character which it is the duty of every man to study. If a man neglect his outward character, he is decidedly committing sin; he is breaking such distinct and positive commandments as that which we are now considering—“put on the new man.” But then this new man is to be put on in connection with a new heart and with a renewed heart. Now the characteristic of the new man is, of course, godliness, and its distinctive features are righteousness and true holiness. Hence, following the text, you find the words, “which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” The apostle names some of the things in which this righteousness and true holiness consist. It is very remarkable that he should mention such things as he does here speak of. For example, he goes on to say, “Putting away lying, let every man speak truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another,” recognizing truthfulness as a part of righteousness and true holiness, and lying as the opposite of righteousness and true holiness. Again we find him saying, “Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.” Now, you know, brethren, that there are people who think that righteousness and true holiness consist principally in making prayers, and in coming to places of worship, and in taking the Lord’s Supper, and in talking godliness and religion from morning to night; and you find that such people will lie, and they will not blush when charged with lying; you find they will steal and even justify theft; you find they will walk in a path that many an upright worldly man will not dare to put his foot upon. Now, all these cursed opinions, with their hellish fruit, require to be driven away. People sometimes justify the retention of that which Paul calls the “old man” by saying, “Such a thing is my habit, or my temper, or my temperament, or my constitution, or my nature”; but you know this is no justification for continuance in evil. It is absurd to talk about evil feelings being your temper or temperament, or constitution, or nature; you, Christian, are a new creature, and there is a new man to put on. Others justify the repression of very much that is within them by saying “I feel it, although I do not express myself. I am kind to that man in heart, but I do not show it.” Look here, what does our text mean? “Put on the new man.” If God has changed that heart of yours, turned out the wrath and enmity, and put kindness there, you must put on the new man. It is of no use, though you may have kind feelings within, to show on the outside the angry man; you must show on the outside the kind, considerate, and compassionate man. Then, we say again, what have you in daily wear as spiritual attire? Do you speak of religious subjects in the same tone, and in the same phrases, and with no more intelligence, sagacity, and feelings, than you did, say ten years ago? Does your countenance show only as much interest in spiritual things as when you first gave heed to them? Is your walk through life upon the same incline as when you first moved heavenward? (S. Martin, D.D.)[9]
24. The concluding part of the exhortation is the call to put on the new man: and put on the new man who has been created after God’s image in the righteousness and holiness of the truth (author’s translation). The resolve is to walk in Christ, putting him on as one puts on clothes, by staying focused on what he represents and provides. The believer is to walk and live with others with a recognition that bearing Christ’s name means living in a certain way. The allegiance to Christ and the view of self that identifies with him and his cause drives the believer to respond in ways pleasing to him. Paul wants their identity and connection to Christ to run this deep.
Just as ‘the old man’ is a corporate image tied to Adam, so the new man is a corporate image tied to being in Christ. The ‘new man’ parallel in Colossians 3:10–11, with its mention of barbarians and Scythians, shows the corporate nature of the image since an individual’s human nature does not contain a differentiation of peoples within it. It is not the new nature that is meant, but the connection to and character of the new community to which believers belong as a combination of peoples and which they represent. The community of Christ into which believers have been placed has been created after God’s image or likeness. They are being urged to identify with and reflect that likeness. That likeness also shares two core attributes, righteousness and holiness, that come out of the truth these virtues represent. The combination of righteousness and holiness is common in the New Testament (Luke 1:75; 1 Thess. 2:10; Titus 1:8; Rev. 16:5). This is a reference to personal piety or a virtuous life. The truth here from which these virtues emerge is again not just ideas, but an authenticity, a genuineness that is part of the character that reflects God and the Christ. It contrasts with the deceit that drove the life in darkness (vv. 17–19). One cannot overemphasize how ethical this entire section of exhortation is. Paul is calling them to a kind of living that is authentic and honours God. It is rooted in all God has provided in Christ. Ephesians 5:9 will elaborate on this theme by associating goodness, righteousness and the truth. Whatever we lacked to be able to honour God before coming into Christ is now remedied in what God has provided through him. Romans 13:14, with its call to put on Christ, makes a similar point.[10]
24. Now kainos, the second word for new, is used; for in the place of the old nature, characterized by selfishness and sin, and bound by evil and its consequences, there is the new nature which is God’s creation (see on 2:10, 15; and cf. 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15; Col. 3:10; Titus 3:5). Here, moreover, the aorist verb again implies a decisive act, putting on this God-created, God-given life, as it has already implied the decisive putting off of the old. The two truths of this verse and the last need to be kept before the Christian. As Westcott puts it, ‘Two things are required for the positive formation of the Christian character, the continuous and progressive renewal of our highest faculty, and the decisive acceptance of “the new man”.’ This new nature is created after the likeness of God. So rsv renders it though the word likeness is not present in the original. Some would prefer to take the meaning as ‘according to God’s will and purpose’, but the parallel in Colossians 3:10 may be taken to interpret what is said here. There ‘the new nature’ is said to be ‘renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator’. Humanity was made in God’s image in the beginning (Gen. 1:27) and when that image had been marred by sin and the life in fellowship with God lost, there was in Christ a new creation, a restoration to the divine image with all that means. Above all, the image of God is shown in character in true righteousness and holiness. If these qualities are not seen, at least in some measure, there is no evidence that there has been God’s work of re-creation at all. In Philo and Plato, as well as in the New Testament, righteousness is used of the fulfilment of one’s duty to other people, and holiness of observing one’s duty to God. (In Luke 1:75; 1 Thess. 2:10 and Titus 1:8, as here, the two words, or their cognate forms, stand together.) rsv translates by the adjective true what should be rendered more strictly as ‘of the truth’. Probably there is a deliberate contrast between what has been said already (especially in v. 22) to be the fruit of deceit, and such righteousness and holiness as come into the character when the truth as it is in Jesus is embraced and followed. (Cf. the similar contrast in vv. 14–15.) neb speaks of ‘the new nature of God’s creating, which shows itself in the just and devout life called for by the truth’.[11]
24. And that ye put on the new man. All that is meant is, “Be renewed in the spirit, or, be renewed within or completely,—beginning with the mind, which appears to be the part most free from all taint of sin.” What is added about the creation, may refer either to the first creation of man, or to the second creation, which is effected by the grace of Christ. Both expositions will be true. Adam was at first created after the image of God, and reflected, as in a mirror, the Divine righteousness; but that image, having been defaced by sin, must now be restored in Christ. The regeneration of the godly is indeed—as we have formerly explained—nothing else than the formation anew of the image of God in them. There is, no doubt, a far more rich and powerful manifestation of Divine grace in this second creation than in the first; but our highest perfection is uniformly represented in Scripture as consisting in our conformity and resemblance to God. Adam lost the image which he had originally received, and therefore it becomes necessary that it shall be restored to us by Christ. The design contemplated by regeneration is to recall us from our wanderings to that end for which we were created.
In righteousness. If righteousness be taken as a general term for uprightness, holiness will be something higher, or that purity which lies in being devoted to the service of God. I am rather inclined to consider holiness as referring to the first table, and righteousness to the second table, of the law, as in the song of Zacharias, “That we may serve him in holiness and righteousness, all the days of our life.” (Luke 1:74, 75.) Plato lays down the distinction correctly, that holiness (ὁσιότης) lies in the worship of God, and that the other part, righteousness, (δικαιοσύνη,) bears a reference to men. The genitive, of truth, (τῆς αληθείας,) is put in the place of an adjective, and refers to both terms; so that, while it literally runs, in righteousness and holiness of truth, the meaning is, in true righteousness and holiness. He warns us that both ought to be sincere; because we have to do with God, whom it is impossible to deceive.[12]
Ver. 24.—And put on the new man. As the fruit of inward renewal, let there be outward renovation. A new object is clean, fresh, tidy; let your life have something of the same aspect—let your principles, aims, habits, be new, in the sense of being conformed to Christ, who is your life. Which after God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth. “After God,” equivalent to “after the image of him that created him” (Col. 3:10). Some think “the new man” equivalent to “Christ” (Rom. 13:14), constituted the Head of renewed humanity, as Adam of depraved. But this would not correspond with the exhortation to put off the old man, nor should we be exhorted to put on Christ after being exhorted to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. In what sense, then, has the “new man” been created? The idea presented itself to the apostle in the abstract—there has been a creation of a new man; but concretely, we have to conform to the Divine creation, in respect of righteousness and holiness; righteousness denoting personal uprightness and fidelity to all social duties; holiness, the state of the spirit toward God. The last words, “of truth,” denote the relation of righteousness and holiness to the truth. The words are opposed to “of deceit” in ver. 22. Lust is bred of deceit, but righteousness and holiness of truth. They never deceive, never disappoint, are solid to the end.[13]
24 In the parallel text in Col. 3:10, it is the “new man” himself who is “being renewed after his Creator’s image.” Here the injunction to be “renewed in the spirit of the mind” is repeated in different terms by the injunction to “put on the new man.” Again, the imperative replaces the indicative of Col. 3:10; but such a use of the imperative is no innovation in Pauline usage, even when established Christians are being addressed: the ethical paraenesis of Rom. 12:1–13:14 is summed up in the injunction: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” For the “new man” is essentially the Lord Jesus Christ—or at least the Lord Jesus Christ as his life is lived out in his people, who by the new creation have been incorporated into that new humanity of which he is the head. It is this new creation that is referred to when the “new man” is said to have been “created according to God in righteousness and true holiness.” The phrase “according to God” means “in the image of God”; so, in Col. 3:10, the “new man” is “renewed after his Creator’s image so as to attain true knowledge.” Christ, the Son of God, is the uncreated one; but the reproduction of his likeness in his people is an act of divine creation. If, in Colossians, the goal of this divine renewal is said to be the attainment of “true knowledge,” here the qualities manifested in the new creation are “righteousness and true holiness” (or “true righteousness and holiness”). The knowledge of God is never divorced from walking in his ways: to know him is to be like him, righteous as he is righteous, holy as he is holy.[14]
24 Now comes the contrast: “put on the new self.” The shift back to the aorist tense, as in “put off” (v. 22), points to believers’ need to take this next decisive step. God works in the process of renewing, but believers must act to put off and put on. This new “self” or “person” (anthrōpos, GK 476) is a divine creation designed with specific traits and different from the “old self.” This “self” has both individual and corporate aspects (cf. 2:15). Believers must act like the new body they are (e.g., characterized by unity, 4:3, 13)—a step that requires each individual believer to actualize his or her new identity in Christ, as Paul will spell out more fully in what follows. Foremost, the new self is created in conformity with or in similarity to God (Gk. preposition kata; see BDAG, 513, 5, b, a). The new self Christians put on is a creation (cf. 2:10) in which the effects of the fall are reversed; God renews his image in them, so they become more “like God.” The divine traits of “righteousness” and “holiness” characterize this “self.” To “holiness” Paul appends the genitive “of truth.” Is this a descriptive genitive that modifies both nouns, as in “true righteousness and holiness” (cf. most versions)? Or might the genitive be one of origin or source, such that these traits derive from the truth (and the One who is truth and the truth of the gospel, 1:13)? In view of the prominence of truthfulness in v. 25, the second probably captures better Paul’s intent. O’Brien, 333, agrees, though Best, 438, does not—seeing it as “an adjectival qualification of the other two nouns.” In either case, whereas the desires that inhabited the old person stemmed from deceit (v. 22), truth characterizes the new self that God is producing, a self that lives in righteousness and holiness.
In combination, then, Paul appeals for believers to take the necessary steps to become who they are in Christ. If this language seems strange, it is Paul’s doing! Paul insists that the old self was taken off at conversion, and yet it is still very much “on.” Likewise, though the new self was put on at conversion, it must continually be “put on” in the Christians’ ways of life. Put another way, what was taken off does not stay off; elsewhere Paul speaks of dying daily (1 Co 15:31; 2 Co 4:10–12; cf. Ro 6:2, 6, 8; Gal 2:19–20). And what was put on needs to be put on again and again. Paul lives with this paradoxical description of Christian reality. He does not envision actual “entities” being put off or on but uses such metaphorical language to highlight believers’ new status and capacities in Christ—ones that enable them, through the power of the Spirit (5:18), to live lives that please God. The gospel shouts that believers are no longer prisoners to what they once were. It also reminds them they must engage the process of becoming renewed in Christ. In theological terms, sanctification is not automatic but requires believers’ willful participation, as the next sections will make abundantly clear.[15]
[1] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Eph 4:24). Lexham Press.
[15] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, pp. 126–127). Zondervan.
Pastor Jack says there is an innate tendency for us to hide when we’ve sinned. But like a child who stole cookies and has cookie crumbs on his face, our wrongdoing is evident to God. There’s nowhere to hide.
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Called by the name of the Lord, we are nevertheless erring men and women. What a mercy it is that our God is ready to forgive! Whenever we sin let us hasten to the mercy seat of our God, seeking pardon.
We are to humble ourselves. Should we not be humbled by the fact that after receiving so much love we yet transgress? O Lord, we bow before Thee in the dust and own our grievous ingratitude. Oh, the infamy of sin! Oh, the sevenfold infamy of it in persons so favored as we have been!
Next, we are to pray for mercy, for cleansing, for deliverance from the power of sin. O Lord, hear us even now, and shut not out our cry.
In this prayer we are to seek the Lord’s face. He has left us because of our faults, and we must entreat Him to return. O Lord, look on us in Thy Son Jesus, and smile upon Thy servants.
With this must go our own turning from evil; God cannot turn to us unless we turn from sin.
Then comes the triple promise of hearing, pardon, and healing. Our Father, grant us these at once, for our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Ruthless violence! Lavish lifestyle! Those words once described Jorge Valdes (HORE-hay val-DEEZ) a former Colombian drug lord.
His message to drug policy makers, ambassadors and top military officers in Washington, D.C., was surprising. He spoke of ‘coming clean’ and finding a new life through a dramatic personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Even the FBI agents who tracked and jailed him agree he’s truly been transformed by Christ. Amazing!
You may think you’re without hope, that you’ll never change. But the Bible says otherwise. The Bible assures us: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”.
Cling to that truth today, dear one. Christ can transform you. Ask Him to. Trust in Him alone. And say goodbye to that old self-serving you. 4 Steps to Knowing God:https://thoughts-about-god.com/four-laws
“Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine.” 2 Corinthians 13:5
Christ is in me. What a difference it would make if we could take time every morning to focus on the thought. Christ is in me.
Christ made it clear to His disciples. The Spirit would teach them; “When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:20). Through the power of God we who believe were crucified with Christ and raised again with Him. As a result Christ is in us! Through faith in God’s Word, the Christian accepts it.
Paul expresses this thought in the prayer of (Ephesians 3:16); “I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit.” Notice that it is not the ordinary gift of grace, but a special revelation of the riches of His love that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith. Have you been able to grasp that?
Paul said: “I fall to my knees and pray to the Father” (Ephesians 3:14). That is the only way to obtain the blessing. Take time in prayer in His presence to realize: ‘Christ dwells in me.” Even in the midst of your daily schedule, look upon your heart as the dwelling place of the Son of God. Then Christ’s words: “Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.” (John 15:5) will become your daily experience.
By Andrew Murray Used by permission. From: ‘Teach Me to Pray‘ published by Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Russia Puts Its Longest Range Nuke-Capable Missile On Combat Duty, Nicknamed ‘Satan II’ Russia has on Friday announced its Sarmat ICBMs are on “combat duty”. RIA has quoted the head of the country’s space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, to confirm: “the Sarmat strategic complex has been put on combat duty.” The nuclear-capable Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile system was previously touted by President Putin as being capable hitting “any target on Earth”
FBI Data On Active Shootings Is Misleading: John Lott Jr. Last year, the CDC became the center of controversy when it removed its estimates of defensive gun uses from its website at the request of gun control organizations. For nearly a decade the CDC cited a 2013 National Academies of Sciences report showing that the annual number of people using guns to stop crime ranged from about 64,000 to 3 million. The CDC website listed the upper figure at 2.5 million. … the FBI continues to report that armed citizens stopped only 14 of the 302 active shooter incidents that it identified for the period 2014-2022. The correct rate is almost eight times higher. And if we limit the discussion to places where permit holders were allowed to carry, the rate is eleven times higher.
Gog Coalition Building: Protests Erupt In Libya After FM Meets With Israel To Discuss Normalization massive protests erupted in Libya this last week after the country’s foreign minister, Najla al-Mangoush, met with Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen, seemingly to begin talks about brokering peace. This created a massive uproar in Libya. … considering this in light of Ezekiel chapter 38. The passage examines the nations that will attempt a future invasion of Israel, … Libya is being rocked by protests because they don’t want peace with Israel. The reason that is significant is due to the fact that Libya is one of the nations mentioned in Ezekiel chapter 38
Jerusalem find dating back to biblical kings baffles archaeologists An unprecedented channel installation dating back to the First Temple period was uncovered in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem, … Such structures have not been found anywhere else in Israel and their purpose remains elusive.
Al Qaeda lawyer Neal Katyal blown out in Supreme Court ruling Katyal defended Hennepin County after it confiscated an elderly woman’s condo and took all the profits from its sale over a small unpaid tax. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday against a left-wing lawyer … who once defended Al Qaeda … after he tried to convince the justices that a Minnesota county was right to take all the profits from the sale of a home it confiscated from an elderly woman.
Champlin explores idea of seceding from Hennepin County The City of Champlin is considering seceding from Hennepin County and joining Anoka County. The Champlin City Council discussed the idea during a worksession Monday at Mayor Ryan Sabas’ request. “I am requesting to add an agenda item to the August [28th] worksession. It is regarding options of Champlin leaving Hennepin and joining Anoka county,” Sabas wrote in an email to city leaders.
Netanyahu prepared to quit in return for Israel-Saudi peace deal The prime minister’s Likud faction hit back against the report on Friday, stating unequivocally that that report in the ultra-Orthodox newspaper is nothing but a “farfetched fabrication.” “There was never any commitment or request made to change the current make-up of the government [in relation to the normalization deal with Saudi Arabia].
Ancient fragments belonging to Roman Emperor Hadrian discovered in Italy Hadrian known in Jewish history as the Roman leader who built a Roman colony in the Holy Land and changed its name Judea to ‘Palestine’ The fragments, dated to 126-128 C.E., are believed to be pieces of Roman Emperor Hadrian’s calendar or “fasti ostienses,” which were used to record the upcoming events for emperors and other nobility figures in Roman society.
Tucker Carlson: ‘Barack Obama had sex with men and smoked crack’ while a state senator ‘The Larry Sinclair story definitely happened. I’ve talked to Larry Sinclair about it. Definitely it happened,’ said Carlson, doubling and tripling down on his assertion. ‘This story, if you listen to it in detail, is clearly true.’ Reader discretion strongly advised.
Climate change activists who blockaded Burning Man accuse police of excessive force A coalition of individual activists said a tribal ranger who responded to the scene told them “I’m going to take you all out” while pointing a gun. The tribe said the ranger’s conduct is under review. Members of the group chained themselves to a trailer in the road and held signs that read “Abolish capitalism” and “Mother Earth needs our help.” (surprise).
M6.1 earthquake hits Kuril Islands, Russia A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit Kuril Islands, Russia at 20:49 UTC on September 1, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 141.2 km (87.7 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Don’t Look Up! “Orwellian” AI Traffic Cameras Raise Privacy Concerns – Activist Post Existing traffic cameras set up across America to find speeding and red light scofflaws are being replaced by smarter, artificial intelligence-fueled versions equipped with upgraded software that for the first time gives the government the ability to monitor behavior inside of private vehicles, raising the alarm of privacy advocates.
Why is the IRS Buying .40-Caliber Submachine Guns? When the corporate media asked the IRS why it needed automatic weapons, millions of rounds of ammunition and heavily armed staffers trained in the “use of deadly force,” they said it was for “administrative reasons.”
Poor Americans Skip Meals, Can’t Afford Power Bills, Miss Rent Payments, In Era Of ‘Bidenomics’ We all know every politician lies. Some tell half-truths, while others, such as the Biden administration, attempt to convince folks it is daylight while it’s midnight. An increasing number of Americans can see right through the propaganda, hence why Oliver Anthony’s blue-collar anthem “Rich Men North Of Richmond” continues to rank number one on Billboard Hot 100.
Can We Go From “A Variant of No Concern” to “The Largest Vaccination Rollout in the UK?” The rollout of flu and COVID-19 vaccines has been brought forward to September 11th due to the emergence of what is being termed “a new variant” that apparently came to light on 18th August. At the moment there has been little incitement of fear, yet, at the begining of the year, the Uk Health Security Agency said they “expected the largest vaccination programme in the UK.”
Childhood Vaccines cause Autism: The evidence and the institutional cover-up There is damning evidence linking vaccines with autism and neurodevelopmental disease. And, there has been systemic suppression of this evidence. Thousands of peer-reviewed articles demonstrate a connection between children’s poor health from exposure to certain chemicals and radiation, the authors of a Global Research article wrote.
White Hats to Disable Phones, Mobile Devices During FEMA EAS Test on October 4 White Hats have encouraged their own to temporarily disable cellular phones between 2:00-3:00 p.m. on October 4 when the criminal Federal Emergency Management Agency is scheduled to conduct a nationwide test of a new Emergency Action System (EAS,) a source in General Eric M. Smith’s office told Real Raw News.
Jaw-Dropping Discovery: CDC Data Reveals COVID Vaccine Could Shave Off 24 Years from Men’s Lives! …the latest Cleveland Clinic Data and the latest US data analysed by Josh Stirling, founder of Insurance Collaboration to Save Livess and former #1 ranked Insurance Analyst, shows a really really disturbing trend. The damage to health caused by each vaccine dose does not lessen over time. It continues indefinitely.
Study Shows: Mask-Induced Exhaustion Syndrome May Be Misinterpreted as “Long COVID” Yes, Face Masks Really Make Us Sick. This is true according to a study that found mask-induced exhaustion syndrome (MIES) can have long-term clinical consequences, especially for vulnerable groups, and may have been misinterpreted as “long-term COVID” With a new campaign of fear upon us, it is important to know that wearing facemasks can have multiple adverse effects and therefore should not be enforced.
THOMAS GALLATIN The mayor blames the governor, who in turn blames the mayor, and they both blame the Biden administration, which puts the blame back on New York.
QUOTES Hot Air “The devastating damage caused by Hurricane Idalia along the coast is a heartbreaking reminder of the human toll of the climate crisis.” —Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rejected $350 million in federal funds meant to help tackle climate change — just months before Hurricane Idalia flooded his state.” —The New Republic “It’s the biggest sort of trillion-dollar question about how you adapt communities like this to the world that we’re already now living in, at the same time trying to mitigate … more wicked storms down the road with more fossil fuel pollution. Right now, the Gulf is being reopened by the Biden administration for oil and gas lease sales… There are lawsuits around that … but it’s the double bind of these sort of oil economies and places like this where they have that as an income stream, but also the cost of it is becoming bigger with every storm.” —CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir “I don’t think anybody can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore. Just look around.” —Joe Biden “There’s still some deniers out there in terms of whether or not climate change had anything to do with any of this and we’re gonna need a whole hell of a lot more money.” —Joe Biden “To understand these fires, you have to rewind to the 19th century, when Christian missionaries transformed an area that was mostly wetlands into large-scale sugar plantations that required the digging of tunnels and the building of reservoirs to divert water to mills and away from sustainable agriculture.” —New York Times opinion writer Yarimar Bonilla in “A Legacy of Colonialism Set the Stage for the Maui Wildfires” “Agriculture contributes about 33% of all the emissions of the world. … And we can’t get to net zero — we don’t get this job done — unless agriculture is front and center as part of the solution.” —climate czar John Kerry “They incite a movement against what they falsely label ‘climate change fanaticism’ as they conveniently forget that the dictionary definition of a ‘cult’ is ‘the dismissal of facts in devotion to a lie.’ And while they refuse to accept the facts behind increasingly obvious damages … they lash out at the truth tellers instead and label ‘indisputable evidence’ as hysteria. They compound the already difficult challenge of the climate crisis by promising to do more of exactly what created this crisis in the first place.” —John Kerry “The climate change countering has to come from an international commitment to decrease the carbon imprint in society so you don’t have the kinds of crazy weather that we’re having in this country.” —Anthony Fauci “We don’t have shared values, but we have a shared planet and we have to work with the Chinese to save the planet.” —Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) We’re Shocked — Shocked! “We have no interest to hold China down, to hold China back.” —Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo The BIG Lies “The president has done more to secure the border, to deal with this issue of immigration, than anybody else — he really has.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre “We are stopping the flow at the border. … The president has put a plan that is … indeed stopping, slowing down the flow.” —Karine Jean-Pierre “Lightning stuck my house. We had to be outta that house for about seven months while it was repaired because so much damage was done to the house, and half the house almost collapsed.” —Joe Biden “I was able to — literally, not figuratively — talk Strom Thurmond into voting for the Civil Rights Act before he died.” —Joe Biden “I never thought that I’d be president, let alone be president and having a discussion on why books are being banned in American schools.” —Joe Biden “[DeSantis] banned the teaching of African American advanced placement studies in the state.” —1619 Project author Nikole Hannah-Jones “You look at things like ‘don’t say gay’ laws that are punishing people for being who they are and loving who they love.” —Kamala Harris “Bidenomics is working for American families and the economy as well.” —Karine Jean-Pierre “You’re gonna hear from this president this week about how he’s gonna continue to lower costs, right? Lower healthcare costs for Americans — something that the president, you know, has been leading on.” —Karine Jean-Pierre “Thanks to [Biden’s] swift actions and historic investment, every school in America is open safely for in-person instruction.” —Karine Jean-Pierre “Because the president put schools reopening and businesses reopening … a priority, we were able to open up the schools.” —Karine Jean-Pierre Baghdad Bob “[Biden] went to Kyiv and he was there with the alarms blaring in the back and people were so impressed that he was able to be there and look strong.” —Karine Jean-Pierre “It is hard for us to keep up with this president, who is constantly, constantly working every day to get things done.” —Karine Jean-Pierre “[Biden] has his finger on the pulse of what it is that the American people need, he talks about issues that really matter to the American people, and he is delivering.” —Karine Jean-Pierre “What this president brings to this administration is wisdom and experience — and that is just true.” —Karine Jean-Pierre Virtue Signals “Because of the major laws and executive orders I’ve signed … we’re advancing equity in everything we do making unprecedented investments in all of America, including for Black Americans.” —Joe Biden “Everything we’ve done is focused on equity in this administration.” —Biden senior advisor Steve Benjamin “We are on the front line against a rising tide of a lot of -isms.” —Steve Benjamin Non Compos Mentis “There is no yes or no answer to this. It is complicated.” —Karine Jean-Pierre when asked, “Does [Biden] think it’s fair for girls to have to compete against biological males?” Theater of the Absurd “The U.S. intelligence community has determined that domestic terrorism rooted in white supremacy is the greatest terrorist threat we face in the homeland.” —Joe Biden “[Republicans] just continue to take orders from Donald Trump, their puppet master-in-chief, who has directed them to persecute and to go after Joe Biden, which may take the form of an illegitimate impeachment inquiry.” —House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) “If you watch him, if you’ve seen what he’s done the last two years, this is a president [that] has had a historic administration in just two years.” —Karine Jean-Pierre “Here’s one thing everybody knows: [Biden] is a man who brings empathy to everything that he does.” —Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker “We’ve just come out of a terrible global pandemic and the economic consequences of that. It was Joe Biden that led us out of that. And it’s true that when people are hurting, and then things start improving, it takes awhile for people to start to recognize, you know, the reality of the economy doing much, much better.” —J.B. Pritzker “While [Republicans] talk about age, we will talk about the things that Americans are talking about, and that’s kitchen table issues.” —Biden campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond Race Bait “[Ron DeSantis] has blood on his hands. He has had … an all-out attack on the black community with his anti-woke policies, which we know very well was nothing more than a dog whistle to get folks … riled up in the way in which it just happened.” —Florida State Representative Angie Nixon vis-à-vis the Jacksonville shooting “The issue with that kind of language is that it places the onus on one individual and the actions of one individual as opposed to a nationwide sickness of white supremacy in this country and the violence that it fuels.” —MSNBC’s Trymaine Lee regarding DeSantis’s reference to the Jacksonville shooter as a “scumbag” “We see the Trump signs constantly … on our streets. And we know from that standpoint that there’s hatred.” —Jacksonville NAACP President Isaiah Rumlin “When it comes to teaching black history, when it comes to the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, all of those things — to fight against them kind of lessens our worth and also causes people to have the type of hate that can go into a Dollar General and shoot people just because of the color of their skin.” —Tallahassee NAACP President Mutaqee Akbar “You know, we have Nazis holding up flags saying that this is DeSantis’ country. We have Nazis protesting outside of Disney because DeSantis is making claims against Disney.” —Mutaqee Akbar “Donald Trump, you know, came to office on a pretty openly white nationalist campaign. We see people like Tucker Carlson who are allowed to have a major platform on the most watched cable news television in the country and who openly talked white nationalist talking points. So we kinda have this wink and a nod racism, but it’s barely concealed, and all of us can hear it.” —Nikole Hannah-Jones “Since 1968, it is no longer legal in this country to explicitly discriminate against black Americans. So, of course, we’ve learned over the last 60 years that you have to use different language, that you have to use language that appears to be race-neutral but that sends the same dog whistle. So, we can look at, you know, Ron DeSantis running on this platform against what he’s calling ‘wokeism,’ but where those of us who study history, who understand the societies we live in, understand that that’s often coded as language against black Americans, as language against other marginalized groups.” —Nikole Hannah-Jones Village Idiots “Can you just address the reality and move past it? You sucked at swimming. That’s why you lost.” —former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann to Riley Gaines “Good thing this pathetic hatemonger [Riley Gaines] had transphobia as an excuse for how much she sucked.” —Keith Olbermann “Happily for nasty, stupid, unsuccessful transphobe [Riley Gaines] she has no reputation to ruin.” —Keith Olbermann “No doubt there is 1% or 2% of black people in America who have a better life.” —musician John Mellencamp regarding post-slavery America Dezinformatsiya “The myths about children and COVID — that kids aren’t really harmed by it, that school closures were a massive and avoidable mistake, that they caused learning loss and mental health issues — those myths, and they are myths, dangerous myths, have endured for so long, become so ingrained, so pervasive, that they’re not just something Fox viewers believe. I’m sure many of you watching at home have, sadly, come to accept many of these myths as true.” —MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan “No one is rooting for late-term abortions. No one is running on the platform of aborting viable babies. No one is selling late-term abortions… No one. Not Joe Biden, not Kamala Harris, not Hillary Clinton, not Nancy Pelosi, or any other politician demonized by the right-wing roots for more late-term abortions. None of them do.” —former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Belly Laughs of the Week “I want to thank, of course, our nation’s champion, President Biden, for your leadership and commitment to lowering costs for working families in every way.” —Kamala Harris “President Biden is … continuing to show, at home and abroad, that he is a capable and effective president. … We haven’t had a seasoned and capable leader on the world stage in many years.” —Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) “The American people know fundamentally that Joe Biden is a good and decent man.” —Hakeem Jeffries “We’ve been busy governing, and that’s important because we’ve delivered historic results for the American people on issue after issue after issue.” —Hakeem Jeffries “The president has said from the beginning that he wanted an independent Justice Department, and we have just that.” —Cedric Richmond For more insightful quotes, see our Short Cuts.
A frustrated Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene gave an ultimatum to her fellow House Republicans on Thursday amid inaction on impeaching President Joe Biden and moves to protect former President Donald Trump from ongoing prosecutions she sees as highly political.
During a town hall-style event in her Floyd County, Ga., district Thursday evening, the GOP congresswoman announced she would not vote to fund the government if House Republican leaders did not move to have articles of impeachment filed against Biden and do more to protect Trump from federal prosecutions.
“I’ve already decided I will not vote to fund the government unless we have passed an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden,” Taylor Greene told the audience, to applause.
“I will not fund the government because I will not fund the weaponized part of the government. I’m not going to continue to fund the Biden regime’s weaponized government. So there should be no funding for Jack Smith. Special Counsel,” she said. “We had to fire David Weiss, who is protecting Hunter Biden on his special counsel. And we have to rein in the FBI. I will not vote for money to go towards those things.
“I will not vote for a continuing resolution that funds mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and COVID. Because that is over. Joe Biden even declared that is over,” she added.
“And lastly, my red line in the sand has always been, I will not vote to fund a war in Ukraine. We have to have peace,” she said. “So I will be happy to work with all of my colleagues. I will work with the Speaker of the House. I will work with everyone, but I will not fund those things. And I thought it was most important for me to tell you all first because I work for you. And that’s that’s what we have to do.”
In late July, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy indicated that the GOP-controlled House was potentially gearing up to launch an impeachment inquiry against Biden.
The remarks came amid an avalanche of evidence provided by scores of whistleblowers to various House committees accusing the president and his son of engaging in a series of corrupt practices, including bribery by a foreign national to the tune of millions of dollars.
His statement also comes after the release of an FBI-generated FD-1023 form by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) last week. The form revealed that a human confidential source informed the FBI about Mykola Zlochevsky, the co-founder and CEO of Burisma, claiming that he was “coerced” by then-Vice President Biden and his son.
According to the source, Zlochevsky was essentially forced into paying millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for their assistance in pressuring Ukraine to remove a prosecutor who was investigating Burisma.
“They bribed the Bidens. Okay, this was given to the FBI when Bill Barr finally found out about it, he sent it to his office in Philadelphia. They actually said that this was very credible,” McCarthy told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday.
“The FBI kept this from the IRS individuals for them ever to see it. So not only do they claim that they were bribed, we now find information that 16 out of 17 payments from Romania were provided to the Biden shell companies while he was vice president,” he added.
“When President Biden was running for office, he told the American public that he’s never talked about business. He said his family has never received a dollar from China, which we now prove is not true. We now have some of the most credible whistleblowers. These 10-year IRS agents who have come forward said that the Biden family has been treated differently,” he continued, noting the most recent whistleblowers were from the federal tax collection agency and testified that they were barred by federal prosecutors from fully investigating both Bidens.
“That what Weiss has told us is different than what Garland and Weiss has told the public,” he continued, referencing David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware, and Attorney General Merrick Garland, both of whom have said there was no federal prosecutorial interference.
A Virginia-based content analysis and media watchdog exposed that tech giant Google has been suppressing the campaign websites of all serious challengers of President Joe Biden. The Big Tech firm is instead providing Biden’s website among the top search results.
According to a report from the Media Research Center (MRC) on Thursday, typing in ‘presidential campaign websites’ at the said search engine returned results that did not include Republican candidates on the first page. The search was done the day before the first Republican primary debate of the 2024 season which was held on August 23. MRC created an algorithm to automate the process in a “clean environment,” which allows for an organic search to populate results without the influence of prior search history and tracking cookies.
Thursday on FNC’s “Hannity,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich observed President Joe Biden’s detachment that was on display during his visit to a fire-ravage Maui last week.
A newly established White House program announced on Aug. 23 that it is granting a total of $25 million over three years to Emory University, Yale School of Medicine, and the University of Georgia to develop personalized therapeutic vaccines against cancers and emerging infections, similar to how COVID-19 mRNA vaccines target SARS-CoV-2. They aim to use mRNA—an essential element in COVID-19 vaccines developed to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections—to program a unique class of immune cells called dendritic cells to initiate a desired immunological response.
Pharmaceutical companies such as Moderna, BioNTech, and CureVac are conducting clinical trials using mRNA-based vaccines with advanced melanoma, ovarian, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers. The National Institutes of Health is partnering with BioNTech to develop a personalized vaccine for pancreatic cancers. In addition to COVID-19 and cancer, other mRNA-based vaccines in development target influenza, genital herpes, respiratory viruses, and shingles.
The fact that Covid authoritarians want their tyranny back is no surprise, especially since no one was held accountable for the tremendous damage inflicted on the American people the first time around. But the American people of 2023 are not the same as the American people of 2019. Many eyes have been opened. A return of covid tyranny is not a done deal.
There’s a special place in hell for this one. Earlier today Kristinn Taylor reported on Nancy Pelosi’s vile attacks against Trump and Trump supporters.
Pelosi accused the 75 million strong Trump supporters of not respecting the “dignity and worth of every person.”
Of course, Pelosi was out gaslighting the masses once again.
Nancy Pelosi has NO RESPECT for the dignity of life.
Nancy Pelosi has a 100% pro-abortion voting record. She is has the top rating from NARAL.
No baby is safe in America while Nancy Pelosi is in office.
Here is Pelosi’s record on the dignity of life.
Via OnTheIssues.Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines.Allows federal funding for research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo, provided such embryos:
have been donated from in vitro fertilization clinics;
were created for the purposes of fertility treatment;
were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment and would otherwise be discarded; and
were donated by such individuals with written informed consent and without any financial or other inducements.
Proponents support voting YES because:
Since 2 years ago, the last Stem Cell bill, public support has surged for stem cells. Research is proceeding unfettered and, in some cases, without ethical standards in other countries. And even when these countries have ethical standards, our failures are allowing them to gain the scientific edge over the US. Some suggest that it is Congress’ role to tell researchers what kinds of cells to use. I suggest we are not the arbiters of research. Instead, we should foster all of these methods, and we should adequately fund and have ethical oversight over all ethical stem cell research.
Opponents support voting NO because:
A good deal has changed in the world of science. Amniotic fluid stem cells are now available to open a broad new area of research. I think the American people would welcome us having a hearing to understand more about this promising new area of science. As it stands today, we will simply have to debate the bill on the merits of information that is well over 2 years old, and I think that is unfortunate.
The recent findings of the pluripotent epithelial cells demonstrates how quickly the world has changed. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the researcher before our committee and be able to ask those questions so we may make the best possible judgment for the American people?Reference: Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act; Bill HR 3 (“First 100 hours”) ; vote number 2007-020 on Jan 11, 2007Voted YES on allowing human embryonic stem cell research.To provide for human embryonic stem cell research. A YES vote would:
Call for stem cells to be taken from human embryos that were donated from in vitro fertilization clinics
Require that before the embryos are donated, that it be established that they were created for fertility treatment and in excess of clinical need and otherwise would be discarded
Stipulate that those donating the embryos give written consent and do not receive any compensation for the donation.
Reference: Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act; Bill HR 810 ; vote number 2005-204 on May 24, 2005Voted NO on restricting interstate transport of minors to get abortions.To prevent the transportation of minors in circumvention of certain laws relating to abortion, and for other purposes, including:
Allowing for exemptions to the law if the life of the minor is in danger or if a court in the minor’s home state waive the parental notification required by that state
Allocating fines and/or up to one year imprisonment of those convicted of transporting a minor over state lines to have an abortion
Penalizing doctors who knowingly perform an abortion procedure without obtaining reasonable proof that the notification provisions of the minor’s home state have been satisfied
Requiring abortion providers in states that do not have parental consent laws and who would be performing the procedure on a minor that resides in another state, to give at least a 24 hour notice to the parent or legal guardian
Specifying that neither the minor nor her guardians may be prosecuted or sued for a violation of this act
Reference: Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act; Bill HR 748 ; vote number 2005-144 on Apr 27, 2005 Voted NO on making it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime.Vote to pass a bill that would make it a criminal offense to harm or kill a fetus during the commission of a violent crime. The measure would set criminal penalties, the same as those that would apply if harm or death happened to the pregnant woman, for those who harm a fetus. It is not required that the individual have prior knowledge of the pregnancy or intent to harm the fetus. This bill prohibits the death penalty from being imposed for such an offense. The bill states that its provisions should not be interpreted to apply a woman’s actions with respect to her pregnancy.Reference: Unborn Victims of Violence Act; Bill HR 1997 ; vote number 2004-31 on Feb 26, 2004Voted NO on banning partial-birth abortion except to save mother’s life.Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003: Vote to pass a bill banning a medical procedure, which is commonly known as “partial-birth” abortion. The procedure would be allowed only in cases in which a women’s life is in danger, not for cases where a women’s health is in danger. Those who performed this procedure, would face fines and up to two years in prison, the women to whom this procedure is performed on are not held criminally liable.Reference: Bill sponsored by Santorum, R-PA; Bill S.3 ; vote number 2003-530 on Oct 2, 2003Voted NO on forbidding human cloning for reproduction & medical research.Vote to pass a bill that would forbid human cloning and punish violators with up to 10 years in prison and fines of at least $1 million. The bill would ban human cloning, and any attempts at human cloning, for both reproductive purposes and medical research. Also forbidden is the importing of cloned embryos or products made from them.Reference: Human Cloning Prohibition Act; Bill HR 534 ; vote number 2003-39 on Feb 27, 2003Voted NO on funding for health providers who don’t provide abortion info.Abortion Non-Discrimination Act of 2002: Vote to pass a bill that would prohibit the federal, state and local governments that receive federal funding from discriminating against health care providers, health insurers, health maintenance organizations, and any other kind of health care facility, organization or plan, that decline to refer patients for, pay for or provide abortion services. In addition the bill would expand an existing law “conscience clause” that protects physician training programs that refuse to provide training for abortion procedures.Reference: Bill sponsored by Bilirakis, R-FL; Bill HR 4691 ; vote number 2002-412 on Sep 25, 2002Voted NO on banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad.Vote to adopt an amendment that would remove language reversing President Bush’s restrictions on funding to family planning groups that provide abortion services, counseling or advocacy.Reference: Amendment sponsored by Hyde, R-IL; Bill HR 1646 ; vote number 2001-115 on May 16, 2001Voted NO on banning partial-birth abortions.HR 3660 would ban doctors from performing the abortion procedure called “dilation and extraction” [also known as “partial-birth” abortion]. The measure would allow the procedure only if the life of the woman is at risk.Reference: Bill sponsored by Canady, R-FL; Bill HR 3660 ; vote number 2000-104 on Apr 5, 2000Voted NO on barring transporting minors to get an abortion.The Child Custody Protection Act makes it a federal crime to transport a minor across state lines for the purpose of obtaining an abortion.Reference: Bill sponsored by Ros-Lehtinen, R-FL; Bill HR 1218 ; vote number 1999-261 on Jun 30, 1999Rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record.
Israel is concerned its northern border is about to erupt in violence. Plus, Israelis call for a war against terrorism, Afghan refugees resettle in North Dakota, and we remember Jewish bravery in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. CBN News. Because Truth Matters™
New York Post columnist Miranda Devine discusses how President Biden’s alleged email pseudonyms might be the key to unlocking his schemes on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’
An entire generation of Christians is claiming the name of Christ while having almost no idea of what He wills and commands. Jesus Christ is Lord and King, and He is not willing to be a small insurance policy for the end of an otherwise secular life. To ignore Christ in any area of life is to sin against Him. And if you’re not rooted and grounded in God’s Word, you are going to be taken captive by the philosophies of our day, calling good evil, and evil good. So I’d like to ask you three questions today. First, are you studying God’s Word? Second, are you evaluating all of life according to God’s Word? And finally, are you looking to see God’s hand in the events and circumstances of your everyday life? Whether you answered yes or no to any of those questions, we can find actual truth in God’s word.
“Inclusive. You keep Using That Word…” A woman from Benicia, CA, spoke out at a school board meeting about the nonsense of requiring school children to choose pronouns, complaining, “Teaching kids that there isn’t standard or truth and that you can believe anything that you want to believe is not correct.” She claims it got her fired from her job. Because you can believe what you like as long as it is not in violation of what you are allowed to believe. Because businesses will employ you as long as you don’t violate society’s preferred beliefs. You have been warned.
Hands-Off Parenting Used to be a Crime It is only to be expected that California’s attorney general would sue a school district that requires teachers to notify parents if their children are transgender or nonbinary. Because, as we all know, parents are only responsible for their kids if they fail to prevent them from getting a gun in today’s new system. Otherwise, parents, keep your hands off the children they are hoping to indoctrinate.
A Living Wage The argument lofted at us for these massive raises in minimum wage that has been a major contributor to our skyrocketing cost of living has been “We need to pay them a living wage.” Is anyone going to reconsider, then, when they read the study that determined that single people in Hawaii need to average $112,000 a year for a “living wage”? I doubt it. “Don’t bother me with facts; I know I’m right.”
The Wall Cracks And … there it is. In New Hampshire they are now suggesting that Trump should not be included on the 2024 primary ballot because of the 14th Amendment. “Justice!” his haters will cry. To me it looks a lot more like “Guilty until proven innocent.” To me it looks a lot like throwing a lot of stuff against the wall to see what sticks … or cracks the wall. I’m no Trump fan, but to me it looks a lot like … election tampering. Kind of like the Bee put it on a similar story: “The federal judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s trial on charges of election interference has set a trial date that will line up perfectly to interfere with the 2024 presidential election.”
Don’t Ask We’re told to “trust the Science.” But then they don’t. Worse, now they are banning the questions. A study was done to examine if the current “gender fluidity” phase — specifically this new Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria — is actually a product of “social contagion.” Are kids identifying as transgender as a result of social influences? The paper was forced to be retracted because of their methodology and because the American Psychological Association said it couldn’t be. “You can’t ask the question. You can’t study it to see if it’s true. We have determined that it is real, so calling on science to confirm or deny it is a violation of science … which is whatever we say it is.”
When the Fight for Freedom was Slavery A school in Colorado Springs told a 12-year-old student to remove the Gadsden flag — “Don’t tread on me” — from his backpack due to its “origins in slavery.” That did not go well for them once it came out and they had to backtrack on it. But the Bee had a lot of fun with it. There was the pre-dawn raid by the FBI to seize the offending backpack and the 6th-grader who was suspended for having a U.S. History book with an American flag on it. My favorite was this one: “The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs has released a powerful commercial demonstrating why parents should homeschool their children.”
________ P.S. As you may have noticed, this week I sprinkled my Babylon Bee inputs in among the stories. I hope you found them okay.
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