Bible Matters 416: Infidels 

Anyone who doesn’t believe in the religion of your choice and commits violent acts against others is considered an infidel.   Infidels have been around since the beginning of man.   God was clear when he sent Jesus to present his gospel of love.  Jesus told his disciples that if someone doesn’t receive you then move on.  Three witnesses have given you this testimony.

Matthew 10:14 – And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

Luke 9:5 – And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

Mark 6:11 – And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Jesus didn’t say, that whosoever doesn’t receive you, then murder them!  Time and time again, you have seen this murderous behavior coming out of infidels.    Jesus was clear when he said that he didn’t come to judge the world, but to save the world. 

John 12:47 – And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

John 3:17 – For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Paul says that you may not necessarily understand the civilizations framed by the word of God.  You will not totally understand what you see.   The fashion of this world will pass away.

Hebrews 11:3 – Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

1 Corinthians 7:29-31 – But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it : for the fashion of this world passeth away.

God told Cain to be his best as the alternative is sin.  You know that Cain went onto kill his brother. 

Genesis 4:6-8 – And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.  And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Likewise, Paul tells the Corinthians that when they sin against the brethren, they sin against Christ. 

1 Corinthians 8:12 – But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:12 – For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

As a believer in God, you are to be blameless and harmless and to shine as the light of the world.

Philippians 2:15 – That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

An infidel takes the responsibility of judge and jury when they take on the responsibility of not accepting the religious opinion of another.    The Jews worshipped God, the creator of the heaven and earth.  God sent Jesus to present his gospel of Love.  The Jews were looking for a worldly King.   The message Jesus brought was not to worship the things of the flesh.  Love of God and love of others is more pleasing in the eyes of God than the love of money and works of religion.  Both Jesus and the Jews worshipped the same God, knowing God’s commandment of thou shall not kill and yet the Jews had Jesus crucified for his message.   These Jewish leaders that championed the crucifixion of Jesus could be considered infidels.  

Jesus’s message was simple.  Believe in God as the creator of heaven and earth as one God.   Repent of your sins and follow his commandments as a light of the world, loving God and loving your neighbor.  Not for the love of money or sins of the flesh, but by living a righteous life pleasing to God.  Take up your cross and using the skills God has given you, follow the teachings of Jesus.  Share his gospel, endure to the end and look forward to being with God in heaven. 

1 Peter 1:21-22 – Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

1 John 3:18 – My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Romans 13:10 – Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

James 2:8 – If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

After Jesus trained and sent his Apostles unto the world, it was clear in Bible Matters 406 Paul the Roman, that God knew the Apostles needed help to get his gospel of Love to the Romans.  The Romans ruled the area known as Europe and his gospel was needed there.  Ignorance of God’s gospel of Love, many infidels were created by the misunderstanding of this gospel.

Years ago, I had read a documentary on the Cathers in Southern France.  The Cathars mounted the first major rebellion against the Catholic Church. They saw Rome as corrupt, rejected the church’s hierarchy, and did not build cathedrals but rather worshiped outdoors. This lack of structure gave women more prominence and freedom, and because they were pacifists who repudiated all killing, they were vegetarians.  Much about the history of 12th and 13th century France may today be fuzzy. But there is no dispute that in 1209, at the urging of Pope Innocent III, a band of northern French nobles rallied an army that swept into the south, where they unleashed a crusade so bloody it would make “Game of Thrones” look tame by comparison. This included the sacking of Beziers in July 1209 by an army under papal authority.  Just before the attack, which would kill as many as 20,000 men, women and children, the pope’s man on the scene, Arnaud Amalric, is reported to have uttered one of history’s most famous orders: “Kill them all. God will know his own.”   These crusaders were not living God’s gospel of Love.  Crusades were held though out this time frame against Catharism, anti-Christians, Muslims and Catholics.  Spanish Christian Crusades against the Muslims and the Inca Indians were but a few.  As recent as the 20^th century there were killing in Ireland between the Catholics and the Protestants.  Infidels abound with little to no love for God and neighbor.

In the seventh century AD, the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, was sent for the unification of Arabia.    The Arabic term Islam means surrender to the will of Allah (God.)   Allah is viewed as the sole God – creator, sustainer and restorer of the world.  In Islam, Muhammad is considered the last of the series of prophets and his message in the Koran, consummates and completes the “revelations” attributed to the earlier prophets.  A true Muslim man is just, kind, compassionate, forgiving, responsible, hard-working, humble, patient, forbearing, truthful, trustworthy, courageous, soft-hearted, honoring women, controlling his lower desires and impulses, fulfilling the needs of others before himself, continually refining his intellect, improving his character, seeking knowledge as a life-long learner, avoiding undignified behavior and sinful deeds, and emulating the character Prophet (ṣ) and his righteous followers to the best of his ability.

Hindus worship Brahman as God or the Supreme Being. Brahman is beyond human understanding. However, Hindus try to explain Brahman through understanding the Hindu scriptures.  Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry, meditation and surrender in God.  Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, noninjury, in thought, word and deed.  Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.  Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God’s Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.

It seems that God’s message to believers of Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism are all similar.  One is to surrender to God, turn from your sinful deeds and live a life that gives glory to God.  One is to live God’s gospel of love.  Love for God and neighbor with tolerance and understanding.   Judge no one, respect everyone, endure to the end and you will stand before God for judgement.  Your believing in a particular prophet means nothing.  You are to emulate your life based on the life of righteousness in which these prophets lived.  God will judge you based on his gospel of Love.  There are to be no infidels.   One thing for sure is that the lovers of God shall not attack each other.  Man judges after the flesh.  God does not judge by the flesh.  God will judge in the spirit. 

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

1 Peter 4:6 – For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

God’s gospel of Love is simple.  One thing for sure is that God will know his own.  Do not be offended by the truth in God’s word.  In this year of 2025, plan on living in the spirit and to live together as Godly people, doing the will of God and serving him!  To spread God’s gospel of Love. 

To God be the glory in all you do, Amen.