There has to be a way of measuring "Faith" and, for me, it is how you value and treat ALL PEOPLE.
Interesting. I would actually say that that is the measure of LOVE, dear Terry (peace to you!), not faith. And, no, they are not one and the same.
God is an exacting God...
You misunderstand this quality.. and it's application to the Most Holy One of Israel, Michelle. Exacting, yes, He can be... but merciful, more often. Thus, He does NOT render to each of what we DESERVE... but gave His Son as a sacrifice for those who put faith in that One. IF exacting was a greater quality... there would be no sacrifice: He would simply call from each of us the "payment" - death.
each human is worth something, a lot in fact, that is why He called for sacrifices for their sins.
No, He called for the sacrifices of ISRAEL'S sins (and those who go with her!). And ONLY Israel. Why? Because they were the offspring of His friend, Abraham. It was because of ABRAHAM that Israel even HAD "worth." Without that original love... He would have chosen another nation... and loved another nation. Yet, NO OTHER NATION did He call His beloved.
Why do folks keep thinking that ALL are children of God? That ALL belong to God? That ALL are automatically loved? That is NOT true: mankind has shown himself to be an ENEMY of God, in general (yes, there are exceptions, of course!). EVEN Israel showed that, when they had His Son killed. His love for ISRAEL, however... did not fail - it exists, still. As it does for those who JOIN themselves to Israel... by accepting and acknowleding the KING of Israel... which HE chose... Christ. And as it WILL... for those who do good to Israel.
Note, though: he is not a "Jew" (Israel) who is one on the OUTSIDE - he is a JEW... who is one ON THE INSIDE.
The pharisees taught this that is why they tithed right down to the exact amount of spice. they were exacting too...but they didn't practice love and mercy knowing full well in their hearts that no one could keep the law exactly.
No, they DIDN'T know this! That was the problem! They exalted themselves... because they THOUGHT that by keeping the [features] of Law Covenant... they were "perfect." And so, they SAID they "saw"... but in fact they were BLIND! And so, when my Lord came to SHOW them... HOW to keep the Law (which was so much more the giving the tenth, pointing the finger, trying to make OTHERS "clean", but is fulfilled by LOVE)... they killed him. Why? To shut him up! Why? Because of their HYPOCRISY: their belief and teachings that THEY were right... and doing right... when they not only WEREN'T... but putting loads on other that they themselves couldn't ever carry! Looking all good on the outside... while INSIDE... they were FULL of "dead men's bones."
THOSE "bones"... are dry bones, bones with NO SPIRIT in them! No LIFE in them! Because they didn't have HOLY SPIRIT, God's BREATH, in them! Ezekiel 37:1-14 (as with almost every prophecy, this one, too, has a physical AND SPIRITUAL fulfillment!).
this doesn't change the fact that God is exacting. that is why Jesus came...so that He could pay the price for each of us individually.
No. He came... to pay the price for those EXERCISING FAITH IN HIM. True, God so loved the world that He SENT my Lord FOR all... but the sacrifice ONLY atones for those who put FAITH in it... by putting FAITH... in HIM (Christ). Believing that he is still dead, or that although he may have risen from the dead he is still "acting" dead... so that he does NOT speak to those who belong to him, those to whom he said, "Look! I am WITH you... ALL the days"... such that, through HIM... God speaks... from the spirit realm (Hebrews 12:25)... is a LACK... of faith.
think of a set of scales Gods exacting standards on one side and you on the other. you don't believe the systematictheology that says Jesus will be on your side balancing out the scales.
This is an inaccurate analogy. It is our sins that WEIGH OUR SIDE [of the scales] DOWN. NOT God's standards. Because God's standards are NOT "burdensome". NO load. It is Christ's blood that COVERS our sins... indeed BLOTS THEM OUT... so that we can be brought UP to God's standards! He does not ADD weight to our side; he REMOVES weight (sin)... with his blood! Thus, it is not OUR "yoke" that Christ takes on; it is HIS that WE must take on... HIS "load"... which is "LIGHT".
So, envision your "scale" just the opposite of what you've stated here: YOU show God's side as weightier... and so we must "add" Christ so as to have MORE weight to balance OUR side. That is not true: God's side is lighter... MUCH lighter... and it is WE who weigh down the scales; OUR sins that do so. With Christ REMOVING that sin, however... our side "lightens UP"... so as to balance out the scale.
If there a difference? Absolutely! YOU have God's as being exacting, requiring so MUCH of us. His side being the heavy, WEIGHTIER side. And THAT is why you still cannot see Christ, Michelle. You are SO caught up in law... and "God's standards"... that the glory... and MERCY... cannot shine through! Because of this, you cannot see Christ as the weight LIFTER he is... but as a weight BEARER.
What you and many others miss, though, is this: he CAN and does help us carry OUR loads, which loads are often burdensome. But... they are loads that WE often choose (or are chosen for us). His INVITATION, however, is for US... to carry HIS load! When we miss that truth... when we focus SO much on the "load" we're carrying... or that which we deign to put on others... we entirely miss the point: DROP your load... and STOP putting loads on others... and come carry HIS load. Take HIS "yoke"!
This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEK: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting...PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. daniel 5:26-27
Which prophecy was FOR the Chaldeans... who had pretty much enslaved (to some degree), exiled, and was persecuting Israel (well, Judah - the Jews - because the 10-tribe kingdom of Israel had already been exiled by Assyria). However, you didn't even read where Christ uttered such a prophecy against ROME... who was holding sway over Israel during his day in the flesh. It was ISRAEL to whom he said, "Your house is abandoned to you." However, UNLIKE Babylon... which has been gone since its overthrow by Medo-Persia, he told Israel that they WOULD return - that "house" is abandoned temporarily... until they say, "Blessed is he that comes in the name of JAH!" Thus, it WILL be restored... and that restoration has been occurring since the outpouring of holy spirit at Pentecost 30 C.E.
BECAUSE: "Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem(the City of Truth, zech 2:5); and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone." daniel 5:3-4
Because... they misused the "utensils" of the temple. You throw the verse out, but do not explain it... as you often do. Why is that? Since you didn't, I will: they were eating and drinking from them in uncleanness and for a profane purpose. They were not "sanctified" nor were they priests. These items did not BELONG to them... yet, they took them as their own to do with what they pleased. Please tell me... and the others here... how that applies to what you've posted... and/or in what way this account has any bearing on us today.
I await your response.
A slave of Christ,
SA, who often marvels at your [mis]use of scripture/verses... and occasionally wonders from where and WHOM do you get your understanding/interpretation of some of this... so that what you post is such melarkey... only to be reminded by my Lord of who (because it certainly isn't him)... and so the melarkey is understandable...