Call Us: 423 661-4734 | Email: requests@comeandreason.com      
Social Justice — The Battle for Hearts and Minds

Social Justice — The Battle for Hearts and Minds

Anyone who has accepted Christ into their hearts is a new creation; the old ways of the world—of fear, of selfishness, of abuse, of exploitation, of domination, of perversion, of intimidation, of control, of cruelty, of every form of insult, discrimination, and unkindness—are removed and the motives, methods, and character of Christ are implanted within.

The gospel of Jesus Christ, when accepted into the heart, changes the selfish sinner into a loving, trustworthy friend. Worldly divisions of class, race, ethnicity, gender, and nationality hold no sway over the renewed heart. What matters is godliness, living out the principles of God, having the law of God written on the heart (Hebrews 8:10). The truly converted loves every human being as God loves us. They will always seek to bless, uplift, and protect.

No longer, then, do we judge anyone by human standards. Even if at one time we judged Christ according to human standards, we no longer do so. [We don’t use human laws, human courts, or human definitions. We don’t look on the outward appearance—the color of skin, the economic class, the nationality, the gender. We don’t seek justice through imposed law, enforced rules, mandated distributions, even if we once believed that was the way to justice.] Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come. [Those joined to Christ have transformed hearts, minds, and characters. New motives and principles direct the way they live. The worldly ways of force are left behind.] All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also. Our message is that God was making the whole human race his friends through Christ. [As Martin Luther King Jr. said, only love can make an enemy into a friend. Only the love of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, transforms the heart. And when your enemy becomes your friend, only then do you have real justice, real righteousness—people, relationships, are made right or set right. And only through God’s methods of healing hearts and minds can this happen.] God did not keep an account of their sins, and he has given us the message which tells how he makes them his friends. Here we are, then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: let God change you from enemies into his friends! (2 Corinthians 5:16–20 GNB).

We at Come and Reason Ministries make the same plea: If you already haven’t done so, let God change you from an enemy into His friend! This change, this transformation, is an internal change of heart, motive, understanding, desire, and loyalty. It is dying to selfishness and arising to a new life of love for God and others. It is leaving behind the methods and practices of the world and living out the law of God, which is design law. We stop seeking righteousness—justice—through human laws and human courts and, instead, we live God’s law of love in how we treat others.

The converted do what is right, what is just, because it is right and just, not because there is a law that requires it. Love seeks not its own; love gives, uplifts, and heals.

At this time in human history, the eternal gospel—the everlasting good news about God, His character, methods, and law of love that transforms hearts and minds—is to go the world. It is a message of hope, a message of love, a message of truth, a message of godly justice, because when it is received into the heart, it turns enemies into friends. When love reigns in the heart, all exploitation and abuse cease. Love sacrifices for others; this is the only way for real justice to rule.

Satan’s Counterfeit Justice Expands

But as this end-time message of godly justice that heals and saves sinners and brings reconciliation so that enemies are turned into friends, Satan advances his counterfeit justice through more human law, more human government, more human force, power, intimidation, punishment—more of the kingdoms of the world and its power—more enforced equity.

This is what Satan always does—as God is advancing the gospel that liberates, heals, and restores, Satan advances a counterfeit to deceive, distract, enslave, and destroy. One historical source describes how Satan worked to disrupt God’s influence during the Reformation.

At the time when God is preparing to break the shackles of ignorance and superstition, then it is that Satan works with greatest power to enshroud men in darkness and to bind their fetters still more firmly (The Great Controversy, p. 178).

When Luther was spreading the truth about God, freeing minds from imperial church distortion and oppression, there were some unconverted individuals who did not embrace the principles of truth, love, and liberty but who nevertheless saw the rightness of Luther’s message. They recognized the injustices and abuses inflicted upon the people from a dominating and exploitive church. These unconverted, enthused by the message of Luther, considered themselves inspired to a righteous and just cause and rose up, thinking they were advancing Luther’s cause. But, not having been converted to the principles of God, they embraced Satan’s methods. They used riots, violence, and force.

But Satan was not idle. He now attempted what he has attempted in every other reformatory movement—to deceive and destroy the people by palming off upon them a counterfeit in place of the true work. As there were false Christs in the first century of the Christian church, so there arose false prophets in the sixteenth century.

A few men, deeply affected by the excitement in the religious world, imagined themselves to have received special revelations from Heaven, and claimed to have been divinely commissioned to carry forward to its completion the Reformation which, they declared, had been but feebly begun by Luther. In truth, they were undoing the very work which he had accomplished. They rejected the great principle which was the very foundation of the Reformation—that the word of God is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice; and for that unerring guide they substituted the changeable, uncertain standard of their own feelings and impressions. By this act of setting aside the great detector of error and falsehood the way was opened for Satan to control minds as best pleased himself (The Great Controversy, p. 186).

How many social justice warriors today are just like these men, believing they are divinely commissioned to carry on the work of justice reform but who are deceived and utilizing the methods of God’s enemy?

When Luther heard what these supposed supporters were doing, the violent tactics that they were using, he was distraught and immediately set about to confront and stop them.

With great caution and humility, yet with decision and firmness, he entered upon his work. “By the word,” said he, “must we overthrow and destroy what has been set up by violence. I will not make use of force against the superstitious and unbelieving. … No one must be constrained. Liberty is the very essence of faith” (The Great Controversy, p. 189).

Do we see the same deception happening to Christians today? Do we see Satan palming off to Christians the pursuit of social justice through the employment of his methods—force, coercion, intimidation, imposed laws, and inflicted punishments? How many Christians are willing to join, march, and protest with those who use and encourage violence, intimidation, coercion, and threat, seeking the power of the government to force their way upon others—even if the Christian marching doesn’t actually use violence themselves?

Satan is constantly seeking to deceive men and lead them to call sin righteousness, and righteousness sin. How successful has been his work! How often censure and reproach are cast upon God’s faithful servants because they will stand fearlessly in defense of the truth! Men who are but agents of Satan are praised and flattered, and even looked upon as martyrs, while those who should be respected and sustained for their fidelity to God, are left to stand alone, under suspicion and distrust (The Great Controversy, p. 192).

We are standing on the brink of the second coming of Christ. We must not be deceived. We cannot obtain godly justice through human law, human governments, and human enforcement—such methods are the way of the beast. We must not embrace them. The justice of God is advanced through the gospel, through bringing people to know Jesus, through the love of God that turns enemies into friends, through living out God’s principle in how we treat others.

Email me the blog whenever a new one is published.

Donate online, securely via PayPal using your credit or debit card (no PayPal account needed, unless you want to set up a monthly, recurring payment).


cancel recurring payment

 

Want to use zelle instead?
See how on our
Support and Donations page.

Upcoming Events

calendar

Testimonial Post Slider

Testimony 36

Thank you and may God continue to bless you as you share with others the intricacies of how we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made”. I must share that you have opened a whole new world to me, and I have found tremendous healing through what you have shared in two of your books, “Could It Be This Simple?” and “The God Shaped Brain.” I praise God for what you shared, what I have learned, and how I have grown and healed! My prayer is that My Precious Jesus will be seen by others in the way I live, act, talk, etc. and they may be encouraged to know He is truly a GREAT God of LOVE, desiring that no one should perish! God Bless you in your continued endeavors to present Him as He really is!

Joleen H. GA, USA

 

Testimony 12

I have been really blessed reading your response to the various questions on your site.

K.C., OH, USA

 

Testimony 39

[This ministry is the] biggest blessing I have ever received! Your DVDs and lessons could not have come at a better time in my life. I have experienced in the past year many difficulties that, if it wasn’t for this wonderful view of God that I have discovered through this ministry, I would not have been able to respond in love and forgiveness. My heart is being transformed everyday by the Calvary-looking God you teach. Hallelujah!! I have tears in my eyes as I write, because my life has taken a complete turn from where I was heading.

I am from Central America. Most of my family is scattered in different parts of the world and all have the same view of God that I had growing up; a distant, exacting, and ready-to-punish-us-with-tragedy type of God. So, I have been translating lessons for my family and, to my surprise, they have also been sharing them with others! I can already see the difference. My brother has often said, “Thank you for sharing, I have never heard it this way!” My other family members are taking an amazing turn from a message of “repent or burn” towards a loving God, pleading to us that we won’t reject him because he loves us eternally.

Bless you for all you do.

Sofia S., Ashfield, MA, USA

 

Testimony 13

I borrowed “Healing The Mind” DVDs from a friend and showed them at my home for a small gathering of women friends. Neither of my friends are Adventist, but they both enjoyed and embraced the messages you taught. In fact, one of the ladies prayed out loud in our group and that was the first time she had ever had public prayer.

J.B. ,Dalles, OR, USA

 

Testimony 42

I am just writing to say that I have been so blessed by the teachings of Come And Reason Minitries recently. I watched last week’s bible study lesson on Youtube and am thankful that the error in the printed lesson guide you use was pointed out and this week’s study was of equal benefit, if not more so. My understanding of God’s nature has been very confused of late and I am so grateful for clarity in this matter. I have never really fully understood previously how a good God can cause bad things to happen and now I realise that He doesn’t, it’s a natural consequence of sin. May the almighty Father and His Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, continue to bless your ministry.

Laura P., United Kingdom

 

Testimony 58

I have been watching your videos in The Power of Love seminar and I must say these have liberated me and have improved my relationship with the Lord. I am no longer terrified of him as I was before following your teachings.

Thando N., South Africa

 

Testimony 24

I wanted to thank you very much for presenting your understanding of God. I’ve always been troubled by this question: Why did Jesus have to die? Since my conversion I understood that The Father & Jesus are one, I did not have issues with that. But was there not any other way to save us than for Jesus to die? I guess I actually had a question about God – if He is so wise, how come He did not find another way? I did not see the real ‘beauty’  in the cross. Only when you explained the picture in the medical context, Jesus providing medicine for my selfishness, have I started to finally ‘see the light’. Thank you so much. Your seminar, “Healing the Mind,” are absolutely marvelous & have shared them with my family and many other people, including colleagues at work. Thanks, thanks, thanks. May God bless you abundantly in your ministry.

M. W., Australia

 

Testimony 66

I am incredibly grateful for the transformative impact you’ve had on my life, and words cannot fully express my appreciation. Over the years, I have been an avid listener and follower of C&R and extend my heartfelt thanks for creating the C&R mobile app. It has allowed me to immerse myself in your lessons repeatedly, enabling me to grasp the profound significance about the Character of God, Design Law, the protocols for life, the reasons behind the current chaos, and Christ’s mission to restore everything. They have deeply touched me. Having studied with various churches, I came away with the perception that God is no different from the deities of ancient Greek or Roman mythology—demanding sacrifices and taking pleasure in bloodshed. Thanks to your transformative teachings, I have experienced a profound awakening to the true nature of God and the immense power of His love. It is truly a remarkable and liberating sensation to finally grasp the truth and embrace the empowering nature of God’s laws. My self-perception has become brighter and more infused with love. My journey of growth continues on a daily basis.

Chris P., Lake Mary, FL, USA

 

Testimony 35

I am so pleased with the response your message is receiving at my church from the middle-aged to the young adults. I have given out 100 copies of the first two seminars and there are more request every week. One of my [class members] came to me after viewing the series, grateful and impressed with how easy the message was retained. He had been a Seventh-day Adventist in fear all his life, and felt like the scales were removed from his eyes after viewing the seminars. I am so impressed by the change I see in members who have received this message, we are in one accord. However, I am sadden by the negative response of the older people. I am verbally attacked anytime I talk about imposed laws, but I believe my mission is to enlightened everyone I can. I watch your Bible Study Class on YouTube every Friday night and I feel like I am apart of the class. All of you are in one accord and I am so blessed to have found you. I pray that all of you continue to spread this message and I am committed to doing my part.

Clara S., Westfield, MA, USA

 

Testimony 14

We really appreciate your views on the judgment and they make good sense considering our free choice.

Anonymous

 

Testimony 56

I cannot thank you enough for opening my understanding to the beautiful truth of God’s Law of Love and how it applies to everything. I have been a Christian for over forty years, but I feel like I am only now seeing with my eyes open. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

Tammy Cinzio, Australia

 

Testimony 3

My husband is a pastor and I listen to your lesson almost every week. Thank you for helping me in my study life and to help me love the “real” God more.

C. F., NC, USA

 

Testimony 67

I was introduced to Come And Reason by a friend of my mother-in-law, who gave me several CD’s of Dr. Jennings. The clarity of the message and recognition that God’s is a God of love was so clear, advancing beyond Dr. Maxwell’s message. However, grappled with Maxwell saying God used emergency measures for the fallen world. Now after several years of being a regular listener of the Come And Reasoning bible study class and attending Jennings’ meetings in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, things are becoming clearer for me. Design law versus imposed law has added so much to my personal understanding of theology. This message has really impacted my work in counseling so many people miserable because they are searching for and trusting human governments to create order and peace or believing in a God who says love Me or I will kill you. I am grateful that I have an alternative view to offer my clients that makes sense. I teach a bible study class on a semi-regular basis and I value the materials that Come And Reason so freely offers to aid me in presenting this vital message. Thank you for continuing to provide advancement in our very limited understanding of a Infinite God that is rational and believable.

Dr. Roger D, Arlington, TX, USA

 

Testimony 32

The message [of Come And Reason Ministries is] for all Christians (and those who may become Christians) and not just Adventists or any other group. It is difficult to imagine why any [anyone] with intellectual and spiritual honesty could find fault with the way you explained the healing substitution concepts and the truth about God’s character, though I know some will reject and criticize. On behalf of those in our group near Tacoma, WA, thank you and your staff for all of the hard work and for sharing the Gospel in this manner. God’s message of healing love will be carried to the whole world and then Jesus will come – He promised it.

Terry U., Tacoma, WA, USA

 

Testimony 21

I am absolutly on fire with the message at Come and Reason! I can’t get enough! I’ve read your book, blog, and articles. I’ve listened to your Bible study podcasts, your radio show, and your series – all excellent! It wasn’t until the past couple of years that I have I like I’m becoming “healthy,” with more to share with others than just beasts and commandments! I used to be a Bible worker and preached when the pastors were gone until I had had enough. I didnt realize at the time what the problem was, but i know now… the message wasn’t properly focused. Now my flame is rekindled. All of your little examples are so perfect in explaining something “complicated” and making it easily understood! Now I’m trying to shape it into a life changing evangelistic series! Thank you!

M.T., USA