What saith the Scripture Tradition must give way to the clear statements of the Scripture

     He brings princes to naught (Job 12:18; Isa 34:12) and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. (Job 12:19; Am 2:3) No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. (Job 24:24; Isa 41:2) TNIV.   I pray for them: I pray not for the world , but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. John 17:9 KJV The world seems here to signify all mankind, for whom Christ in this place doth not pray; though some interpret it of reprobates, others of unbelievers. Christ afterward prayed for the world, Jn.17:20; that is, for such who, though they at present were unbelievers, yet should be brought to believe by the apostles’ ministry .  But to teach us to distinguish in our prayer, our Saviour here distinguishes, and prayeth for some things for his chosen ones, which he doth not pray for on the behalf of others: these he des...

    The Consequences of Judging Others   Jesus is clear that his followers should not engage in condemning judgment toward others. And throughout his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about how he clearly sees our inner motivations—the hidden realities that shape our lives—in a way that no else can. He takes into account our grief, our disappointment, our desire to be noticed, our worry about the future, and our sincere desire to please God.  So when we look down on another person, we act as though we can see their inner realities just as clearly. We end up playing God. And we know from the beginning of the whole story, back in Gen. 1-3, that playing God never works well. Remember how humans bring corruption and death upon themselves precisely because they try to determine right and wrong apart from God, according to what is good or bad in their own eyes. In Genesis, and in Jesus’ teaching, we can hear God saying, “As finite beings, you do not have what it takes to ma...