Defraud Not Thy Brother
by David J. Stewart
"That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified." -1st Thessalonians 4:6
"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."-Romans 12:19
We are warned from God's Word about defrauding one another. The Greek meaning of the word "defraud" in 1st Thessalonians 4:6 is "to take advantage of; to make a gain." We are NOT to take advantage of anyone. A person who makes a promise and breaks it has defrauded his neighbor (every human being is our neighbor). A man who commits adultery with a married woman has defrauded that woman's husband (and vise-versa). A person who lies, cheats or reneges on a business agreement has defrauded someone (s). A man who mistreats his wife and children has defrauded them. Notice that God warns us not to defraud anyone "IN ANY MATTER." This includes ALL types of wrong doing."That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified." -1st Thessalonians 4:6
Notice the phrase "...go beyond..." We could read this as "That no man cross the line and defraud another person." There is a definite line between right and wrong folks! They're might be a fine line between faith and foolishness, but there is a definite line between right and wrong. We know when we are doing wrong! People like to pretend that they are innocent, but they know in their conniving hearts what they have done. They can try to live in denial, but God will repay (punish) them in His own time and way. Read the Bible verse below...
"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."
(Romans 12:19)
The word "repay" in the Greek literally means "to punish." God WILL punish those who have hurt, cheated, wronged and abused us in our lifetime. God will also punish us for those we have wronged IN ANY MATTER! No one is going to get away with anything!!! Vengeance rightfully belongs to God alone. And believe me, God is an expert at dealing with unrepentant people.
God will also deal with unrepentant believers. Just because a person is saved does not clear them of responsibility for their words and actions in this life. Yes, their sins are forgiven and forgotten as far as eternal judgment is concerned, but they still must appear before the judgment seat of Christ and give account for the good and bad things done during their life. Look at the Bible verse below and cringe you believers who are liars, cheats, abusers, tyrants and defrauders...
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." -2nd Corinthians 5:10
You see friend, being a Christian makes you even more accountable to God. A lost person doesn't have the Holy Spirit living within. A lost person has not been enlightened by the truth of Jesus Christ. However, when we sin as believers, we do so in full knowledge of what God expects from us and in spite of the grace that He has provided for us to escape temptation.
"...for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required..." -Luke 12:48
Every believer has been given the Holy Spirit of God to dwell within his or her mortal body! We have NO EXCUSE when we sin--We know better! Of course, we are only sinners saved by grace and we WILL falter and sin at times. But this fact doesn't give us a license to sin (as so many believers seem to think it does). I'm tired of hearing immature believers try to justify sin by saying, "we're only human." How 'bout, "We're only sinful and rotten to the core"--this sounds more honest. Nothing justifies sin! Too many believers have a lax attitude towards sin...oops, I did it again...oh well...I'm only a sinner. God HATES this flagrant attitude. There is a deadly tendency for believers to become complacent concerning sin. We WILL be held accountable by God for "the things done" in this life (all things, good and bad). Let's read the Apostle Paul's warning once more...
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."- 2nd Corinthians 5:10
Listen to the Apostle John in Revelation...
"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."
(Revelation 14:13)
Yes friend, our works do FOLLOW us into eternity. We we're not saved by those works, but those works still have to be accounted for at the judgment seat of Christ. We we're saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross and applied to the mercy seat in heaven by Christ Himself on our behalf. We will not have to stand trial in God's criminal court at the great white throne of judgment (only the unsaved will be judged there); however, we will have to give account in God's civil court at the judgment seat of Christ (for believers only). Those believers who have been soul-winners and have lived a life pleasing to the Lord will be greatly rewarded (despite their faults and shortcomings alone the way). But those believers who have abused their families, lived as crooks and liars, manipulated others for their own gain, attacked soul-winners, been tyrants toward others, showed little mercy, lived in continuous sin, broke promises, been selfish and self-centered...these are the hypocrites that will be severely dealt with by our God at the judgment seat of Christ (despite their good intentions, ministries and self-righteousness). Oh what a day that will be! How will you stand at the judgment seat of Christ? Are you a sinister minister? Are you a tyrant at home? Are you an actor? Or are you a humble sinner, trying to love thy neighbor as thyself from day to day? Are you understanding with people, or a hot-headed monster with a big mouth? Who are you?
"O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure." -Psalm 6:1
God DOES get angry! I don't want Him angry with me, do you want God angry with you?
"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences." -2nd Corinthians 5:11
Notice 2nd Corinthians 5:10&11 together...
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences."
(2nd Corinthians 5:10-11)
Whether we like it or not, the moment we became a born-again Christian we became a witness for Christ. Every believer is a walking book to be read by others. The question is...do people see Jesus in us? Do "the things done" in our body cause people to glorify God, or do they cause people to curse God in anger against us. We are responsible for the influences which we make upon the souls of lost people around us. Therefore, knowing the "terror of the Lord," we persuade men. The Apostle Paul feared God. This particular word "terror" in Greek means "that which strikes terror, dread, fear." Friend, I fear the day when I must stand before God. I am not ashamed to admit that I fear God. I want to live for Jesus now because I know that someday I will have to stand before Him in judgment. I don't know what the Lord will say to me, but I want to do my best to make sure that I don't have to give account someday for defrauding anyone upon this earth. I want to make things right now so God won't have to force me to do so in heaven. Many believers will be forced by God to right their wrongs in eternity. Many people are stubborn and God will have to deal with them. So again friend, listen to God's Word and heed God's warning...
"That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified." -1st Thessalonians 4:6
What Happens to Believers Who Hurt Others?
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