It would be impossible to name all the sources of the material seen here...it is a compilation of things I've seen over the years.
A discussion about Sin
1 John 2:1 KJV My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin , we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
Yes Virginia, there is a real Devil and he works tirelessly to separate us from God. What Is Sin ? Sin is that thing that separates us from God. Nobody wants to talk about it anymore. It's old fashioned and if you do mention it you're accused of being legalistic and failing to operate with compassion and love. We become entangled in endless arguments about right and wrong. To me it's simple, if the book (the Bible) says it's wrong, it's wrong, not just wrong when the other fellow does it, or when it's not something that I care to do.
When the question "What is sin?" comes up we get flashbacks of the Ten Commandments. We categorize them into groups of "little sins" like coveting, lying and cursing and "big sins" like murder and adultery. It's okay to tell lies and gossip or overeat, but we're ready to stone the poor thief, or adulterer. Sin goes beyond the ten commandments. But they give us a general idea of what may encompass the whole.
Original translations of the Bible defined sin as "to miss the mark." This mark, is the standard of perfection established by God and evidenced by Jesus. If we look at it this way we can not deny that we are all sinners. We ALL miss the mark.
If still in doubt remember Paul tells us bluntly in Romans 3:23: that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
It is foolish to compare ourselves to others, there are no "little sins" or "big sins" in God's eyes. We cannot be righteous in our own strength. Nobody is ever "good enough" This just how it's all set up, only when we understand our weakness will we see the need to rely on the sacrifice made at the Cross. But that is not to say that we should "sweep everything under the rug," grace is not a license to do whatever we want. James 4:17 addresses this "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin".
We are to hold a standard .. People are suppose to be able to tell that we are Christians by how we act and live our lives, even by the words that come out of our mouths. Leviticus 20:26 KJV says "And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine".
The Bible mentions sin many of times, it starts with the "original" sin we hear about. There is much debate as to just what the "original" sin was. There is one school of thought who believe Eve had sex with the Devil. But I believe their sin was simple disobedience to God's command when he told them not to eat from the tree. Sin is simply disobedience to the instructions set out in the book, which includes the Ten Commandments of course.Paul wraps it up Romans 3:20 like this, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
God may seem to some of you like a stern old man, ever ready to pass down rules to spoil our fun, but if you examine the things He calls sin, you will see that they are things that would be harmful to our bodies, our families and our communities. They are things that erode our character and destroy trust among individuals. Trust me, even if there were no Heaven or no Hell, our lives are made better by the Judo-Christian values on which our society was built. Things that are considered sin aren't good for us, they are not just random rules.
God wants us to be aware our sins, we are to draw strength from discipline. Yet we are also to be keep remembering that no man is "better" than another, we have all sinned and are in need of a Savior. Any sin no matter how seemingly small will put distance between us and God. We fail daily but He forgives quickly and easily.
"Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear," says Isaiah 59: 1-2. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." Another verse says "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives" (1 John 1:8-10).
Yes Virginia, there is a real Devil and he works tirelessly to separate us from God. What Is Sin ? Sin is that thing that separates us from God. Nobody wants to talk about it anymore. It's old fashioned and if you do mention it you're accused of being legalistic and failing to operate with compassion and love. We become entangled in endless arguments about right and wrong. To me it's simple, if the book (the Bible) says it's wrong, it's wrong, not just wrong when the other fellow does it, or when it's not something that I care to do.
When the question "What is sin?" comes up we get flashbacks of the Ten Commandments. We categorize them into groups of "little sins" like coveting, lying and cursing and "big sins" like murder and adultery. It's okay to tell lies and gossip or overeat, but we're ready to stone the poor thief, or adulterer. Sin goes beyond the ten commandments. But they give us a general idea of what may encompass the whole.
Original translations of the Bible defined sin as "to miss the mark." This mark, is the standard of perfection established by God and evidenced by Jesus. If we look at it this way we can not deny that we are all sinners. We ALL miss the mark.
If still in doubt remember Paul tells us bluntly in Romans 3:23: that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
It is foolish to compare ourselves to others, there are no "little sins" or "big sins" in God's eyes. We cannot be righteous in our own strength. Nobody is ever "good enough" This just how it's all set up, only when we understand our weakness will we see the need to rely on the sacrifice made at the Cross. But that is not to say that we should "sweep everything under the rug," grace is not a license to do whatever we want. James 4:17 addresses this "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin".
We are to hold a standard .. People are suppose to be able to tell that we are Christians by how we act and live our lives, even by the words that come out of our mouths. Leviticus 20:26 KJV says "And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine".
The Bible mentions sin many of times, it starts with the "original" sin we hear about. There is much debate as to just what the "original" sin was. There is one school of thought who believe Eve had sex with the Devil. But I believe their sin was simple disobedience to God's command when he told them not to eat from the tree. Sin is simply disobedience to the instructions set out in the book, which includes the Ten Commandments of course.Paul wraps it up Romans 3:20 like this, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
God may seem to some of you like a stern old man, ever ready to pass down rules to spoil our fun, but if you examine the things He calls sin, you will see that they are things that would be harmful to our bodies, our families and our communities. They are things that erode our character and destroy trust among individuals. Trust me, even if there were no Heaven or no Hell, our lives are made better by the Judo-Christian values on which our society was built. Things that are considered sin aren't good for us, they are not just random rules.
God wants us to be aware our sins, we are to draw strength from discipline. Yet we are also to be keep remembering that no man is "better" than another, we have all sinned and are in need of a Savior. Any sin no matter how seemingly small will put distance between us and God. We fail daily but He forgives quickly and easily.
"Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear," says Isaiah 59: 1-2. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." Another verse says "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives" (1 John 1:8-10).
It troubles me that there is not much talk about sin anymore.
I think the Church was too hard on people in years past, now the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction.
We must speak truth, always in love because Christ is truth and the Devil is the father of lies. Don't lie on your taxes, to your mate or to your Children. Your children will learn to be truthful from you and they know when you lie even about the little things.
Don't lie to anyone, about anything if something would be hurtful just don't say anything. A Christian should not curse, it is against God's command and is a poor witness. Take care of your body it's the Temple of the Holy Spirit and we are to respect it.
Sex is wrong outside marriage, any sex, any how, even lusting after an image on a computer screen. I don't mean to spoil your fun, but that's what the Bible says. Revelation 21:8 tells us "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." I must tell you the truth. Stay away from the dark arts be brave and don't let anything in your life be more important than your walk with God, this is idol worship for us in the West. Also remember sex is a symbol of Christ's union with the Church. It is a beautiful, holy thing. It is designed to strengthen the bond between a man and woman to bring about the family. Gay sex is wrong because it perverts the plan God had from the beginning. Again let me say, God forgives, but we cannot continue in these things.
Where the Church went wrong was in her attitude toward sinners. We are to love sinners as Christ loved them. We are to gently let them know we don't agree with their actions then we are to let the matter be. Pray for them, accept them in love and then don't worry about it. Remember that we are all in the same category, leave it to God. "Harping" on someone's sin does no good but love and prayer works. We should not argue, we should not exclude, but follow the pattern left by our Lord. Praise the Lord and honor Him in your speech when you talk to sinners.
But we cannot say that it's "Okay" that everything will be "all right" because, my friends it is sin. Sin separates us from God, sin cannot enter into His Kingdom, it separates us from Him.
The Church needs to find balance in these things, first we burn sinners at the stake. Then we turn and excuse sin, with the "I'm okay, you're okay" attitude we forget that a sin is a sin. If sin was preached on a little more plainly maybe folk wouldn't fall into these problems so easily. And Heaven help us if we should offend anyone. We forget that God wants us to tell the truth.
We must first clean up our own lives before we try to help others.1 Corinthians 6:9 tells us.. "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders" Corinthians 7:10-11 also says. "See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter." I have had relatives who died of AIDS, There are people whom I love who are Gay, I will not fuss at them I will not separate myself from them I will love them and pray for them until I die. We are not defined by such things and in Christ there is hope.
The good news in all of this is that, once we recognize ourselves as sinners, we need only to repent and embrace Jesus to be forgiven. Jesus has authority to forgive us because in His sacrifice on the cross He gained victory over death and sin. He is God's son. Paul refers to the process of recognizing our sin and taking responsibility for it as "godly sorrow." "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death,"
One day, maybe sooner than we think we will all stand before a pure and Holy God. We can only stand in HIS perfection not our own. But we are expected to "run the race" and "fight the fight:" with his help to make us strong and not to sit down in a puddle of "easy grace" doing and living any way we want. Forgetting the price he paid to change our hearts and lives. Remember we are to be Christ's example while we're here on earth. 2 Corinthians 3:2 RSV "You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men;"
I think the Church was too hard on people in years past, now the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction.
We must speak truth, always in love because Christ is truth and the Devil is the father of lies. Don't lie on your taxes, to your mate or to your Children. Your children will learn to be truthful from you and they know when you lie even about the little things.
Don't lie to anyone, about anything if something would be hurtful just don't say anything. A Christian should not curse, it is against God's command and is a poor witness. Take care of your body it's the Temple of the Holy Spirit and we are to respect it.
Sex is wrong outside marriage, any sex, any how, even lusting after an image on a computer screen. I don't mean to spoil your fun, but that's what the Bible says. Revelation 21:8 tells us "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." I must tell you the truth. Stay away from the dark arts be brave and don't let anything in your life be more important than your walk with God, this is idol worship for us in the West. Also remember sex is a symbol of Christ's union with the Church. It is a beautiful, holy thing. It is designed to strengthen the bond between a man and woman to bring about the family. Gay sex is wrong because it perverts the plan God had from the beginning. Again let me say, God forgives, but we cannot continue in these things.
Where the Church went wrong was in her attitude toward sinners. We are to love sinners as Christ loved them. We are to gently let them know we don't agree with their actions then we are to let the matter be. Pray for them, accept them in love and then don't worry about it. Remember that we are all in the same category, leave it to God. "Harping" on someone's sin does no good but love and prayer works. We should not argue, we should not exclude, but follow the pattern left by our Lord. Praise the Lord and honor Him in your speech when you talk to sinners.
But we cannot say that it's "Okay" that everything will be "all right" because, my friends it is sin. Sin separates us from God, sin cannot enter into His Kingdom, it separates us from Him.
The Church needs to find balance in these things, first we burn sinners at the stake. Then we turn and excuse sin, with the "I'm okay, you're okay" attitude we forget that a sin is a sin. If sin was preached on a little more plainly maybe folk wouldn't fall into these problems so easily. And Heaven help us if we should offend anyone. We forget that God wants us to tell the truth.
We must first clean up our own lives before we try to help others.1 Corinthians 6:9 tells us.. "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders" Corinthians 7:10-11 also says. "See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter." I have had relatives who died of AIDS, There are people whom I love who are Gay, I will not fuss at them I will not separate myself from them I will love them and pray for them until I die. We are not defined by such things and in Christ there is hope.
The good news in all of this is that, once we recognize ourselves as sinners, we need only to repent and embrace Jesus to be forgiven. Jesus has authority to forgive us because in His sacrifice on the cross He gained victory over death and sin. He is God's son. Paul refers to the process of recognizing our sin and taking responsibility for it as "godly sorrow." "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death,"
One day, maybe sooner than we think we will all stand before a pure and Holy God. We can only stand in HIS perfection not our own. But we are expected to "run the race" and "fight the fight:" with his help to make us strong and not to sit down in a puddle of "easy grace" doing and living any way we want. Forgetting the price he paid to change our hearts and lives. Remember we are to be Christ's example while we're here on earth. 2 Corinthians 3:2 RSV "You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men;"