By Jack Kinsella, publisher of The Omega Letter
There is a wonderful hymn published at the turn of the 20th century that proclaims, "Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin."
I'm sure most of you have sung these words at some point or another, but have you ever truly contemplated their meaning?
"Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!" We sing it, but do we really believe it? More importantly, do we really UNDERSTAND it?
Wrote the Psalmist, "My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding." (Psalms 49:3)
What is wisdom? Psalms 111:10 says that "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom."
Solomon noted that "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom," before admonishing us; "and with all thy getting get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7)
But how does one make the leap from 'wisdom' to 'understanding'?
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7)
"Wisdom and instruction", applied together, produce knowledge.
"When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee." (Proverbs 2:11)
One can, therefore, express it as a Divine equation: Wisdom + Knowledge = Understanding.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10)
'Wisdom' is the product of 'fear' (or reverence) of the Lord (as expressed in His Word). Out of His Revealed Word comes 'knowledge', which, when applied with 'wisdom' gives birth to 'understanding'.
Note well that it is 'understanding' that the Lord says will KEEP thee.
It is the 'wisdom' to recognize oneself as a sinner in need of salvation taken together with instruction that Christ has extended a free pardon for one's sin's that result in the extension of God's grace, which produces saving faith.
Proverbs 19:8a says, "He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul, he that keepeth understanding shall find good."
I don't think the first part of that verse is an inaccurate statement, although it tends to take the wind out of our sails a bit when we think about it.
I prefer to think of my coming to Christ as an expression of my love for Him -- but when I am as honest as Solomon was, and teachable enough to know wisdom when I hear it, I understand that my reason for turning to Christ was love of MY soul. (The wisdom to love Him came later.)
But note well that, to 'find good' out of wisdom, one must apply 'understanding'.
Assessment:
Whenever I tackle the topic of 'Amazing Grace' some of the forum comments and emails suggest there are still many misunderstandings, particularly about the way I articulate the doctrine of grace.
I don't mind revisiting it as often as necessary, as long as you don't mind revisiting it with me.
The Bible instructs us to strive for perfection. To sin no more. To be perfect, even as the Father is perfect. That our every waking moment should be dedicated to God. ("Sell all you have, pick up your Cross and follow Me.") To pray without ceasing.
That certain sins really drive God nuts;
"These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." (Proverbs 6:16-19)
And I have knowledge that I am occasionally guilty of pride, sloth, gluttony, mischief, etc., -- just as before I was saved. (Moreover, my personal observations tell me I am not alone among believers in this regard).
Now we turn to the concept of 'grace'. "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:24)
Further, Paul writes; "All things are lawful for me" but then says, "but all things are not expedient." (1st Corinthians 10:23)
Few argue the Bible doesn't teach salvation as an unearned gift extended to all who will receive it. But then they stumble over the idea of eternal security as a 'license to sin'.
I don't mean to sound pompous in saying this reflects wisdom, but without understanding. And it is 'understanding' that the Lord says is what will 'keep' you.
They argue that the doctrine of eternal security turns the Bible into a book of 'suggestions'. I've been accused of endorsing sin. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Wisdom plus knowledge equals understanding.
I reverence God's Word, which tells me that sin is man's natural state of being. Paul's explanation of the dual nature of man in Romans 7 confirms to me that the struggle with sin after salvation is as common to all men as it was to Paul.
It was the wisdom to love my own soul that brought me to the point of salvation, and the knowledge of grace and the dual nature of man that brought me to the understanding of grace.
Paul wrote, "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, ACCORDING AS GOD HATH DEALT TO EVERY MAN THE MEASURE OF FAITH." (Romans 1:23)
Wisdom (God's Word) says that some struggle more with sin than do others, and that God deals out different measures of faith to each of us according to His will.
I think it fair to say we are pretty forgiving of ourselves. Sometimes, we can come up with pretty convincing reasons for falling at the moment we did.
That isn't to suggest the reasons justify the fall, but we extend to ourselves the grace to pick ourselves up, and try again. Wisdom plus knowledge go out the window once we assume God is less forgiving of us than we are of ourselves.
God's grace is perfect and all sufficient. If God's grace didn't extend to our post-salvation sins, then the only ones who would be in heaven would be those who died at the point of salvation.
Legalism dictates that God demands perfection, settles for minor imperfection, and revokes salvation from those whose imperfection crosses some invisible line.
Remember the story of the 300 lb preacher reminding his congregation that smoking is defiling the Temple of the Holy Spirit?
Smoking isn't among God's Seven Deadly Sins -- but on that list, the glutton sits right there beside the drunkard. Are fat people habitual, unrepentant sinners who have condemned themselves? Or does God extend His grace to us according to our individual (and God-given) weaknesses or strengths?
I have the wisdom of Scripture that tells me that a holy God cannot countenance sin. That wisdom also tells me that, in God's eyes, all sin is sin, and there are seven that God hates with a particular passion, habitual sins that, barring God's grace, condemn as unrepentent; fat people, lazy people, gossips and drunks. I also have knowledge of human nature from personal observation. I have intimate knowledge of myself and my own shortcomings.
Applied with a knowledge -- but without an understanding -- of grace, it tells me that my own salvation must depend on my first accepting Christ and then, never sinning again.
I came to Christ thirty-five years ago. I am sure I have sinned in the last thirty-five years. Wisdom plus knowledge -- but devoid of
understanding -- therefore dictates that I am already lost and without hope -- so why bother even trying?
"Grace" is not a license to sin, it is Divine permission to get back up and try again. Sin is burdensome because it tends to pile up so fast. Soon, it becomes so heavy you CAN'T get back up on your own.
The burden is lifted by the grace of God so that we can get back up, heal our wounds and return to battle. Grace is not license to sin. It is medicine to heal and bandages to cover our sin so we can fight on.
Understanding grace is to understand what Paul meant when he told the Galatians, "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2:21)
Friday, October 24, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The 'Defeated' Christian - revisited
I know I have to be constantly reminded:
The "Defeated Christian"
by Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor
You’ve all seen him. The defeated Christian. The guy who tries and tries, but after being saved for thirty years, he still hasn’t quit smoking. Instead, he hides his cigarettes before coming to church and won’t get too close when shaking your hand for fear you’ll smell the smoke on him.
Or the Christian who you know is saved, but he just can't quite give up the bottle. Or the Christian who got saved, but doesn't go to church, because he just doesn’t think he fits in with the rest of the crowd?
Or won’t go because he thinks that everybody at church is a big hypocrite? That defeated Christian who knows that even though he is saved, it just didn't seem to ‘take' like it seemed to with everybody else, so he’d just as soon not be reminded of it all the time by being around those to whom it did.
Especially since, if he were to mention it, somebody would point out it was either because of some unconfessed sin, or maybe he just wasn't all that sincere when he first accepted Christ.
Why is it that some Christians get saved, and immediately become a new creature, where others get saved, and look remarkably like the old one?
Don’t tell me you don’t know somebody like that. Maybe you even ARE somebody like that. And it’s hard . . . so hard to keep trying and trying when it seems to come so easy to everybody else. It’s enough to make anybody give up.
I’m going to leave the usual beaten path, now, to address an issue that comes up fairly regularly in our forums. Those of you who have no besetting sin, no secret sin in your heart that only you and God (and the enemy) know of, go make yourself a nice cup of coffee. The rest isn’t for you.
Now, for the honest readers . . . Why does God deliver some people from booze, cigarettes, pot . . . fill in your besetting sin here _______?
The answer? I don’t know. Disappointed? Don’t be. Sometimes He just doesn’t. It doesn’t mean you aren’t a Christian. It doesn’t mean you aren’t saved. It doesn’t mean God has abandoned you. It only means you feel defeated. You still have that sin.
Now, how come you feel defeated? Is it your weakness? God's? Haven’t you been to Him with this? How come its still an issue in your life? You KNOW God is real, so . . what’s WRONG WITH YOU?
Nothing.
Welcome to the Church of the Walking Wounded. That’s why so many people find fellowship on the internet they don’t find in church. No guilt. Nobody can see you sneaking that cigarette or that beer.
You come looking for God, and looking for that forgiveness you keep hearing about, but never find in church.
Instead, you learn that if you smoke, (or whatever) you are defiling the temple of the Holy Spirit and you must give that up first to find fellowship. Except you have been trying for years and just can't quite make it.
You sit there in the pew, thinking about the cigarette you are going to have on the way home, and you feel ashamed, guilty. Why even go back to church? You hypocrite!
You are taught that God forgave you at the Cross, but now you are on your own. All these sins you now know about yourself are left for you to deal with on your own. Only NOW you know what they are.
So every time you sneak that cigarette, you feel guilty. “Fred got saved and within a week, he cut out smoking, he cut out drinking and he cut out cursing.”
(You think to yourself, “Sure. And for entertainment, Fred is now cutting out paper dolls in the Happy Home,” – but then there you go – you sinned again!)
Sin is the disease of the human race. No human being is exempt from it. The Apostle Paul, speaking of sin, said, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15)
Creative hyperbole? Or do you believe every Word of God is true?
The Apostle Paul was, according to God's Word, chief among sinners. He must have had a difficult time being chief among sinners and chief among the Apostles, but that’s what the Bible says.
It must have bothered him, like it bothers you. (Those not getting coffee right now) Knowing what is right, but succumbing to temptation to do the wrong thing. Over and over.
This is a very difficult subject – I am approaching it with much fear and trepidation. There will immediately be those who will jump on me for preaching a license to sin. I am not.
Before you jump on me, read it again first, please. I am quoting the Apostle Paul, not my opinion.
Paul writes, “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” (Romans 7:14-15,17)
Maybe Paul isn’t speaking to you, but he is playing MY theme song. “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” (Romans 7:22,23)
Does this sound to you like a guy who was having an easy time of it? Why didn’t he just do what the pastor tells you? “Just take it to the Lord and He'll take care of it.”
Ever do that and then He didn’t? So you found some good reason why not, or instead just figured you weren’t worthy? Or maybe that He cared more about Fred the King of the Paper Dolls?
Paul wrote of, “a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” (2 Corinthians 12:7) Now, I’ve heard this verse exegeted many times.
To listen to the theories, Paul must have fallen into a thorn BUSH. I’ve heard Paul had a speech impediment, that it was his failing eyesight, that he was unattractive to look at, even one argument that he had halitosis!
What does the Bible say Paul’s thorn in the flesh was? Everybody looks for something specific to make sense of the verse. They are looking for some physical flaw that Paul thought would hamper his effectiveness for God. In so doing, they miss the forest for the trees.
The Apostle Paul, the ‘chief among sinners, specifically said that his thorn was a ‘messenger from Satan sent to ‘buffet' him. Paul’s thorn was his SIN which kept him from being 'exalted above all measure.' “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.” (2 Corinthians 12:8)
Stay with me here and see the picture. Here's poor Paul, knowing the task the Lord has set before him, knowing that he is ‘chief among sinners' and knowing his weakness for whatever that sin might have been.
So he takes it to Jesus, (just like you did) sincerely expecting Him to handle it for him, just like the pastor told you He would for you.
“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (v.9)
The Bible says that we are sold unto sin. That it is our natural state. That the most unnatural thing a man could do is NOT sin. You are saved, you believe, yet you wrestle with your besetting sins.
Every time you whip one down, a new one crops up that you have to deal with. Its a never ending battle and you are losing. How can this be?
How can you be sincere, be sincerely saved, and still battle with sins that don’t seem to bother other Christians?
There is only one logical answer. It is so simple you are going to immediately say, “I knew that.” But you probably really didn’t.
Jesus did it all. Really. ALL. The most simple of principles, yet most preaching is based on the deception that He didn’t. Instead, most are taught in principle, that Jesus got the ball rolling at the Cross, but now that you are saved, whether or not you fail or succeed in beating back your sin nature is up to you.
Therefore, when constantly confronted with your sin and how bad it is, it is much easier to give up and not go face the weekly confrontation. You believe you are defeated.
Rather than being free, you are in bondage to your guilt. How many people do you know who went to the altar call on Sunday who weren’t guilt-ridden by Wednesday?
Salvation is either a gift of grace through faith or it is a product of faith plus good works.
Moses had faith and good works. So did Abraham. So did David. But without the Savior, they would be dead in their sins.
The bondage of sin to a Christian is the weight of the guilt of that sin that keeps him from seeking God's face. Jesus set us free from the bondage of sin. Is this a license to sin? As Paul said, “God forbid.”
“All things”, Paul said, “are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” (1 Corinthians 10:23) Interesting word, ‘expedient.' It means, “Appropriate to a purpose.”
The reality is, we are humans. Even after we become new creatures in Christ, we co inhabit the castle of flesh with the old man.
You will have your battles, but your defeat only comes when you give up. Following Paul’s lamentations about his struggle with the flesh and the duality of man, Paul writes, beginning with Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
This verse also tends to get spiritualized out of context. I’ve heard it argued that if you sin, then you are walking after the flesh, rather than after the Spirit.
I put it to you: Did you ever, since you were saved, commit a sin and not care, not feel any responsibility before God? Well, then, Who are you walking after? The irresponsible flesh? Or the living Spirit?
It isn’t sin that defeats the Christian.
It isn’t that you still haven’t quit smoking, or whatever else it might be that you think is defeating you. Sin is what humans do. Forgive is what God does.
It is GUILT that keeps you defeated, and keeps you from the Throne. It keeps you from telling people about Jesus. It keeps you beaten down.
It is incumbent upon a Christian to try and live a more Christ-like life, but the dichotomy is that the Bible says it is impossible.
Even those of you now scandalized and convinced I am preaching libertine Christianity KNOW that you still have a sin problem. Whether it's a big sin, a little sin, a habitual sin or an occasional sin, its still sin. Even as we sin, (and Scripture says we ALL do) we hate it, as Paul did. But we sin. As Paul did. Read Romans 7 again.
If we COULD live a sin-free life, then why was a Savior necessary? And what was Paul rambling on about when he talked about the 'good that he would' and so forth?
If there were a formula that involved accepting Christ and THEN living a sinless life, then why did He need to go to the Cross at all?
Why not just make the revised Ten Commandments read, 'Accept Christ and don't sin" and THEN you can go to heaven? The answer is obvious. Nobody would be there.
We are living in the last days. There is no time to bandage the walking wounded, the battle has been joined. Every soldier is desperately needed on the line.
A soldier on the line does his best, and that is all anyone can ask. Especially the One Who really KNOWS that you are doing the best you can.
And He not only understands, He made you to a specific purpose, which is why all things were lawful to Paul, but not all things were expedient.
What may appear as defeat to you from your vantage point in the action may actually be a tactical victory somewhere else up the line. Only our General knows, and He says, 'Trust Me'.
Take heart! Don't let the fact you are a sinner steal your victory. The only prerequisite for being a Christian is that you must be a sinner first. God has a plan for your life, and He has somebody for you to talk to.
That appointment is so important to God that He has arranged your whole life until now -- just so you would be available to keep it when that appointment comes due.
Will you be there to keep it? Or will you be licking your wounds in defeat off in a corner somewhere? We're running out of time, and the enemy's sole focus for your life is to keep you defeated and ineffective as the hours tick down to the Final Confrontation.
“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians (12:9)
The rest of you can come back from the kitchen now.
The "Defeated Christian"
by Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor
You’ve all seen him. The defeated Christian. The guy who tries and tries, but after being saved for thirty years, he still hasn’t quit smoking. Instead, he hides his cigarettes before coming to church and won’t get too close when shaking your hand for fear you’ll smell the smoke on him.
Or the Christian who you know is saved, but he just can't quite give up the bottle. Or the Christian who got saved, but doesn't go to church, because he just doesn’t think he fits in with the rest of the crowd?
Or won’t go because he thinks that everybody at church is a big hypocrite? That defeated Christian who knows that even though he is saved, it just didn't seem to ‘take' like it seemed to with everybody else, so he’d just as soon not be reminded of it all the time by being around those to whom it did.
Especially since, if he were to mention it, somebody would point out it was either because of some unconfessed sin, or maybe he just wasn't all that sincere when he first accepted Christ.
Why is it that some Christians get saved, and immediately become a new creature, where others get saved, and look remarkably like the old one?
Don’t tell me you don’t know somebody like that. Maybe you even ARE somebody like that. And it’s hard . . . so hard to keep trying and trying when it seems to come so easy to everybody else. It’s enough to make anybody give up.
I’m going to leave the usual beaten path, now, to address an issue that comes up fairly regularly in our forums. Those of you who have no besetting sin, no secret sin in your heart that only you and God (and the enemy) know of, go make yourself a nice cup of coffee. The rest isn’t for you.
Now, for the honest readers . . . Why does God deliver some people from booze, cigarettes, pot . . . fill in your besetting sin here _______?
The answer? I don’t know. Disappointed? Don’t be. Sometimes He just doesn’t. It doesn’t mean you aren’t a Christian. It doesn’t mean you aren’t saved. It doesn’t mean God has abandoned you. It only means you feel defeated. You still have that sin.
Now, how come you feel defeated? Is it your weakness? God's? Haven’t you been to Him with this? How come its still an issue in your life? You KNOW God is real, so . . what’s WRONG WITH YOU?
Nothing.
Welcome to the Church of the Walking Wounded. That’s why so many people find fellowship on the internet they don’t find in church. No guilt. Nobody can see you sneaking that cigarette or that beer.
You come looking for God, and looking for that forgiveness you keep hearing about, but never find in church.
Instead, you learn that if you smoke, (or whatever) you are defiling the temple of the Holy Spirit and you must give that up first to find fellowship. Except you have been trying for years and just can't quite make it.
You sit there in the pew, thinking about the cigarette you are going to have on the way home, and you feel ashamed, guilty. Why even go back to church? You hypocrite!
You are taught that God forgave you at the Cross, but now you are on your own. All these sins you now know about yourself are left for you to deal with on your own. Only NOW you know what they are.
So every time you sneak that cigarette, you feel guilty. “Fred got saved and within a week, he cut out smoking, he cut out drinking and he cut out cursing.”
(You think to yourself, “Sure. And for entertainment, Fred is now cutting out paper dolls in the Happy Home,” – but then there you go – you sinned again!)
Sin is the disease of the human race. No human being is exempt from it. The Apostle Paul, speaking of sin, said, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15)
Creative hyperbole? Or do you believe every Word of God is true?
The Apostle Paul was, according to God's Word, chief among sinners. He must have had a difficult time being chief among sinners and chief among the Apostles, but that’s what the Bible says.
It must have bothered him, like it bothers you. (Those not getting coffee right now) Knowing what is right, but succumbing to temptation to do the wrong thing. Over and over.
This is a very difficult subject – I am approaching it with much fear and trepidation. There will immediately be those who will jump on me for preaching a license to sin. I am not.
Before you jump on me, read it again first, please. I am quoting the Apostle Paul, not my opinion.
Paul writes, “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” (Romans 7:14-15,17)
Maybe Paul isn’t speaking to you, but he is playing MY theme song. “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” (Romans 7:22,23)
Does this sound to you like a guy who was having an easy time of it? Why didn’t he just do what the pastor tells you? “Just take it to the Lord and He'll take care of it.”
Ever do that and then He didn’t? So you found some good reason why not, or instead just figured you weren’t worthy? Or maybe that He cared more about Fred the King of the Paper Dolls?
Paul wrote of, “a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” (2 Corinthians 12:7) Now, I’ve heard this verse exegeted many times.
To listen to the theories, Paul must have fallen into a thorn BUSH. I’ve heard Paul had a speech impediment, that it was his failing eyesight, that he was unattractive to look at, even one argument that he had halitosis!
What does the Bible say Paul’s thorn in the flesh was? Everybody looks for something specific to make sense of the verse. They are looking for some physical flaw that Paul thought would hamper his effectiveness for God. In so doing, they miss the forest for the trees.
The Apostle Paul, the ‘chief among sinners, specifically said that his thorn was a ‘messenger from Satan sent to ‘buffet' him. Paul’s thorn was his SIN which kept him from being 'exalted above all measure.' “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.” (2 Corinthians 12:8)
Stay with me here and see the picture. Here's poor Paul, knowing the task the Lord has set before him, knowing that he is ‘chief among sinners' and knowing his weakness for whatever that sin might have been.
So he takes it to Jesus, (just like you did) sincerely expecting Him to handle it for him, just like the pastor told you He would for you.
“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (v.9)
The Bible says that we are sold unto sin. That it is our natural state. That the most unnatural thing a man could do is NOT sin. You are saved, you believe, yet you wrestle with your besetting sins.
Every time you whip one down, a new one crops up that you have to deal with. Its a never ending battle and you are losing. How can this be?
How can you be sincere, be sincerely saved, and still battle with sins that don’t seem to bother other Christians?
There is only one logical answer. It is so simple you are going to immediately say, “I knew that.” But you probably really didn’t.
Jesus did it all. Really. ALL. The most simple of principles, yet most preaching is based on the deception that He didn’t. Instead, most are taught in principle, that Jesus got the ball rolling at the Cross, but now that you are saved, whether or not you fail or succeed in beating back your sin nature is up to you.
Therefore, when constantly confronted with your sin and how bad it is, it is much easier to give up and not go face the weekly confrontation. You believe you are defeated.
Rather than being free, you are in bondage to your guilt. How many people do you know who went to the altar call on Sunday who weren’t guilt-ridden by Wednesday?
Salvation is either a gift of grace through faith or it is a product of faith plus good works.
Moses had faith and good works. So did Abraham. So did David. But without the Savior, they would be dead in their sins.
The bondage of sin to a Christian is the weight of the guilt of that sin that keeps him from seeking God's face. Jesus set us free from the bondage of sin. Is this a license to sin? As Paul said, “God forbid.”
“All things”, Paul said, “are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” (1 Corinthians 10:23) Interesting word, ‘expedient.' It means, “Appropriate to a purpose.”
The reality is, we are humans. Even after we become new creatures in Christ, we co inhabit the castle of flesh with the old man.
You will have your battles, but your defeat only comes when you give up. Following Paul’s lamentations about his struggle with the flesh and the duality of man, Paul writes, beginning with Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
This verse also tends to get spiritualized out of context. I’ve heard it argued that if you sin, then you are walking after the flesh, rather than after the Spirit.
I put it to you: Did you ever, since you were saved, commit a sin and not care, not feel any responsibility before God? Well, then, Who are you walking after? The irresponsible flesh? Or the living Spirit?
It isn’t sin that defeats the Christian.
It isn’t that you still haven’t quit smoking, or whatever else it might be that you think is defeating you. Sin is what humans do. Forgive is what God does.
It is GUILT that keeps you defeated, and keeps you from the Throne. It keeps you from telling people about Jesus. It keeps you beaten down.
It is incumbent upon a Christian to try and live a more Christ-like life, but the dichotomy is that the Bible says it is impossible.
Even those of you now scandalized and convinced I am preaching libertine Christianity KNOW that you still have a sin problem. Whether it's a big sin, a little sin, a habitual sin or an occasional sin, its still sin. Even as we sin, (and Scripture says we ALL do) we hate it, as Paul did. But we sin. As Paul did. Read Romans 7 again.
If we COULD live a sin-free life, then why was a Savior necessary? And what was Paul rambling on about when he talked about the 'good that he would' and so forth?
If there were a formula that involved accepting Christ and THEN living a sinless life, then why did He need to go to the Cross at all?
Why not just make the revised Ten Commandments read, 'Accept Christ and don't sin" and THEN you can go to heaven? The answer is obvious. Nobody would be there.
We are living in the last days. There is no time to bandage the walking wounded, the battle has been joined. Every soldier is desperately needed on the line.
A soldier on the line does his best, and that is all anyone can ask. Especially the One Who really KNOWS that you are doing the best you can.
And He not only understands, He made you to a specific purpose, which is why all things were lawful to Paul, but not all things were expedient.
What may appear as defeat to you from your vantage point in the action may actually be a tactical victory somewhere else up the line. Only our General knows, and He says, 'Trust Me'.
Take heart! Don't let the fact you are a sinner steal your victory. The only prerequisite for being a Christian is that you must be a sinner first. God has a plan for your life, and He has somebody for you to talk to.
That appointment is so important to God that He has arranged your whole life until now -- just so you would be available to keep it when that appointment comes due.
Will you be there to keep it? Or will you be licking your wounds in defeat off in a corner somewhere? We're running out of time, and the enemy's sole focus for your life is to keep you defeated and ineffective as the hours tick down to the Final Confrontation.
“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians (12:9)
The rest of you can come back from the kitchen now.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Fear Factor
Answers In Genesis have a new article that all Chrsitians should take note of.
The best part about my freshman year in college was my roommate. She was a fellow Christian, and it was comforting knowing I could come back to my room after class and share my struggles with her. She could understand why I was so upset. She helped me gain perspective and showed me I was not the only Christian and conservative on campus, even though it felt like it at times.
As we would walk to our separate classes together she encouraged me, confirming we knew the truth, that our ideas were valid, and that we were responsible to present the whole picture.
Those days really made a difference before I walked into English class. I could hold my head higher. It would be difficult to overstate the importance of a solid, grounded Christian friend. Fortunately for my roommate, she didn’t seem to have drawn a class schedule featuring some of the far left academia nuts I was encountering. But she didn’t escape completely.
As my roommate sat in freshman biology class the first week of school, the professor paced across the front of the class, turned and asked if anyone did not believe in evolution. If they did not, would they please raise their hands? My Christian roommate and another student both raised their hands.
At a secular school, it certainly would be plausible that the majority of students adhere to the story of evolution. But it is even more plausible that there were other students who didn’t believe, or at least questioned some of the holes in the evolution theory, but were too scared to identify themselves. The two who did raise their hands became easy targets the rest of the semester.
My roommate wasn’t intimidated and stood up for her convictions with that small gesture of raising her hand. With that simple act, she acknowledged that truth is more important than conformity. There were probably others in her class who thought the way she did, but they were too scared and intimidated to identify themselves. It’s easy to be bullied into silence. It happens a lot—even to mature Christians.
An example of how silence can engulf members of an audience happened during the Iraq War. At an anti-war “teach-in,” a Columbia University professor Micholas DeGenova, told an audience that he would like to see “a million Mogadishus.” He was referring to the Somalia incident in which 18 American soldiers were ambushed and killed in 1993, their corpses dragged through the streets to the cheers and jeers of crowds. DeGenova, assistant professor of anthropology and Latino studies, also said, “The only true heroes are those who find ways that help defeat the U.S. military.”
The crowd listening to DeGenova nearly filled Columbia University’s Low Library. And the crowd was silent. If there were students who disagreed with DeGenova’s murderous comment, their voices were not heard. How is it possible in a crowd that size that not one person was utterly repulsed by DeGenova’s wish for a million Mogadishus? How can that be possible?
How? Fear. There probably were at least a few who disagreed with DeGenova, but they were afraid to be heard. Fear is a powerful intimidator.
Read the rest of the article
The best part about my freshman year in college was my roommate. She was a fellow Christian, and it was comforting knowing I could come back to my room after class and share my struggles with her. She could understand why I was so upset. She helped me gain perspective and showed me I was not the only Christian and conservative on campus, even though it felt like it at times.
As we would walk to our separate classes together she encouraged me, confirming we knew the truth, that our ideas were valid, and that we were responsible to present the whole picture.
Those days really made a difference before I walked into English class. I could hold my head higher. It would be difficult to overstate the importance of a solid, grounded Christian friend. Fortunately for my roommate, she didn’t seem to have drawn a class schedule featuring some of the far left academia nuts I was encountering. But she didn’t escape completely.
As my roommate sat in freshman biology class the first week of school, the professor paced across the front of the class, turned and asked if anyone did not believe in evolution. If they did not, would they please raise their hands? My Christian roommate and another student both raised their hands.
At a secular school, it certainly would be plausible that the majority of students adhere to the story of evolution. But it is even more plausible that there were other students who didn’t believe, or at least questioned some of the holes in the evolution theory, but were too scared to identify themselves. The two who did raise their hands became easy targets the rest of the semester.
My roommate wasn’t intimidated and stood up for her convictions with that small gesture of raising her hand. With that simple act, she acknowledged that truth is more important than conformity. There were probably others in her class who thought the way she did, but they were too scared and intimidated to identify themselves. It’s easy to be bullied into silence. It happens a lot—even to mature Christians.
An example of how silence can engulf members of an audience happened during the Iraq War. At an anti-war “teach-in,” a Columbia University professor Micholas DeGenova, told an audience that he would like to see “a million Mogadishus.” He was referring to the Somalia incident in which 18 American soldiers were ambushed and killed in 1993, their corpses dragged through the streets to the cheers and jeers of crowds. DeGenova, assistant professor of anthropology and Latino studies, also said, “The only true heroes are those who find ways that help defeat the U.S. military.”
The crowd listening to DeGenova nearly filled Columbia University’s Low Library. And the crowd was silent. If there were students who disagreed with DeGenova’s murderous comment, their voices were not heard. How is it possible in a crowd that size that not one person was utterly repulsed by DeGenova’s wish for a million Mogadishus? How can that be possible?
How? Fear. There probably were at least a few who disagreed with DeGenova, but they were afraid to be heard. Fear is a powerful intimidator.
Read the rest of the article
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Muslim fingerprints in Obama's history
This is something a little different but, coming up to the US elections, I think very important!
By Janet Porter
I've misspoken before. I've misspoken before on national television. I've mixed up words, reversed orders, but I have never once misspoken concerning my faith and the God in whom I trust. Even in the most heated debate on Islam, never did I ever utter the words "my Muslim faith." Nor, even when talking about Buddhism, have I ever slipped up and referred to "my Buddhist faith." Ever. Why? Because my Christianity is so ingrained in me, so a part of who I am, that the thought of adhering to a false religion is so foreign, so blasphemous, that the words would never cross my lips.
Not the case for Mr. Obama. On ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos, Obama said:
"Let's not play games, what I was suggesting – you're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith. And you're absolutely right that that has not come."
Watch it online.
Matthew 12:34 says: "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."
Notice that Obama didn't correct himself. He was "corrected" by George Stephanopoulos who interrupted Obama, with the words: "Christian faith."
Let's just say he misspoke. Did Obama misspeak when he told the New York Times that blasphemy was one of the "prettiest sounds on earth at sunset"?
That's right. In a Feb. 27, 2007, interview with the New York Times' Nicholos Kristof, that's how Obama described the Muslim call to prayer. That prayer, which Obama recited with a "first-class [Arabic] accent," begins with this:
Allah is supreme!
Allah is supreme!
Allah is supreme!
Allah is supreme!
I witness that there is no god but Allah
I witness that there is no god but Allah
I witness that Muhammad is his prophet ...
Really? No god but the false god Allah is the prettiest sound on earth? Really.
Speaking of slip-ups, here's the clip of Obama saying he's visited 57 states. He's such a "global citizen," perhaps the 57 member states of the "Organization of the Islamic Conference" was more second nature to him than our own 50 U.S. states.
While Obama's campaign site declares: "Senator Obama has never been a Muslim" and "was not raised as a Muslim," the records say differently.
As was documented by Jerome Corsi in his best-selling book, "The Obama Nation," in January 1968, Obama was registered as a Muslim at his primary school under the name Barry Soetoro. Even the Associated Press has released a photocopy of the document where Barack Obama is registered as an Indonesian citizen of the Muslim religion. (Listen to Dr. Corsi on yesterday's Faith2Action radio program at http://www.f2a.org/ discussing it).
Obama also claimed he never attended a mosque. Not so, according to eyewitnesses. As was reported in WorldNetDaily, childhood friends and even his school principal said they saw Obama attend the mosque with their own eyes. In response, the Obama campaign issued another statement: Instead of claiming Obama was never a Muslim, as they had previously posted, they then claimed he "has never been a practicing Muslim."
Even in Obama's autobiography, "Dreams From My Father," he called his school "a Muslim school" and admits he studied the Quran during his formative years from age 6 to age 10: "In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell mother I made faces during Quranic studies."
He could have never made faces in Quranic studies if he wasn't studying the Quran.
So this weekend on national television, he referred to his "Muslim faith." Last year he said that praising Allah as the one true god was the prettiest sound on earth. He said he was never a mosque-attending Muslim, but eyewitnesses say otherwise. Despite what Obama and his campaign have claimed, by his own admission, he studied the Quran.
Add to the fact that on June 13, 2008, Obama's half brother, Malik Obama, who lives in Kenya, told the Jerusalem Post that "if elected his brother will be a good president for the Jewish people despite his Muslim background."
In that same article was a picture of Malik with his half brother Barack in traditional Somali elder dress with a turban on his head in 1985. Like many pictures of Obama in Muslim attire readily available on the Internet, he was not between the ages of 6 and 10 when the photos were taken.
Let's pretend all of this is just part of some smear campaign. Forget everything that I've said and take a look of who's backing this guy.
According to Islamic expert Brigitte Gabriel, author of "Because They Hate, A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America" and her new book, "They Must be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It," there are some very interesting campaign supporters of Barack Obama. Beyond the support of unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, Obama has backing from some other notorious groups, from "al-Qaida to Hamas, to Hezbollah," to "Islamic Jihad" to the "Muslim Brotherhood," to "all the terrorists organizations" who "are coming out in force for Obama for president," stated Gabriel on the Sept. 3, 2008, Faith2Action radio program (on the "Archives" section of http://www.f2a.org/).
On the same program, she spoke of the Muslim Brotherhood project for North America, in 1982, whose plans were to get Muslims actively involved in politics. Gabriel claims that the Islamic websites and terrorist organizations are calling Obama the "first Muslim president of the United States."
As far as they are concerned, said Gabriel, these groups claim "Obama can say anything he wants to get elected – he is a Muslim." They claim that if he had renounced his Muslim affiliation declared early in life, he would have changed his Muslim name.
What is interesting is the Islamic world has not renounced Obama for becoming a Christian – a capital offense under Shariah law.
What is perhaps more interesting is that Sen. Barack Hussein Obama has never renounced his Muslim ties. He was too busy pretending they didn't exist until the documents and eyewitness accounts surfaced recently.
Let's not play games. By way of review, on national television Obama "misspoke" about "his Muslim faith." Last year he said the words "there is no god but Allah" were "one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset." Then he said that he's been to "all 57 states" (57 states coincidently belong to the "Organization of the Islamic Conference"). According to eyewitnesses, he was a mosque-going, Quran-learning, Muslim (according to official documents released by the AP). His friends say so. His principal said so. His own brother said so. He wears the Muslim turban and Somali elder dress for photo-ops, apparently for fun. While he hasn't renounced any of this, not one Islamic extremist has called for his death as an apostate from Islam.
Obama is right about one thing. Sen. John McCain isn't talking about Obama's Muslim faith. But the rest of the country is beginning to.
Distributed by www.ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com
By Janet Porter
I've misspoken before. I've misspoken before on national television. I've mixed up words, reversed orders, but I have never once misspoken concerning my faith and the God in whom I trust. Even in the most heated debate on Islam, never did I ever utter the words "my Muslim faith." Nor, even when talking about Buddhism, have I ever slipped up and referred to "my Buddhist faith." Ever. Why? Because my Christianity is so ingrained in me, so a part of who I am, that the thought of adhering to a false religion is so foreign, so blasphemous, that the words would never cross my lips.
Not the case for Mr. Obama. On ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos, Obama said:
"Let's not play games, what I was suggesting – you're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith. And you're absolutely right that that has not come."
Watch it online.
Matthew 12:34 says: "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."
Notice that Obama didn't correct himself. He was "corrected" by George Stephanopoulos who interrupted Obama, with the words: "Christian faith."
Let's just say he misspoke. Did Obama misspeak when he told the New York Times that blasphemy was one of the "prettiest sounds on earth at sunset"?
That's right. In a Feb. 27, 2007, interview with the New York Times' Nicholos Kristof, that's how Obama described the Muslim call to prayer. That prayer, which Obama recited with a "first-class [Arabic] accent," begins with this:
Allah is supreme!
Allah is supreme!
Allah is supreme!
Allah is supreme!
I witness that there is no god but Allah
I witness that there is no god but Allah
I witness that Muhammad is his prophet ...
Really? No god but the false god Allah is the prettiest sound on earth? Really.
Speaking of slip-ups, here's the clip of Obama saying he's visited 57 states. He's such a "global citizen," perhaps the 57 member states of the "Organization of the Islamic Conference" was more second nature to him than our own 50 U.S. states.
While Obama's campaign site declares: "Senator Obama has never been a Muslim" and "was not raised as a Muslim," the records say differently.
As was documented by Jerome Corsi in his best-selling book, "The Obama Nation," in January 1968, Obama was registered as a Muslim at his primary school under the name Barry Soetoro. Even the Associated Press has released a photocopy of the document where Barack Obama is registered as an Indonesian citizen of the Muslim religion. (Listen to Dr. Corsi on yesterday's Faith2Action radio program at http://www.f2a.org/ discussing it).
Obama also claimed he never attended a mosque. Not so, according to eyewitnesses. As was reported in WorldNetDaily, childhood friends and even his school principal said they saw Obama attend the mosque with their own eyes. In response, the Obama campaign issued another statement: Instead of claiming Obama was never a Muslim, as they had previously posted, they then claimed he "has never been a practicing Muslim."
Even in Obama's autobiography, "Dreams From My Father," he called his school "a Muslim school" and admits he studied the Quran during his formative years from age 6 to age 10: "In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell mother I made faces during Quranic studies."
He could have never made faces in Quranic studies if he wasn't studying the Quran.
So this weekend on national television, he referred to his "Muslim faith." Last year he said that praising Allah as the one true god was the prettiest sound on earth. He said he was never a mosque-attending Muslim, but eyewitnesses say otherwise. Despite what Obama and his campaign have claimed, by his own admission, he studied the Quran.
Add to the fact that on June 13, 2008, Obama's half brother, Malik Obama, who lives in Kenya, told the Jerusalem Post that "if elected his brother will be a good president for the Jewish people despite his Muslim background."
In that same article was a picture of Malik with his half brother Barack in traditional Somali elder dress with a turban on his head in 1985. Like many pictures of Obama in Muslim attire readily available on the Internet, he was not between the ages of 6 and 10 when the photos were taken.
Let's pretend all of this is just part of some smear campaign. Forget everything that I've said and take a look of who's backing this guy.
According to Islamic expert Brigitte Gabriel, author of "Because They Hate, A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America" and her new book, "They Must be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It," there are some very interesting campaign supporters of Barack Obama. Beyond the support of unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, Obama has backing from some other notorious groups, from "al-Qaida to Hamas, to Hezbollah," to "Islamic Jihad" to the "Muslim Brotherhood," to "all the terrorists organizations" who "are coming out in force for Obama for president," stated Gabriel on the Sept. 3, 2008, Faith2Action radio program (on the "Archives" section of http://www.f2a.org/).
On the same program, she spoke of the Muslim Brotherhood project for North America, in 1982, whose plans were to get Muslims actively involved in politics. Gabriel claims that the Islamic websites and terrorist organizations are calling Obama the "first Muslim president of the United States."
As far as they are concerned, said Gabriel, these groups claim "Obama can say anything he wants to get elected – he is a Muslim." They claim that if he had renounced his Muslim affiliation declared early in life, he would have changed his Muslim name.
What is interesting is the Islamic world has not renounced Obama for becoming a Christian – a capital offense under Shariah law.
What is perhaps more interesting is that Sen. Barack Hussein Obama has never renounced his Muslim ties. He was too busy pretending they didn't exist until the documents and eyewitness accounts surfaced recently.
Let's not play games. By way of review, on national television Obama "misspoke" about "his Muslim faith." Last year he said the words "there is no god but Allah" were "one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset." Then he said that he's been to "all 57 states" (57 states coincidently belong to the "Organization of the Islamic Conference"). According to eyewitnesses, he was a mosque-going, Quran-learning, Muslim (according to official documents released by the AP). His friends say so. His principal said so. His own brother said so. He wears the Muslim turban and Somali elder dress for photo-ops, apparently for fun. While he hasn't renounced any of this, not one Islamic extremist has called for his death as an apostate from Islam.
Obama is right about one thing. Sen. John McCain isn't talking about Obama's Muslim faith. But the rest of the country is beginning to.
Distributed by www.ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Intense persecution in India
Following on from my previous article, here's something else to ponder and pray about:
Read the article here
Read the article here
It's a great shame that our western, politically-correct media does not report this often enough, if ever! An excerpt from the article:
Christian community receives no help from any quarter within India. Our only help is the Lord Himself. Astonishingly , people who are being burnt in severe fiery tests, are firm in their faith and willing to suffer, even to die. This is seen irrespective of denominational differences, which further amazes us.
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