Scripture
Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.
~Romans 6:5-6, NLT
Quote
The teachings of our LORD and Savior are outspoken against sin.
~Martyn Lloyd Jones
Everyone has a personality that is distinctive. This is a part of God’s creative genius and it will never be eradicated. God is not out to destroy you personally. The problem is our fallen nature which has resulted in our extreme selfishness. This principle of sin that we refer to as the flesh is deeply rooted in all of us. Only God through Christ can deliver us from our sinful selves and restore us to intended purpose. The problem is that the world denies the fallen nature and the sinful self. In this modern culture, the only sin is to call sin a sin. What we are seeing today is the world’s attempt to justify sin. What use to be called sin is now self-expression. They plead therefore that the term sin not be used. They deplore the Bible and its definitions of sin. They want the Old Testament to be set aside and the letters of Paul to be ignored. They are emphasizing the red letters {Jesus words} but they will also reject some of His teaching.
One such passage is found in Matthew 18…“What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.” Jesus has a lot to say about sin, judgment and hell. The only verse the left quotes is Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.” In the first advent, Jesus did not come to judge; He came to seek and to save the lost. John 3:17 states clearly, God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. But we can’t stop there, Jesus went on to say…“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him {Jesus}. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.“
It sounds like Jesus believes in sin, evil and judgment. We cannot justify our sin, no matter what our sins may be. We cannot change facts with feelings. Example: Augustine said that 6 is the perfect number. It is the first number made up of its aliquot parts. An aliquot is a portion of a larger whole. Let me explain: one sixth of six is one. One third of six is two. One half of six is three –add them together and they equal six. Go ahead and try to make this formula work with 12 or 16: it will not. Feeling do not change facts. Two plus two is four no matter how you feel. Math and morality are similar is that they are fixed by the Creator and no one is going to change them.
Extra
This day is dedicated to Dwayne. Everything we do today will revolve around his Celebration of Life Service. I have never seen a crowd like last night. I left at 9:05 and they were still lined up back through the chapel. First his early promotion was unbelievable and then the crowd last night. Dwayne’s passing is going to leave a huge hole in Hartselle, Grace Point and in his Sunday school Class. I have had several text me and pledge to pray for me today and I appreciate it. I do not know what I am going to say but I trust the LORD will put some words on my heart. I do covet your prayers. This is a tough one. Pray for Mrs. Edith, she is pitiful. I don’t know if she can survive this. She saw Tom in Dwayne and so do I. No so much in personality but in his strength and his commitment to take care of her.
God bless you, have a great Friday and thanks for reading the blog. Probably some mistakes today. I threw it together in a hurry.