We all make mistakes. We all sin. Are they the same? No! Should we dwell on either one of them? No! We have hope. I once heard someone say God forgives our mistakes. No! Jesus paid for our sins. He saved us from our evil (sinful) nature, from what is in our hearts. If we accept that gift, we are saved from sin, we will receive God’s grace. Unfortunately, we have to live with our mistakes, but we can also learn from them. But sin is much more serious. Sin leads to death. Without the blood that Christ shed for us, we are doomed for hell. But, when we trust in Jesus, we have an inheritance in heaven. No matter what we have done in the past, He will forgive us.
Continue reading “Sin is More Than a Mistake”Category: sin
Jonah: Running from God
Why do we think we can run or hide from God? Why would we want to?
Everyone knows the story of Jonah and the big fish. But what is the message God is trying to tell us? What does this teach us about God? This is not just a story to tell your kids. It is God’s truth about people, about sin, about repentance, about righteousness, about mercy. Jesus used the same power described in this account while here on earth. He also referenced this historic event to describe His death and resurrection though which we can have salvation by believing in Him.
Continue reading “Jonah: Running from God”Joel: Warnings and Prophecies
God often starts a prophecy with a warning, but He also offers hope and blessing. God wants His people to do the right thing, to turn to Him, to be blessed. But sometimes, people are stubborn and it takes drastic measures to get their attention. Actions result in consequences. Ever wonder why there is so much chaos and so many troubles in this world? Perhaps we need to turn to God. Perhaps He is trying to get our attention.
Continue reading “Joel: Warnings and Prophecies”Sin, Righteousness, Justification
In the previous post, we went through Romans 3:23-25 and discussed some of the words (grace and faith) used that are critical to the gospel and to explain their meaning. Here we will look at some others that are not very common in today’s vocabulary: sin, righteousness and justification. Continue reading “Sin, Righteousness, Justification”
Tolerance vs. Being Judgemental
There is a lot of talk about being tolerant in today’s society. What does that mean? When Jesus said, “Judge not” what odes that mean? And what is the context of it? As Christians, we are to love all people. Does that mean to accept what they are doing even if we know biblically it is wrong? How do we talk to that person without being judgemental? What does it mean when someone says, “love the sinner, hate the sin?” Why is this offensive to some people? Where do we draw the line between being self-righteous, judgemental, or “fruit inspectors” and being tolerant and compromising?
I had a person talk to me about churches and she was looking for a good church that isn’t “holier than thou” as she put it. We both agreed that God is a loving God and we are saved by grace. She talked about tolerance. I mentioned that some churches are too tolerant (and compromising) and do not want to teach about sin. We parted ways when she asked me my stance on gay marriage. She said churches should be tolerant and welcome all people. I agreed we are to welcome all people, including homosexuals. But, we are also to teach the truth and Romans 1 is very clear on this subject. She told me that I almost convinced her to come to my church until we talked about gay marriage.
So, how do we handle these touchy issues? Most people will quote Matthew 7:1 to basically tell Christians to mind their own business. I think many times they are right. We are also to share God’s word. I believe we must show God’s truth (we must teach and learn all of scripture, not just the part we are comfortable with), but our attitude must be in a loving manner but without compromising our faith and belief. Continue reading “Tolerance vs. Being Judgemental”
My Daily Scriptures 