Often, Christians are accused of treating homosexuality as the most important issue facing humanity today. We are accused, and many times rightly, of claiming that homosexuality is the worst sin imaginable and, oftentimes, the one sin for which there is no forgiveness available. While the Bible clearly labels homosexuality as a sin, two points need to be made as clear as possible.
All sin is sin.
Every human being is a sinner. Every human being sins. In man’s eyes, there are some sins that are worse than others. However, in God’s eyes (which is what matters) we are all guilty of sin…period. This sin separates us from Him and, if we do not repent and commit our lives to serving God, guarantees us an eternity of misery (Matthew 25:46). Therefore, while many choose to point fingers at those living homosexual lifestyles as being worse sinners than others, any sin is enough to ruin our relationship with God (James 2:10).
First Corinthians 6 presents a list of sins that bar our entrance into the kingdom of God. This list includes much more than just homosexuality, although homosexuality is included. This list is not all-inclusive, nor is it ranked by levels of sin. The list includes: the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who practice homosexuality, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers (verses 9-10 ESV). This passage tells us that this type of conduct prevents us from being forgiven of our sins and reconnecting with our Creator. In other words, when we choose to live in these sinful manners, we choose to be separated from God, both in this life and eternity (II Thessalonians 1:9).
No sin is unforgivable.
Directly after presenting the list of sins that prevent people from entering the kingdom of God, we find this passage addressed to the Corinthian Christians, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:11 ESV).
This passage clearly tells us a couple of things. First, while we may look upon certain sins as worse than other sins, God sees all sin as that which separates us from Him. James 2:10 is clear when it says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it” (ESV). The sin of lying damns one just as surely as the sin of adultery.
Secondly, God can, and will, forgive any and all of these sins. An adulterer, a liar, a thief, or a homosexual can be forgiven if they will repent and live for the Lord. The writer of this passage says clearly that his readers were once sinners who participated in these types of sins, and were prevented from entering the kingdom of God; nevertheless, they are now forgiven, citizens of the God’s kingdom. No sin is unforgivable.
Conclusion
Therefore, while Christians must continue to speak out against sin in the world, we must remember that we too were sinners, guilty before God, with no excuse. We were saved and forgiven by the grace of God. We should humbly share this grace, found in the good news that Jesus has paid for our sins on a cross, with a lost and hurting world that needs very much to hear it.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Karma or Consequences?
Bad things happen to people. It is a fact. Terrible things have happened to good people. Why? There are some who believe that it is ‘karma’. Even if one does not think he or she believes in ‘karma’ the concept may lie hidden in their thinking and express itself in statements such as “He got what he deserved”, “What comes around, goes around”, and “Looks like fate caught up with him”.
The definition of ‘karma’ is “the force created by a person’s actions that is believed in Hinduism and Buddhism to determine what that person’s next life will be like” or “the force created by a person’s actions that some people believe causes good or bad things to happen to that person”. In other words, some people believe that we live multiple lives, one after the other, and what we did a previous life affects the life we are living today. There is no such thing as Karma in the Bible. The Bible says that we live one time on this earth and then we move into eternity (Hebrews 9:27), either in Heaven or in Hell, depending on our relationship with God.
Karma is a system of gaining salvation by what one does. True salvation comes from a relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ. No one can work their way to Heaven, forgiveness, salvation, etc. The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB). Karma says that you can do good in one life and reap the benefits in a later life. The Bible says that is untrue.
So, even though there is no such thing as Karma, we do suffer the consequences of our actions in this life. God created the universe, and us, to function in certain ways. He gave us laws to live by. When we reject His standards, we suffer the consequences. Adam and Eve rejected God’s rule way back in the Garden of Eden and this put all humanity outside the will of God. Now, we all suffer because we are born into a sin filled world with a tendency to sin. The Bible makes it clear that we cannot be good enough to deserve salvation, forgiveness, Heaven, eternal life, or whatever one may call it. We cannot point to someone else and say, “Well, look how bad he is, I’m much better than that”, because the Bible tells us, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (James 2:10 NASB). One sin is enough to separate us from a right relationship with God.
God wants us to turn our lives over to God and trust Him for all we need. He is bigger than anything we will ever face in life. We won’t have to ‘take the pain’ of living in a fallen world; rather, we can lay our pain on Him. The Bible says that there is, “…no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2 ESV). He forgives our sins. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29 ESV). A life lived within a relationship with Jesus, is a life lived fully, peacefully, and in harmony with God’s plan for our lives.
The worst consequence of sin is that we are separated from God because of it and we have to account for the sin we commit. Nevertheless, God provided a way to be made right with Him; Jesus Christ paid for your sins and mine when He died on a cross some 2000 years ago. When we unite ourselves with Him, through faith, ours sins are forgiven and we receive joy, peace, strength, and everything that comes with a life that is in tune with the Creator of the universe. This relationship will not make all our problems disappear, but God will supply the strength to endure whatever we face in our lives.
The only way to be free, truly free, is to live a life dedicated to Jesus Christ. Then, we can say with the apostle Paul, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 ESV).
The definition of ‘karma’ is “the force created by a person’s actions that is believed in Hinduism and Buddhism to determine what that person’s next life will be like” or “the force created by a person’s actions that some people believe causes good or bad things to happen to that person”. In other words, some people believe that we live multiple lives, one after the other, and what we did a previous life affects the life we are living today. There is no such thing as Karma in the Bible. The Bible says that we live one time on this earth and then we move into eternity (Hebrews 9:27), either in Heaven or in Hell, depending on our relationship with God.
Karma is a system of gaining salvation by what one does. True salvation comes from a relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ. No one can work their way to Heaven, forgiveness, salvation, etc. The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB). Karma says that you can do good in one life and reap the benefits in a later life. The Bible says that is untrue.
So, even though there is no such thing as Karma, we do suffer the consequences of our actions in this life. God created the universe, and us, to function in certain ways. He gave us laws to live by. When we reject His standards, we suffer the consequences. Adam and Eve rejected God’s rule way back in the Garden of Eden and this put all humanity outside the will of God. Now, we all suffer because we are born into a sin filled world with a tendency to sin. The Bible makes it clear that we cannot be good enough to deserve salvation, forgiveness, Heaven, eternal life, or whatever one may call it. We cannot point to someone else and say, “Well, look how bad he is, I’m much better than that”, because the Bible tells us, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (James 2:10 NASB). One sin is enough to separate us from a right relationship with God.
God wants us to turn our lives over to God and trust Him for all we need. He is bigger than anything we will ever face in life. We won’t have to ‘take the pain’ of living in a fallen world; rather, we can lay our pain on Him. The Bible says that there is, “…no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2 ESV). He forgives our sins. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29 ESV). A life lived within a relationship with Jesus, is a life lived fully, peacefully, and in harmony with God’s plan for our lives.
The worst consequence of sin is that we are separated from God because of it and we have to account for the sin we commit. Nevertheless, God provided a way to be made right with Him; Jesus Christ paid for your sins and mine when He died on a cross some 2000 years ago. When we unite ourselves with Him, through faith, ours sins are forgiven and we receive joy, peace, strength, and everything that comes with a life that is in tune with the Creator of the universe. This relationship will not make all our problems disappear, but God will supply the strength to endure whatever we face in our lives.
The only way to be free, truly free, is to live a life dedicated to Jesus Christ. Then, we can say with the apostle Paul, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 ESV).
When it comes to believing in God, I'm skeptical
When it comes to God, I’m a sceptic. I’m not skeptical about God though. I know He is real. What I am skeptical about is that anyone can truly understand who He is and not be changed. Most people would say they ‘believe’ in God; but that can’t be true given that this ‘belief’ has no practical effect on their lives. If one utters the phrase “Sure, I believe in God” while they continue to live a life void of worship towards Him, that phrase is a lie or the one uttering it is deceiving themselves into believing that mere verbal assent is all that is required for a relationship with the all mighty Creator of the universe ["But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves" (James 1:22 NASB)]
When one understands the nature, character, holiness, power, and love of the true God, how is it possible to refuse to live for Him? No one knows the true God if they can continue to live lifestyles that are in direct conflict with God’s will as revealed in His Word, the Bible [“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15 NASB)].
An example is in order: if you believe that drinking a certain liquid concoction will kill you, are you going to drink it? Not if you want to live, you won’t. Why? Because your belief causes you to act in a certain manner. What one believes about God will cause that person to act in a certain manner also. If you believe in the God of the Bible, you will understand that He is a loving, holy God to Whom you owe everything. Therefore, you dedicate your life to Him. If you do not believe in the God of the Bible, you simply go about doing whatever your selfish desires and lusts lead you to do, possibly even claiming that, “Oh yes, I believe in God”. But, you don’t.
What’s that you say? “But there is evidence that I can see in the example you gave, I can’t see evidence for God.” You see it all the time, every day, in everything. You simply choose to attribute it to something else. The intricacies we see in nature you attribute to an unintelligent chance/coincidence rather than rightly giving God the credit. The simple fact that we understand there is good and evil in this world points to a Source of morality that transcends our own being. If we were making the rules, we would certainly make rules that were easy to keep. Why construct moral absolutes that we must struggle to maintain? Oh, for the sake of humanity. Why is there anything within us that cares about humanity? Because God is love (I John 4:7-8) and His love motivates us to care about others, that’s why.
When it comes to the God of the Bible, there are some who say, “I don’t believe in a god like that”. Then they do not believe in God.
When speaking of some sin or another, some will offer, “I don’t think there is anything wrong with that”. Then they do not believe in God.
You may believe in a god of your own imagination, but you don’t believe in the one true God. We can fashion a god of our own liking; however, that god is not real…there is only one God.
Or you may simply be saying you believe when, in fact, you do not. Deceiving others into believing you believe is not the same as believing. Believe it.
Think about this: you would not be here except for God; He created the universe in which you live and holds it together, He created you, he sustains you millisecond by millisecond. He created colors, smells, tastes, love, justice, logic and everything else that exists that is good [“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17 NASB)].
Therefore, if you are not living a life of obedience, love, and worship towards God, you really don’t believe He exists. It is impossible for any sane person to actually believe there exists an all-powerful entity (Who created us and is currently sustaining us, to Whom we owe everything, and to Whose plan we are ultimately responsible) and not be completely changed by that belief.
There is one way that a person can truly understand who God is and still not dedicate themselves to living for Him. Outright rebellion against Him. There are those who understand their responsibility and accountability to God but choose to reject His lordship instead. These people choose the path to eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46) willingly, knowing full well they are rejecting forgiveness and salvation simply so that they may selfishly continue feeding their own pursuits.
The next time you’re tempted to say you believe in God, think about what you’ve just read. Ask yourself if you really believe and if that belief directs your life or if you are merely deceiving yourself and/or others and your only god is the desires and lusts of your own selfish heart.
Ask yourself this: If there truly is a God as described in the Bible, what could be more important than knowing Him? Should anything come between you and the kind of relationship with God that He wants with you? Each of us has sinned against Him; this sin separates us from Him and leaves us guilty of rebellion against Him. Because of His great love, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross to pay for your sins and mine. When we repent of our sins and dedicate our lives to living for Him, we are forgiven of our sins and our eternal destination changes from eternal punishment to eternal life in paradise with Him. He has provided the means, but we must make the choice to either follow Him or continue in rebellion against Him. The choice is ours.
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15 NASB).
When one understands the nature, character, holiness, power, and love of the true God, how is it possible to refuse to live for Him? No one knows the true God if they can continue to live lifestyles that are in direct conflict with God’s will as revealed in His Word, the Bible [“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15 NASB)].
An example is in order: if you believe that drinking a certain liquid concoction will kill you, are you going to drink it? Not if you want to live, you won’t. Why? Because your belief causes you to act in a certain manner. What one believes about God will cause that person to act in a certain manner also. If you believe in the God of the Bible, you will understand that He is a loving, holy God to Whom you owe everything. Therefore, you dedicate your life to Him. If you do not believe in the God of the Bible, you simply go about doing whatever your selfish desires and lusts lead you to do, possibly even claiming that, “Oh yes, I believe in God”. But, you don’t.
What’s that you say? “But there is evidence that I can see in the example you gave, I can’t see evidence for God.” You see it all the time, every day, in everything. You simply choose to attribute it to something else. The intricacies we see in nature you attribute to an unintelligent chance/coincidence rather than rightly giving God the credit. The simple fact that we understand there is good and evil in this world points to a Source of morality that transcends our own being. If we were making the rules, we would certainly make rules that were easy to keep. Why construct moral absolutes that we must struggle to maintain? Oh, for the sake of humanity. Why is there anything within us that cares about humanity? Because God is love (I John 4:7-8) and His love motivates us to care about others, that’s why.
When it comes to the God of the Bible, there are some who say, “I don’t believe in a god like that”. Then they do not believe in God.
When speaking of some sin or another, some will offer, “I don’t think there is anything wrong with that”. Then they do not believe in God.
You may believe in a god of your own imagination, but you don’t believe in the one true God. We can fashion a god of our own liking; however, that god is not real…there is only one God.
Or you may simply be saying you believe when, in fact, you do not. Deceiving others into believing you believe is not the same as believing. Believe it.
Think about this: you would not be here except for God; He created the universe in which you live and holds it together, He created you, he sustains you millisecond by millisecond. He created colors, smells, tastes, love, justice, logic and everything else that exists that is good [“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17 NASB)].
Therefore, if you are not living a life of obedience, love, and worship towards God, you really don’t believe He exists. It is impossible for any sane person to actually believe there exists an all-powerful entity (Who created us and is currently sustaining us, to Whom we owe everything, and to Whose plan we are ultimately responsible) and not be completely changed by that belief.
There is one way that a person can truly understand who God is and still not dedicate themselves to living for Him. Outright rebellion against Him. There are those who understand their responsibility and accountability to God but choose to reject His lordship instead. These people choose the path to eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46) willingly, knowing full well they are rejecting forgiveness and salvation simply so that they may selfishly continue feeding their own pursuits.
The next time you’re tempted to say you believe in God, think about what you’ve just read. Ask yourself if you really believe and if that belief directs your life or if you are merely deceiving yourself and/or others and your only god is the desires and lusts of your own selfish heart.
Ask yourself this: If there truly is a God as described in the Bible, what could be more important than knowing Him? Should anything come between you and the kind of relationship with God that He wants with you? Each of us has sinned against Him; this sin separates us from Him and leaves us guilty of rebellion against Him. Because of His great love, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross to pay for your sins and mine. When we repent of our sins and dedicate our lives to living for Him, we are forgiven of our sins and our eternal destination changes from eternal punishment to eternal life in paradise with Him. He has provided the means, but we must make the choice to either follow Him or continue in rebellion against Him. The choice is ours.
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15 NASB).
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