You who do not believe
who proclaim there is no God,
that JESUS is NOT His Son,
that He is mere human
and nothing more
THAT ONE
died for You
and You and You
For Your Sins
He hung on the cross
For Your Sins
He had nails pounded into flesh
For Your Sins. ... And mine.
THAT ONE
who you refuse and reject.
who You buried and laughed at
and said, "no more."
THAT ONE
His Father God
resurrected
And lives among us still.
Yet You continue the path
you've chosen.
JESUS conquered death.
But You
You who do not believe
who proclaim there is no God
that JESUS is NOT His Son,
that He is mere human
and nothing more
You have achieved nothing.
Your path leads
to death and destruction
and judgment.
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Do you live by faith in the Lord Jesus or ....
The Ten Commandments, recorded in Exodus 20:
"And God spoke all these words, saying: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (1) You shall have no other gods before Me. (2) You shall not make for yourself a carved image ... you shall not bow down to them nor serve them... (3) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, ... (4) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (5) Honor your father and your mother. (6) You shall not murder. (7) You shall not commit adultery. (8) You shall not steal. (9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (10) You shall not covet your neighbor's house ... i.e., anything that is your neighbor's."
After Moses returned from the mountaintop, where God had spoken to him and given him the Ten Commandments which were chiseled on stone tablets, he spoke to the people --
"Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." (Exodus 20:20a)
In Romans, the apostle Paul writes,
1:20-21 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."
2:17-20, 21a, 24 "Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest (rely) on the law, and make your boast in God, and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in law. .... you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? .... For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."
4:13 "For the promise that he (Abraham) would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith."
The law is not what saves us; obedience to the law will not reap rewards of eternity.
It is only our faith in God almighty that saves us, that sets us apart. Our righteousness comes about through faith, not following the law - its every letter.
"And therefore it was accounted ... for righteousness. ... but also for us, ... who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offense, and was raised because of our justification. ... Therefore, having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 4:22, 24-25, 5:1)
Faith in the Lord Jesus is our assurance of everlasting life. Obedience to laws and traditions without faith is not the direction God has shown us, that He wants us to follow.
Paul reiterates to the Galatian believers: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." (Galatians 2:20-21)
And Christ did not die in vain, for God sent Him. God is ALL and we His creation. Who are we to say He is less than He is?
How many people are saved by the law?
None. Zilch. Zero.
The laws are a standard to live by.
"Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always." (Deuteronomy 11:1)
The "seed" promised by God to Abraham is Jesus Christ. The law was a precursor to what was to come. The law was given to the people as a standard to live by because of repeated disobedience to God. When Jesus came the law was fulfilled.
"Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ... There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:24-26, 28-29)
And Jesus himself says in Matthew 5:17, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."
The law keeps us confined. Christ sets us free. If we choose jail and live under the confines of rules and regulations and judgments rather than living by faith in He who died for our sins, we are separated from Christ. We cannot have both. We either live under the law ... and ultimately death or live by faith in the Risen Lord ... and eternal life.
Remember LOVE
"Therefore you shall love the Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 11:1)
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:14)
"And God spoke all these words, saying: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (1) You shall have no other gods before Me. (2) You shall not make for yourself a carved image ... you shall not bow down to them nor serve them... (3) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, ... (4) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (5) Honor your father and your mother. (6) You shall not murder. (7) You shall not commit adultery. (8) You shall not steal. (9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (10) You shall not covet your neighbor's house ... i.e., anything that is your neighbor's."
After Moses returned from the mountaintop, where God had spoken to him and given him the Ten Commandments which were chiseled on stone tablets, he spoke to the people --
"Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." (Exodus 20:20a)
In Romans, the apostle Paul writes,
1:20-21 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."
2:17-20, 21a, 24 "Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest (rely) on the law, and make your boast in God, and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in law. .... you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? .... For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."
4:13 "For the promise that he (Abraham) would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith."
The law is not what saves us; obedience to the law will not reap rewards of eternity.
It is only our faith in God almighty that saves us, that sets us apart. Our righteousness comes about through faith, not following the law - its every letter.
"And therefore it was accounted ... for righteousness. ... but also for us, ... who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offense, and was raised because of our justification. ... Therefore, having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 4:22, 24-25, 5:1)
Faith in the Lord Jesus is our assurance of everlasting life. Obedience to laws and traditions without faith is not the direction God has shown us, that He wants us to follow.
Paul reiterates to the Galatian believers: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." (Galatians 2:20-21)
And Christ did not die in vain, for God sent Him. God is ALL and we His creation. Who are we to say He is less than He is?
How many people are saved by the law?
None. Zilch. Zero.
The laws are a standard to live by.
"... What does the Lord your God require of you,
but to fear the Lord your God,
to walk in all His ways
and to love Him,
to serve the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and to keep the commandments
of the Lord
and His statutes,..."
(Deuteronomy 10:12-13)
"Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always." (Deuteronomy 11:1)
The "seed" promised by God to Abraham is Jesus Christ. The law was a precursor to what was to come. The law was given to the people as a standard to live by because of repeated disobedience to God. When Jesus came the law was fulfilled.
"Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ... There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:24-26, 28-29)
And Jesus himself says in Matthew 5:17, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."
The law keeps us confined. Christ sets us free. If we choose jail and live under the confines of rules and regulations and judgments rather than living by faith in He who died for our sins, we are separated from Christ. We cannot have both. We either live under the law ... and ultimately death or live by faith in the Risen Lord ... and eternal life.
Remember LOVE
"Therefore you shall love the Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 11:1)
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:14)
Friday, February 4, 2011
Are we One with (or against) the Father?
Conscienceness came into being the moment Adam and Eve realized they did wrong and attempted to hide from their sin and from God.
Sin separates us from God. Our conscience, our realizing we did something wrong, and our attempt to run from it, is the result of sin.
We didn't have a conscience before sin entered the picture. We were complete and whole, one with the Father.
BUT ...
The darkness of the world - Satan utilized the serpent to cast doubt on God to His created beings, Adam and Eve. "Had God indeed said...?" (Genesis 3:1)
Their thinking led to their choosing against God and His commandments and unto themselves. It resulted in sin. It brought about conscienceness - shame before God, justification for acts done or not done.
Mankind was doomed. Mankind had fallen out of God's favor, fallen from God's supreme sovereignty, fallen into darkness, a deep dark hole of separation. Mankind listened to another of God's creatures, preferring to follow the physical desires they had over the commandments given them by their Creator.
It is more than disobedience. We do not accept our individual blame, we pass it off to someone else. We run, go into hiding, fearful of facing the very one we should face. We do not seek forgiveness.
He gave us life and we want more?!
Because of this separation, mankind was no longer one with the Father, no longer dwelling with Him. That is not to say none followed after the Lord, for some did and some do. When sin entered in, however, God's wrath was kindled and the curse He doled out to Adam and Eve and the serpent fell to all future generations as well.
"So the Lord God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."
"To the woman He said: I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."
"Then to Adam He said, Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, Cursed isthe ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles itshall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In thesweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:14-19)
It was God's grace, God's love that brought us into being. His love that provided food and water. His love that gave us instructions, guidance. His love that brought man and woman together. His love that we trampled on, disobeyed, ignored. His love we chose to forgo for something different. The Lord gave and gave and gives still and instructs us, guides us in His purpose for us, which ultimately is to praise and glorify Him.
When we follow, listen to opinions, abiding there instead of with the Father, when we listen to our conscience we tend to hear negativity and our actions are based on what we perceive, however right or wrong they may be.
God's love. God's grace. God's curse.
BUT...
God's grace, His love, toward us all was extended when He sent His Son into the world.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
When we believe and accept that Jesus came and lived among us, walked and taught, went to the cross of Calvary bearing our sins, died for us, was buried and after three days, was resurrected, when we believe, when our faith, however small, takes precedent over all else, the wide gulf of separation with God the Father, handed down since the beginning of human sin, is no more.
Jesus' death and resurrection and our faith thereof bridges the gap. And we are once again One with the Father and with the Son and with the Holy Spirit.
We are One. We dwell with Him. Our faith has made us whole and complete with the One who is and was and is to come.
And we are at peace.
Sin separates us from God. Our conscience, our realizing we did something wrong, and our attempt to run from it, is the result of sin.
We didn't have a conscience before sin entered the picture. We were complete and whole, one with the Father.
BUT ...
The darkness of the world - Satan utilized the serpent to cast doubt on God to His created beings, Adam and Eve. "Had God indeed said...?" (Genesis 3:1)
Their thinking led to their choosing against God and His commandments and unto themselves. It resulted in sin. It brought about conscienceness - shame before God, justification for acts done or not done.
Mankind was doomed. Mankind had fallen out of God's favor, fallen from God's supreme sovereignty, fallen into darkness, a deep dark hole of separation. Mankind listened to another of God's creatures, preferring to follow the physical desires they had over the commandments given them by their Creator.
It is more than disobedience. We do not accept our individual blame, we pass it off to someone else. We run, go into hiding, fearful of facing the very one we should face. We do not seek forgiveness.
He gave us life and we want more?!
Because of this separation, mankind was no longer one with the Father, no longer dwelling with Him. That is not to say none followed after the Lord, for some did and some do. When sin entered in, however, God's wrath was kindled and the curse He doled out to Adam and Eve and the serpent fell to all future generations as well.
"So the Lord God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."
"To the woman He said: I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."
"Then to Adam He said, Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, Cursed isthe ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles itshall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In thesweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:14-19)
It was God's grace, God's love that brought us into being. His love that provided food and water. His love that gave us instructions, guidance. His love that brought man and woman together. His love that we trampled on, disobeyed, ignored. His love we chose to forgo for something different. The Lord gave and gave and gives still and instructs us, guides us in His purpose for us, which ultimately is to praise and glorify Him.
When we follow, listen to opinions, abiding there instead of with the Father, when we listen to our conscience we tend to hear negativity and our actions are based on what we perceive, however right or wrong they may be.
God's love. God's grace. God's curse.
BUT...
God's grace, His love, toward us all was extended when He sent His Son into the world.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
When we believe and accept that Jesus came and lived among us, walked and taught, went to the cross of Calvary bearing our sins, died for us, was buried and after three days, was resurrected, when we believe, when our faith, however small, takes precedent over all else, the wide gulf of separation with God the Father, handed down since the beginning of human sin, is no more.
Jesus' death and resurrection and our faith thereof bridges the gap. And we are once again One with the Father and with the Son and with the Holy Spirit.
We are One. We dwell with Him. Our faith has made us whole and complete with the One who is and was and is to come.
And we are at peace.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Make us right again
"10 Create in me a clean (pure) heart; O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your holy spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation (grant me a willing spirit), And uphold me with Your generous Spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You." (Psalm 51:10-13, NKJ)
Make us right again. This we can't do for ourselves, but God can. Verse 12 is not an indication that those born-again can lose their salvation as some believe, but a plea to the Lord that the joy we once had will be restored to us. When we are unfaithful in serving the Lord through sharing of The Word, it is because of sin in our lives. When sin is central to our lives, it wipes out any spiritual work and there will be no blessings from our Lord and Savior. We need to deal with the sin plaguing us. Our Lord and Savior needs to sit on the throne of our heart always and forever.
Make us right again. This we can't do for ourselves, but God can. Verse 12 is not an indication that those born-again can lose their salvation as some believe, but a plea to the Lord that the joy we once had will be restored to us. When we are unfaithful in serving the Lord through sharing of The Word, it is because of sin in our lives. When sin is central to our lives, it wipes out any spiritual work and there will be no blessings from our Lord and Savior. We need to deal with the sin plaguing us. Our Lord and Savior needs to sit on the throne of our heart always and forever.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Four little words - "and do not sin"
"Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath or give place to the devil." (Ephesians 4:26-27)
God says we can be angry. Oftentimes there is good reason. But certainly not always. I would guess more often than not there is seldom a good reason.
In Our Daily Bread reading for today Joe Stowell says anger is like a burglar alarm, with disruptive and annoying blasting filling the air. Stowell says in the midst of our peaceful lives, something turns a key in our spirit and triggers the alarm, producing exploding emotions.
I am overly familiar with this. I would guess many of you are too. A loved one says something and perhaps there is a hint of sarcasm in their voice. We hear that sarcasm and we react. Boy do we react!
Yet God says, "Be angry, and do not sin."
How many of us skip over those four little words -- "and do not sin"?
We may succeed in forgiving the other by the time bedtime comes around, but how well do we achieve not sinning in the first place? We pout, we withdraw ourselves from the others' presence - either physically or emotionally. We drive erratically. We yell and scream. We're irritated and we're sure everyone else should know it too.
We are human. But we are also God's children. And as His children, we are to be like Him, not like the world. We are to be different.
We are not to sin.
Help me Lord. Help us all ... not to let anger control our lives. Help me to meditate on You and be still.
"Be angry and do not sin. Meditate within your heart ... and be still." (Psalm 4:4)
God says we can be angry. Oftentimes there is good reason. But certainly not always. I would guess more often than not there is seldom a good reason.
In Our Daily Bread reading for today Joe Stowell says anger is like a burglar alarm, with disruptive and annoying blasting filling the air. Stowell says in the midst of our peaceful lives, something turns a key in our spirit and triggers the alarm, producing exploding emotions.
I am overly familiar with this. I would guess many of you are too. A loved one says something and perhaps there is a hint of sarcasm in their voice. We hear that sarcasm and we react. Boy do we react!
Yet God says, "Be angry, and do not sin."
How many of us skip over those four little words -- "and do not sin"?
We may succeed in forgiving the other by the time bedtime comes around, but how well do we achieve not sinning in the first place? We pout, we withdraw ourselves from the others' presence - either physically or emotionally. We drive erratically. We yell and scream. We're irritated and we're sure everyone else should know it too.
We are human. But we are also God's children. And as His children, we are to be like Him, not like the world. We are to be different.
We are not to sin.
Help me Lord. Help us all ... not to let anger control our lives. Help me to meditate on You and be still.
"Be angry and do not sin. Meditate within your heart ... and be still." (Psalm 4:4)
Saturday, January 31, 2009
"Prayers for Bobby"
Tuesday night, Jan. 27, I watched the last hour of a Lifetime special, "Prayers for Bobby." It is based on a true story in which a Christian family struggles to come to grips with the death of a son and brother who was gay and had committed suicide.
"Is suicide a sin? Is being homosexual the unpardonable sin? Is the Bible valid? Is it my fault? He was always different, even at birth. These were among the questions and comments presented during the movie.
In the movie, the mother visits the pastor of a gay church. She talks about Old Testament laws. He says the Bible is not valid in today's society. It was written yesterday, it was written by mere men. Never do I hear about the cleansing blood of Jesus, who died for the sins of all.
Some of the comments I read on online forums purported the word "homosexual" was not even used during Biblical times. Homosexual - the idea that same word must have been used in Biblical times to mean anything today is preposterous. A homosexual is one who has a sexual relationship with another of the same sex. And it is in the Bible - read 1 Corinthians 6:9. God's laws are just as valid today as they were long ago.
Men nor women are born to be intimate with their own kind. God created man from the dust of the ground. He created woman from man's rib to be his mate.
"And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.' "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called woman; Because she was taken out of man.' Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." (Genesis 2: 18, 21-25)
The book of Leviticus details God's laws and instructions and offerings. Chapters 18 and 20 deal specifically with sexual relationships.
Leviticus 18:4 says, "You shall observe my judgments and keep my ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God." God's people were to obey, live by His standards for them, not the practices of other peoples.
"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." (Leviticus 18:22)
"If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20: 13)
"For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people." (Leviticus 18:29) For the complete list, read Chapter 18. "Cut off" in Biblical time meant put to death.
The standards remained. Then and now, those committing these abominations are "cut off" - separated from their loved ones. They were put to death then; but with Jesus' birth, death, burial and resurrection, came the opportunity for new life.
The standards - God's standards. God's laws are meant for His children, His followers. But to disobey even one of His commands, made the person guilty of all.
Through Jesus Christ, His blood, His death on the cross so we many all live, God's law was fulfilled. Jesus took ALL of our sin upon Himself. He died for YOU. He died for ME. The laws of the Old Testament were valid, are valid, but the punishment is no longer. Jesus became the punishment for us.
When we continue to sin, it is our personal choice. It is a conscious choice we make because of our own understanding.
It is not God's desire, not His will for us to be separated from Him. When we rebel against Him, His laws, His standards for us, we have made ourselves more important than God. When we remain steadfast in our (sinning) ways, God removes Himself from us. He abandons us.
"Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth f God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting: being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but approve of those who practice them." (Romans 1: 24-32)
"But in accordance with your hardness and your unrepentant heart you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who 'will render to each one according to his deeds.' " (Romans 2: 5-6)
When you accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and then at some point afterward you go back to your sinning ways, IF you were truly saved, you do not lose your salvation. BUT, you do not also gain any rewards in Heaven.
Jesus laid the foundation "and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. ... each one's work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he had built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:10, 13-15)
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.
Neither fornicators,
Nor idolaters,
Nor adulterers,
Nor homosexuals,
Nor sodomites,
Nor thieves,
Nor covetous,
Nor drunkards,
No revilers,
Nor extortioners
will inherit the Kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6: 9)
The words fornicators, homosexuals and sodomites are described in other terms in different versions of the Bible. The King James refers to homosexuals as effeminate and sodomites as abusers of themselves with mankind. The New International refers to fornicators as sexually immoral, homosexuals as male prostitutes and sodomites as homosexual offenders.
"... But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot {or any unrighteous act}? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For 'the two,' He says, 'shall become one flesh.' But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. ... he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body." (1 Corinthians 6: 10-16)
The unpardonable sin is blaspheming God, never believing, never accepting that Jesus Christ is the son of God, that HE died for you.
To read more about "Prayers for Bobby":
"Is suicide a sin? Is being homosexual the unpardonable sin? Is the Bible valid? Is it my fault? He was always different, even at birth. These were among the questions and comments presented during the movie.
In the movie, the mother visits the pastor of a gay church. She talks about Old Testament laws. He says the Bible is not valid in today's society. It was written yesterday, it was written by mere men. Never do I hear about the cleansing blood of Jesus, who died for the sins of all.
Some of the comments I read on online forums purported the word "homosexual" was not even used during Biblical times. Homosexual - the idea that same word must have been used in Biblical times to mean anything today is preposterous. A homosexual is one who has a sexual relationship with another of the same sex. And it is in the Bible - read 1 Corinthians 6:9. God's laws are just as valid today as they were long ago.
Men nor women are born to be intimate with their own kind. God created man from the dust of the ground. He created woman from man's rib to be his mate.
"And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.' "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called woman; Because she was taken out of man.' Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." (Genesis 2: 18, 21-25)
The book of Leviticus details God's laws and instructions and offerings. Chapters 18 and 20 deal specifically with sexual relationships.
Leviticus 18:4 says, "You shall observe my judgments and keep my ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God." God's people were to obey, live by His standards for them, not the practices of other peoples.
"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." (Leviticus 18:22)
"If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20: 13)
"For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people." (Leviticus 18:29) For the complete list, read Chapter 18. "Cut off" in Biblical time meant put to death.
The standards remained. Then and now, those committing these abominations are "cut off" - separated from their loved ones. They were put to death then; but with Jesus' birth, death, burial and resurrection, came the opportunity for new life.
The standards - God's standards. God's laws are meant for His children, His followers. But to disobey even one of His commands, made the person guilty of all.
Through Jesus Christ, His blood, His death on the cross so we many all live, God's law was fulfilled. Jesus took ALL of our sin upon Himself. He died for YOU. He died for ME. The laws of the Old Testament were valid, are valid, but the punishment is no longer. Jesus became the punishment for us.
When we continue to sin, it is our personal choice. It is a conscious choice we make because of our own understanding.
It is not God's desire, not His will for us to be separated from Him. When we rebel against Him, His laws, His standards for us, we have made ourselves more important than God. When we remain steadfast in our (sinning) ways, God removes Himself from us. He abandons us.
"Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth f God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting: being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but approve of those who practice them." (Romans 1: 24-32)
"But in accordance with your hardness and your unrepentant heart you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who 'will render to each one according to his deeds.' " (Romans 2: 5-6)
When you accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and then at some point afterward you go back to your sinning ways, IF you were truly saved, you do not lose your salvation. BUT, you do not also gain any rewards in Heaven.
Jesus laid the foundation "and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. ... each one's work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he had built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:10, 13-15)
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.
Neither fornicators,
Nor idolaters,
Nor adulterers,
Nor homosexuals,
Nor sodomites,
Nor thieves,
Nor covetous,
Nor drunkards,
No revilers,
Nor extortioners
will inherit the Kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6: 9)
The words fornicators, homosexuals and sodomites are described in other terms in different versions of the Bible. The King James refers to homosexuals as effeminate and sodomites as abusers of themselves with mankind. The New International refers to fornicators as sexually immoral, homosexuals as male prostitutes and sodomites as homosexual offenders.
"... But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot {or any unrighteous act}? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For 'the two,' He says, 'shall become one flesh.' But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. ... he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body." (1 Corinthians 6: 10-16)
The unpardonable sin is blaspheming God, never believing, never accepting that Jesus Christ is the son of God, that HE died for you.
To read more about "Prayers for Bobby":
- http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/movies/prayers-bobby
- http://www.oasisjournals.com/Issues/9512/fea0795-prayers.html
- http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/01/24/2009-01-24_prayers_for_bobby_story_is_too_simplisti.html
- http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/22/DDA415DO2H.DTL
- http://www.collegenet.com/elect/app/app?service=external/Forum&sp=18126
- http://forums.wpitam.com/m_4140622/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#4143254
God loves you. It is the sin that is hated.
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