Monthly Archives: May 2014

What Is Sin?

21 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by in Encouragement, Exhortation, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman, Walking in Newness of Life

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The word sin means missing the mark; a fault, failure (in an ethical sense), a sinful deed (http://biblehub.com/greek/266.htm). From the Scripture, we know that sin consists of missing the mark of God’s holiness. It is anything that we say, think, or do that is not holy- as God is Holy. Sin is any way in which people, who were created to be God’s image bearers (Genesis 1:26-27), fail to reveal an accurate picture of who God is or fail to worship Him as God. In this way, sin is a suppression of the truth about God; a suppression of the truth about God’s holiness; a suppression of the truth about God’s glory. In fact, the Bible qualifies sin as a falling short of God’s glory. All people have fallen short of God’s glory. Even people that the Bible describes as ‘blameless according to the law,’ ‘righteous,’ and ‘devout’ (Luke 1:6; Philippians 3:6), are still sinners and are still in need of a Savior. The Scripture is clear, “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Acts of sin (sinful behaviors) consist of breaking the law of God and in not keeping the law of God. But, sin is more than what we do and what we do not do. Sin is a principle of rebellion at work within our mortal bodies, as well. It is a principle that the Bible describes as an “…evil lying close at hand… …waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive…” (Romans 7:14-25). You see, sin is more than misdeeds, misdemeanors, and misconduct; it is a principle within each human being’s flesh which is at war with God.

We are all born slaves to sin because we have inherited a sinful nature from the first man that was created, Adam (Romans 5:12-14, 18-19; 6:6, 20). When Adam disobeyed God, he died spiritually. In other words, when Adam sinned He became spiritually separated from God. In the Bible, death always refers to some form of separation; physical death is the separation of the spirit; the spirit meaning the breath or the life principle in living beings (http://biblehub.com/greek/4151.htm), from the body, and spiritual death is the separation of man from God (Who is the source of all life). Every person that was born after Adam, except Jesus, comes from Adam. Adam is the father of the human race and Adam’s wife Eve is the mother of the human race. For this reason, Adam and Eve are said to be the parents’ of the entire human race (Genesis 3:20, 4: 1-2, 5:1-5). All of our family trees have their roots in the union of Adam and Eve; therefore, we all share their spiritual DNA; we are all born corrupted by sin and under the judgment of God (Genesis 2:15-17; Psalm 51:5). As Romans 5:12 says, “… Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…”

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Video

Joel Osteen, its just the Truth- Paul Washer.

20 Tuesday May 2014

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First Timothy 4:1-2 says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared…” This video clip goes 26 seconds past my five minute ADD affected attention span (its 5 minutes and 26 seconds long). But, with Paul Washer (true brother to all who love Jesus Christ with an incorruptible love) preaching, I did not even notice. This is a wake up call to American Christians to be aware of those brutal hell bound, life sucking, God hating, self-loving false teachers. Warning: you must be okay with passionate preaching to watch this video.

Trusting God

17 Saturday May 2014

Posted by in Edification, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman, Walking in Newness of Life

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Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. Isaiah 26:4.

The second step that we take in walking in newness of life is the step of learning that we can trust God. God is a sure foundation for our lives, and if we are going to learn how to walk in newness of life, we must know and believe deep in our hearts that we can always trust God. After all, our new life is completely dependent on the trustworthiness of God to change us and make us holy. Of course, we begin to know that we can trust God when we start to think about God in the right way (as we began to do in the last devotion). However, there is more to trusting God than simply acknowledging that He is real and that He is holy, even demons do that (Luke 4:34; James 2:18). Truly trusting, God, requires understanding both that God is the only person that is always worthy of our trust, and understanding why God is the only person that is always worthy of our trust. Trusting God also requires understanding that we cannot even trust ourselves as much as we trust God. Here, we will attempt to give a solid foundation for our feet to land on, as we begin to step out in faith walking in newness of life.

Often, women who have been disappointed by people that they have put their trust in, feel as though they cannot trust anyone, including God. Perhaps, you are one of those women. I use to be one of those women. If you are, then this Scripture may help you, as it once helped me: “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19). That Scripture is very interesting, is it not? In it, we read that ‘God is not a man that He should lie’– as if to say that all men lie. The Scripture also says that ‘God is not a son of man, that He should change His mind’- as if to say all men change their minds. It is probably, for these two reasons that in John 2:24-25 we read about Jesus that He“… Did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men, and because he needed not that anyone should bear witness concerning man; for He Himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:24-25). The Scripture from Numbers ends by asking a very good question regarding the trustworthiness of God: “Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” I personally think that that question is the only question that matters when it comes to whether or not we can trust God. We must ask ourselves, “Has God always done what He said He would do?” If the answer to that question is no (which it, emphatically, is not) then we should not trust God. However, if the answer to that question is yes (which it, emphatically, is) then, we must trust God.

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Video

The Reformation Polka

16 Friday May 2014

Posted by in Edification, Reformed Theology

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Fridays are for fun, right? The Reformation Polka is 3 minutes and 53 seconds of both educational and edifying fun! Watch the cartoon Dr. Martin Luther sing the essentials of his part in the reformation to a nifty polka tune. I put this catchy little ditty on in the kitchen and, within seconds, my five kids were all with me, drawn in by the fascinating- Polka dancing Luther! If you have 4 minutes to spare, you need a smile, or you happen to be looking for a very interesting medium for communicating the essentials of Luther, and his part in the reformation- check it out! Huge thumbs up going out to the (presumably) reformed brothers and sisters: Robert Gebel (the lyricist), Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman (the musical talent), Chris Gehrz (starring as the voice of Dr. Luther),  Shelley Propp (on piano), C.A. Gehrz Ph.D. (the musical editor), and everyone else that had a part in making this high quality and theologically stimulating musical composition!

Video

Interview With An Athiest

15 Thursday May 2014

Posted by in Atheism, Evangelism, Exhortation, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman

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“For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 1 Peter 4:17-18

Not long ago, my husband someone showed us this short video: Interview with an Atheist. I think that the candid and revealing responses of the interviewee (the atheist) are both chilling and convicting for every true believer Christ. Often in the Scriptures we see that God uses the ungodly to judge His people (Judges 3:11-15; Isaiah 42:24-25; Lamentations 1:5, etc. etc.). I can’t help but wonder if this interview is a modern day instance of God using the ungodly to convict His church. This 4 minute and 19 second interview could change your perspective on the unsaved, the truth-claims of Christianity, and the logical necessity of sharing the true gospel with the lost. Allow it to startle you, allow it to convict you, allow it to break your heart for the lost…

Thinking about God in the Right Way

14 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by in Exhortation, Walking in Newness of Life

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“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” Revelation 4:8.

The first step that anyone takes in walking in newness of life is the step of learning how to think about God in a right way. To think about God in a right way, we must first understand that God is holy. In saying that God is holy, we mean that God is “set-apart”, “distinct”, “different”, and “other” in every way (http://biblehub.com/greek/40.htm). God is distinct, different, and other, from everything and everyone else that now exists, that ever has existed, or that ever will exist. In other words, God is set apart unto Himself; He is in a class of His own. For example, God is set apart unto Himself in that He is self-existent. This means that God exists and sustains His existence by His own power. God is truly the only Autonomous Being who has ever or will ever exist. Contrary to the thinking of many people, God did not evolve, appear, develop, or find His birthplace in the heart’s imagination of man. Neither is God a force, or a vague mystical power. He is the Eternal Spirit who never had a beginning and whom will never end (Job 26:36; Isaiah 46:10; John 4:24). God is a real Personal Being that has always and will always self-exist.

God is also holy in that He has a divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Saying that God has a divine nature means that the essence of who God is, the features and the qualities that make God who He is, are divine and beyond human understanding (Isaiah 40:28; Romans 11:33). For, God thinks divine thoughts; He thinks in a way that only God thinks (Isaiah 55:8; Romans 11:33-36). God feels divine feelings; God feels in a way that only God feels (Genesis 6:6; Mark 3:5). And, God wills (determines, intends) divine plans; God wills and purposes in a way that only God can choose and plan (Ephesians 1:5-9, 3:1-11). In all of this, God thinks, feels, and wills with perfect understanding, perfect knowledge, and absolute purity. Every trait of God is both perfect and unchanging in its perfection. For, God is God and no-one else is God. God alone is perfectly holy in His divine nature; therefore, God is the only being who is set apart from all others in every way. That is why, God says about Himself, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me…” (Isaiah 46:8-11).

When we say that God is holy we also mean that God is perfectly morally pure, sinless, upright, and containing nothing exceptionable (http:// biblehub.com/greek/40.htm). Therefore, God has never sinned in thought, word, or deed. God never does anything wrong, nor is He ever the author of any evil temptation. The Bible says, “…God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone…” (James 1:13b). God is morally perfect- He always has been, and He always will be. He is clean, pure, sinless, upright, righteous, good, kind, long-suffering, patient, merciful, full of grace, compassionate, peaceful, sincere, truthful, and in every other way possible way: God is morally perfect. For, God is never dishonest. He never lies, cheats, or sneaks. He is never unfaithful, never un-wise, never unwilling or incapable of doing what is right. And, since God is unchanging; He will never not be perfectly morally upright. That is why the Bible says, “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He.” And, in another place the Word says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Deuteronomy 32:4; Hebrews 13:8).

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John Newton’s On Dreaming

13 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by in Edification, Good Poetry

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I came across this poem by John Newton (author of Amazing Grace)some time ago. It probably won’t take more than a minute to read, and the lesson it teaches is of eternal value. If you have a minute, check it out. Its Concept is based on Isaiah 29:8, “As when a hungry man dreams, and behold, he is eating and awakes with his hunger not satisfied, or as when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he is drinking and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched, so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.”

On Dreaming

By John Newton

1 When slumber seals our weary eyes,
The busy fancy wakeful keeps;
The scenes which then before us rise,
Prove something in us never sleeps.

2 As in another world we seem,
A new creation of our own,
All appears real, though a dream,
And all familiar, though unknown.

3 Sometimes the mind beholds again
The past day’s business in review,
Resumes the pleasure or the pain;
And sometimes all we meet is new.

4 What schemes we form, what pains we take!
We fight, we run, we fly, we fall;
But all is ended when we wake,
We scarcely then a trace recall.

5 But though our dreams are often wild,
Like clouds before the driving storm;
Yet some important may be styl’d,
Sent to admonish or inform.

6 What mighty agents have access,
What friends from heav’n, or foes from hell,
Our minds to comfort or distress,
When we are sleeping, who can tell?

7 One thing, at least, and ’tis enough,
We learn from this surprising fact;
Our dreams afford sufficient proof,
The soul, without the flesh, can act.

8 This life, which mortals so esteem,
That many choose it for their all,
They will confess, was but a dream,***
When ‘waken’d by death’s awful call.

***Isaiah 29:8