Sin is Sin is Sin is Sin..... (hell, church, believe)
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I started the homosexual thread to try and express that all sin is wrong and to try to reach to one particular sin group. It did not work out so well considering many on either side like to act militant and have no interest in considering the ramifications of their choices in this world.
As the title suggests, Sin is Sin. I am not here to attack anyone and hope everyone else will respect this idea.
As I tried to express in the previous thread the major problem is justifying sin and loving the flesh over loving God. Adultry is a major problem within the Bible, any rejection of God and his commandments is considered adultry sinse the Church is the bride of Christ and all the world is supposed to be of the Church. Remmeber Christ died for the world and not just a select few, but so often the world likes to reject this free gift for reasons of the flesh.
Christ says the two greatest commandments are first"Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul and mind" and "Love your neighbor as yourself". Now there is a purpose for these two commandments and their order of importance. You see we cannot love our neighbor if we do not love God. Yes we can act or feel like we love others, but all we are is selfish children claiming something we know nothing about. I can say this because before I came to the Lord I did not trully know what love was. I knew that love wasnt a feeling, but I could not fully understand this concept because I did not love God so my only understanding of love was that of the flesh and therefore I was mistaking Love for lust. You see the feeling we feel towards others can be confusing because our hearts and our hormones and the most defiant of our sences. I actually used to believe that I could love more than one person in a romantic manner, but that to honor my wife I had to subdue such feelings of lust. When I came to the Lord I realized that was merely acting upon the flesh and not true love but lust.
Something that really got me was Jesus comments that "If you love Me keep My commandments". How can we love someone else if we do not love the Lord, we are fooling ourselves and falling for the lies of the flesh which is the playground of the evil one. I know we cannot be perfect in this love of Christ because we still lie to ourselves, we still want to reject certain commandments that we dont like but we still have the nerve to claim the blood of Christ. We must remember that Jesus is the same God of the OT and the NT. Now we also know we cannot fulfill our love for God on our own and that is why we need the Holy Spirit who is our comforter.
Now I know there are many who believe they are spiritual without Christ, but in truth this spirit they may believe they are following is a spirit of deceit that will let them believe whatever they like so long as they do not follow the truth. Like the old saying goes the road to hell is paved with good intentions and the Bible clearly states that Satan can come to us as a beacon of light, but that he is a roaring lion seeking those whom he may devour.
There are many who believe they are in love and that is good enough when in fact they are being misled by hormones and lust and once they wear off the couples split and often times married couples divorce. This is why the Lord warns us against fornication. Many believe love is a feeling they cannot resist and this is a lie from the evil one playing on our selfishness. Love is an act that must be worked on and worked for and is built on trust and patients. According to the Bible love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-12
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejeoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies; they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a Child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
If we do not try to live by this definition of love then we are lying to ourselves and hating those we profess to love.
Love is an act that must be worked on and worked for and is built on trust and patients. According to the Bible love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-12
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejeoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies; they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a Child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
If we do not try to live by this definition of love then we are lying to ourselves and hating those we profess to love.
It amazes me that you can see this so clearly and still retain such a childish "obedience" to the literal "letter" of laws designed to "mature" children to the stage where the purpose (spirit) behind the laws becomes obvious to them and the laws become irrelevant . . . as long as they are acting out of this agape Love.
It amazes me that you can see this so clearly and still retain such a childish "obedience" to the literal "letter" of laws designed to "mature" children to the stage where the purpose (spirit) behind the laws becomes obvious to them and the laws become irrelevant . . . as long as they are acting out of this agape Love.
Would you admit that we could be committing sins right now that we aren't even aware of? is so then could not the letter of the Law in some form keep us in check or even humbled?
Would you admit that we could be committing sins right now that we aren't even aware of? is so then could not the letter of the Law in some form keep us in check or even humbled?
Wouldn't conviction by the Holy Spirit happen then?
How can we love someone else if we do not love the Lord
You are very close with most of your post. However this bit is backward.
How can you demonstrate Love of the Lord unless you can demonstrate that to your neighbor? The latter is observable the former not so unless you think some "church activities" do this for you?
IMO your post appears to have nuances of self projection in it or IOW, the sins you have/had problems with.
I do not disagree with the OP title but what is sin to you may not be sin to another and both are right. It is when you want to compare yourself to others that the sin list comes out and you start comparing notes. This is the exact thing Jesus spoke against the S&P's, their false piety.
I do sense your heart is in the right place however - words sometimes fail us.
You are very close with most of your post. However this bit is backward.
How can you demonstrate Love of the Lord unless you can demonstrate that to your neighbor? The latter is observable the former not so unless you think some "church activities" do this for you?
IMO your post appears to have nuances of self projection in it or IOW, the sins you have/had problems with.
I do not disagree with the OP title but what is sin to you may not be sin to another and both are right. It is when you want to compare yourself to others that the sin list comes out and you start comparing notes. This is the exact thing Jesus spoke against the S&P's, their false piety.
I do sense your heart is in the right place however - words sometimes fail us.
If He wrote His laws in our hearts? but what about the sins that are not literally in the bible. Wouldn't the Holy Spirit convict you? If you go against the Holy Spirit then aren't you sinning so really it is not left to the individual but the Holy Spirit to know if it is a sin or not?
It amazes me that you can see this so clearly and still retain such a childish "obedience" to the literal "letter" of laws designed to "mature" children to the stage where the purpose (spirit) behind the laws becomes obvious to them and the laws become irrelevant . . . as long as they are acting out of this agape Love.
You are completely misunderstanding me. I am not saying you have to follow the letter of the law but that you will desire to follow the letter of the law if you trully love the Lord. I am speaking of the fruit of the spirit and anything else is hatred towards those you claim to love. How can you understand the true concept of agape love if your perception is clouded by the flesh? When we justify a sin and demand we be accepted no matter what we do then were are actually exibiting hatred for the Lord and defying the definition of love. Therefore our blind devotion to our perception of love is actually devotion to our carnal lusts and there is no true love in us because we have rejected the Love God has offered freely and sought after the love that leads to destruction.
By being selfish and doing the exact opposite of the definition of love we are as children, led artray by what feels good rather than guided by what is good for us.
Remember I am not saying we are saved by works or the law, but that these are examples of our salvation, that we desire to do the works of the Lord and reject the lusts of the world.
I say we because no one is perfect and we are all at different levels of our walk and sometimes we have veired off the path and honestly believe we are on a better path because of feelings and lust. It has taken some deep thinking and personal examination to be willing to admit to my own short comings and humble myself to the point I can understand that sin is sin is sin is sin.....
Would you admit that we could be committing sins right now that we aren't even aware of? is so then could not the letter of the Law in some form keep us in check or even humbled?
Not if we are acting out of agape love . . . if we are acting out of any other mindset . . . we may be . . . like judging or condemning others whose "spiritual state" we cannot possibly know for certain from their external acts.
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