There are many questions that I am hoping I will get the answers to once I get to heaven. After all, I will have eternity to wait my turn and ask God my petty ponderings. But the one that has been plagueing my mind lately is this: since God existed in eternity past.....what existed before all that He recorded for us in Genesis 1? Are we the only creation He ever made that He loved so much to send Jesus to suffer our pathetic means of torture for? Are we humans the only ones He ever gave free will too? Well I can at least answer that last question, no, the angels obviously have free will because Lucifer and others CHOSE to rebel against their Creator while the rest CHOSE to remain faithful to HIM. Are we the first of human-reflection of God Himself-kind?
Are we the first ones to have a love letter/Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth book (BIBLE) from God? Would we have been made aware of the answers to these questions and SO much more had sin not entered our lives?
Your thoughts????
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Rejected comments
I would just like to clarify that I am not at all opposed to oppositional comments and I will publish them here, however, I have a few simple easy to understand requirements: keep it clean and respectful. For the simpletons, THIS MEANS NO SWEARING. Improve your literary prowess by increasing your intellectual capabilities and expanding your vocabulary thereby increasing your debating ability. Not bad for a night worker, eh?
Anyway, I have slightly modified the comment on the previous post: "You forgot to mention the part where God has bigger fish to fry than the odd gay guy and probably could give a flying [rip] about someone's sexuality" - Anonymous
So this begs 2 questions.
1. If you are so sure of this argument then, A - why did you use the word "probably" and B - Why did you leave this comment anonymously?
2. Have you read the Bible at all? And for the sake of the argument let's agree on a version - I would say any of these - 1611 KJV, KJV, NET, NKJV, NIV, NASB, The Message, ESV, TLB, NLT, your pick.
After you have done your Biblical research then you can talk to me about what God could "probably" care about. However, please know that God is not in the fish fry game. He is in the catch and release game. He caught us all by giving us life and sending His Son to die on the cross for each and every one of us (GLBTQ or straight) because He loves each and every one of us no matter what our sin, sexual or not sexual. And then He released us to make our own decisions. It's up to us if we will choose to swim with Him or against Him.
If you are not a fisherman or not familiar with the terminology, please let me know. I understand not everyone likes fishing nearly as much as I do.
May I suggest you start with the book of John, then Romans, then Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and then Song Of Solomon a.k.a Song of Songs. Start with John as that will help you see the bigger picture. It's not about all about sexuality. But God gave very clear rules for that aspect of life that HE CREATED US WITH. You will see how much He wrote about it in the other books listed above. It's like a fire, in a fireplace or firepit or as a torch or a in a candle (basically properly used) fire is a wonderful thing. It warms, dries, illuminates, defends, even used in designing, art. But when misused it can destroy, cause pain, mangle, scar, and more. So like fire, sex was made to be used and enjoyed in the proper context, and God has said that it is to be only between a husband and wife and that for the enjoyment of both, never just one sided.
Happy reading.
It's your turn......
Anyway, I have slightly modified the comment on the previous post: "You forgot to mention the part where God has bigger fish to fry than the odd gay guy and probably could give a flying [rip] about someone's sexuality" - Anonymous
So this begs 2 questions.
1. If you are so sure of this argument then, A - why did you use the word "probably" and B - Why did you leave this comment anonymously?
2. Have you read the Bible at all? And for the sake of the argument let's agree on a version - I would say any of these - 1611 KJV, KJV, NET, NKJV, NIV, NASB, The Message, ESV, TLB, NLT, your pick.
After you have done your Biblical research then you can talk to me about what God could "probably" care about. However, please know that God is not in the fish fry game. He is in the catch and release game. He caught us all by giving us life and sending His Son to die on the cross for each and every one of us (GLBTQ or straight) because He loves each and every one of us no matter what our sin, sexual or not sexual. And then He released us to make our own decisions. It's up to us if we will choose to swim with Him or against Him.
If you are not a fisherman or not familiar with the terminology, please let me know. I understand not everyone likes fishing nearly as much as I do.
May I suggest you start with the book of John, then Romans, then Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and then Song Of Solomon a.k.a Song of Songs. Start with John as that will help you see the bigger picture. It's not about all about sexuality. But God gave very clear rules for that aspect of life that HE CREATED US WITH. You will see how much He wrote about it in the other books listed above. It's like a fire, in a fireplace or firepit or as a torch or a in a candle (basically properly used) fire is a wonderful thing. It warms, dries, illuminates, defends, even used in designing, art. But when misused it can destroy, cause pain, mangle, scar, and more. So like fire, sex was made to be used and enjoyed in the proper context, and God has said that it is to be only between a husband and wife and that for the enjoyment of both, never just one sided.
Happy reading.
It's your turn......
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Back on the horse of posting.
Yes or No: Do you think a homosexual can be saved if he repents and asks God to save him? Explain. (One page/250 words minimum)
Yes. A thousand times YES. A homosexual can and will be saved if he repents and asks God to save him. However, it is interesting that there are parts of the Bible that state all that is needed for salvation is simply believing that Jesus Christ is Lord (John 3.16; Acts 16.31). Other places talk about the confession and forgiveness of sins, but make no connection of the confessing of sins directly to the status of one’s salvation (1 Jn. 1.9). In other places, Christ says, if you will accept me or confess me in front of men, then I will accept you or confess you infront of my Father, God.
The confession of sins and baptism always followed AFTER salvation had taken place. If eternal security is to be believed, then confession of sins cannot be a necessary element in the initial and irreversible act of salvation. If a true acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior of one’s life has taken place, then that one will want to begin immediately the work on cleaning up his/her life as an act of love and thankfulness to the Lord that just saved them from eternal torment in the lake of fire. There is the difference and separation of the two from the salvation process. Now in the growth of a Christian, what we call progressive sanctification, there is constant “weeding” as it were to be done. Since we still have the sinful nature in us but not controlling us, we battle this nature and many times we lose the battle and give into a given sin. We must continue to confess and seek out the forgiveness of Christ for these sins, for He is faithful and just to forgive those whom He knows. The relationship must be established first.
So the answer is yes. Anyone can be saved no matter what their sin is, period. However, if one is not saved, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to see what is wrong with sin because of the lies they are told and tell. If one is saved, and continues to sin or falls into another sin, that one has either not gotten saved, or has not learned exactly what is sin and what is not and has fallen and is not growing in Christ and therefore needs a lot of help to do so.
We have mis-taught this. What we should be teaching, and Ray Comfort does a good job explaining this in the The Way of the Master evangelism, is that people won’t ask Christ to save them if they don’t know why they need to be saved or what they need to be saved from. That is where we bring sin, confession, and forgiveness into the picture. We use the law and people’s violation of God’s laws to show them the direction they are heading in and their need to change course. The only way they can change course is by establishing a relationship with Jesus Christ, the only One Who can save them from their fiery destination. Once they accept Jesus Christ as their true Savior, He will help them change course (repent) from their sinful ways and head down the road of righteous, Christ pleasing living, out of love and gratefulness to and for His work for them.
Yes. A thousand times YES. A homosexual can and will be saved if he repents and asks God to save him. However, it is interesting that there are parts of the Bible that state all that is needed for salvation is simply believing that Jesus Christ is Lord (John 3.16; Acts 16.31). Other places talk about the confession and forgiveness of sins, but make no connection of the confessing of sins directly to the status of one’s salvation (1 Jn. 1.9). In other places, Christ says, if you will accept me or confess me in front of men, then I will accept you or confess you infront of my Father, God.
The confession of sins and baptism always followed AFTER salvation had taken place. If eternal security is to be believed, then confession of sins cannot be a necessary element in the initial and irreversible act of salvation. If a true acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior of one’s life has taken place, then that one will want to begin immediately the work on cleaning up his/her life as an act of love and thankfulness to the Lord that just saved them from eternal torment in the lake of fire. There is the difference and separation of the two from the salvation process. Now in the growth of a Christian, what we call progressive sanctification, there is constant “weeding” as it were to be done. Since we still have the sinful nature in us but not controlling us, we battle this nature and many times we lose the battle and give into a given sin. We must continue to confess and seek out the forgiveness of Christ for these sins, for He is faithful and just to forgive those whom He knows. The relationship must be established first.
So the answer is yes. Anyone can be saved no matter what their sin is, period. However, if one is not saved, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to see what is wrong with sin because of the lies they are told and tell. If one is saved, and continues to sin or falls into another sin, that one has either not gotten saved, or has not learned exactly what is sin and what is not and has fallen and is not growing in Christ and therefore needs a lot of help to do so.
We have mis-taught this. What we should be teaching, and Ray Comfort does a good job explaining this in the The Way of the Master evangelism, is that people won’t ask Christ to save them if they don’t know why they need to be saved or what they need to be saved from. That is where we bring sin, confession, and forgiveness into the picture. We use the law and people’s violation of God’s laws to show them the direction they are heading in and their need to change course. The only way they can change course is by establishing a relationship with Jesus Christ, the only One Who can save them from their fiery destination. Once they accept Jesus Christ as their true Savior, He will help them change course (repent) from their sinful ways and head down the road of righteous, Christ pleasing living, out of love and gratefulness to and for His work for them.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Third Shift = God's Shift ??
Since the creation account says 'there was evening and there was morning. The first day.' does this mean that we night workers and people that are at our best at night are so because that is when God did His work during the time between evening and morning? Is God The original Third Shifter?
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Are gay people worse sinners than you and I?
Discuss in detail your views on homosexuality/lesbianism in light of Romans 1.26-28. Futher, do you think homosexuality/lesbianism is a sin?
These verses like others used by the “conservative extremists” are taken out of context and misapplied to those that practice the SIN of homosexuality/lesbianism. YES this type of sexuality is ABSOLUTLEY A SIN. It should be noted that ANY sexual act outside the God ordained bonds of marriage is SIN. But specific to this sin, too many people take this verse to address only homosexuals. However, look at the greater context. It is addressing those that have rejected God by any and all means He has made Himself known to them. Those that have bought into or made up lies about the world GOD created. The acceptance or practice of homosexuality is part of the progression or digression, depending on how you look at it, of sin away from God, all while knowing what God states and choosing to rebel.
This verse is not saying that homosexuals have no hope. There are those that say that once a person starts to practice or experiment with this particular sin, they are hopeless, they have finally crossed the line and cannot be saved. They claim that this is the “sin unto death” or “unpardonable sin”. It is rather easy to see this interpretation upon first reading of these verses. This is simply not truth of God’s Word. There is only ONE unforgiveable sin stated clearly in the Scriptures from God. If one rejects or refuses to place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they will be punished and banished to an eternal torment ultimately in the lake of fire.
For one to claim this interpretation, they must posit that Christ’s death was not all inclusive of every kind of sin, that there is a sin that Christ’s blood did not or can not cover. If that is the case, then they must also posit that God is a limited God and that sin is more powerful than God is. There are obvious problems with this.
When the Bible says that God gave them up, or gave them over to sin, one could liken that to a cold or a virus. It must run its course. While God certainly has the power and ability to simply put a stop to the problem, He has chosen to allow it to continue to its ending. Once someone has entered the sin of homosexuality, there are many other sins in their life, including the rejection of Christ and of God. They have given into the very convincing lies of the Satan about life and about how this world and people work. They have gone very far with their sinful life and lifestyle. However, while they seem they are beyond hope of turning back, they are not. Until they die, each and every human being still has the ability to choose. People have an innate sense of God within them, that is seemingly unfillable “void” in their lives. Satan has convinced many that any given sin will fill that void. Obviously nothing but Christ can do that.
Christ is all powerful and can save even the most wretched of sinners, from the likes of Adolf Hitler to a child abuser, any human being can be saved. The verses preceding and following these particular ones citing homosexuality give the pretense of prior rejection or denial of God and going so far as to set oneself up as a god.
These verses like others used by the “conservative extremists” are taken out of context and misapplied to those that practice the SIN of homosexuality/lesbianism. YES this type of sexuality is ABSOLUTLEY A SIN. It should be noted that ANY sexual act outside the God ordained bonds of marriage is SIN. But specific to this sin, too many people take this verse to address only homosexuals. However, look at the greater context. It is addressing those that have rejected God by any and all means He has made Himself known to them. Those that have bought into or made up lies about the world GOD created. The acceptance or practice of homosexuality is part of the progression or digression, depending on how you look at it, of sin away from God, all while knowing what God states and choosing to rebel.
This verse is not saying that homosexuals have no hope. There are those that say that once a person starts to practice or experiment with this particular sin, they are hopeless, they have finally crossed the line and cannot be saved. They claim that this is the “sin unto death” or “unpardonable sin”. It is rather easy to see this interpretation upon first reading of these verses. This is simply not truth of God’s Word. There is only ONE unforgiveable sin stated clearly in the Scriptures from God. If one rejects or refuses to place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they will be punished and banished to an eternal torment ultimately in the lake of fire.
For one to claim this interpretation, they must posit that Christ’s death was not all inclusive of every kind of sin, that there is a sin that Christ’s blood did not or can not cover. If that is the case, then they must also posit that God is a limited God and that sin is more powerful than God is. There are obvious problems with this.
When the Bible says that God gave them up, or gave them over to sin, one could liken that to a cold or a virus. It must run its course. While God certainly has the power and ability to simply put a stop to the problem, He has chosen to allow it to continue to its ending. Once someone has entered the sin of homosexuality, there are many other sins in their life, including the rejection of Christ and of God. They have given into the very convincing lies of the Satan about life and about how this world and people work. They have gone very far with their sinful life and lifestyle. However, while they seem they are beyond hope of turning back, they are not. Until they die, each and every human being still has the ability to choose. People have an innate sense of God within them, that is seemingly unfillable “void” in their lives. Satan has convinced many that any given sin will fill that void. Obviously nothing but Christ can do that.
Christ is all powerful and can save even the most wretched of sinners, from the likes of Adolf Hitler to a child abuser, any human being can be saved. The verses preceding and following these particular ones citing homosexuality give the pretense of prior rejection or denial of God and going so far as to set oneself up as a god.
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