| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net Last week we looked at a foundational but overlooked pillar of Salvation; = Repentance. Is it really necessary? These are some of the reasons Repentance is neglected in our teaching in “Mainstream Christianity”. The World will tell you that God winks at sin. He does not. God loves unconditionally, but Hates sin. He sent His Son to die for (because of) our sin. He cannot inhabit the same space as sin. Most people, of all ages, get forgiveness and consequence mixed up, or at best, blurred. Most folks think: “if I am forgiven, nothing will happen to me”. God totally forgave David after he raped Bathsheba, and murdered her husband. But!! There was consequence for generations. I have read the salvation accounts of people on death row, and some of them, I absolutely believe; but this doesn’t mean they get a pardon. God can and indeed will give you a clean slate, but there are always consequences, in varying degrees, for sin. If Jesus came to “seek and to save” that which was lost, we must ask the question: “Saved from What? Isn’t God more tolerant today than He was then?” In a word, No. He is the same yesterday, today, and for ever. So what does he say about it? Here are just a couple. Ezek. 8:18 – God says: “THEREFORE WILL I ALSO DEAL IN FURY: MINE EYE SHALL NOT SPARE, NEITHER WILL I HAVE PITY: AND THOUGH THEY CRY IN MINE EARS WITH A LOUD VOICE, YET WILL I NOT HEAR THEM.” And Isaiah 1:15 = “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood”. But isn’t God somehow Obligated to listen to us? No. Here is the verse that took smoking away from my wife. Psalm 66:18 = “IF I REGARD INIQUITY IN MY HEART, THE LORD WILL NOT HEAR ME:” This takes all the Excuses, all the Rationalizations, all the comparing myself to everyone else, right out of the picture. My sin is not a weakness, not a habit, not a compulsion, or a disease. It is Sin, and I need to face it as David faced his; - “For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me”. - Psalm 51:3. This is a glimpse of how God feels about Sin. My friend Pastor Phil Jones defines repentance as follows: “That mighty change of mind, spirit and heart, wrought by the hand of God.” Next time we get together, we’ll elaborate on this, and see what we can do Practically, to deal with sin in our lives. Here is a hint. We are ultimately responsible for our sin; all of it, but God is the only way we can deal with it. Clear as mud? “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil. 2:13. Take heart. You can’t imagine what He wants to be In you and Through you. |
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