Question #1:
Hi Bob,
I have no self control. This is really bad, spiritually speaking,
because self control is a fruit of the Spirit. Some sin is next to
impossible to resist, and every other time an Evangelical speaks I want
to cynically scoff at them (this is also bad, because we must love our
siblings).
I pray to God for more grace. I need to pray for others more, but I feel
that I myself am most at risk. I said cynically scoff, but sometimes I
want to scream to the top of my lungs.
Response #1:
Self-control is a difficult "lift" for most people. I have known many good Christians who have had issues with this in some area of life or another. As to sin in particular, it takes some spiritual growth to begin to hear the "still, small voice" of the Spirit, and a good deal of spiritual maturity to begin to respond to that voice consistently. All of us have sin natures, and all of us are tempted to sin in one area or another. Getting victory over areas of particular vulnerability is possible even for unbelievers (Gen.4:7); how much more for believers who have the Holy Spirit? That does not mean that it will be easy, however. To be consistently victorious, we have to get serious about the fight "to the point of blood" (Heb.12:4). That means owning up to our failures and taking aggressive action to head them off including doing whatever others might not have to do in order to get that victory (e.g., if I don't even like alcohol, having lunch at the local bar is not a problem, but if I have a problem with it . . . ). Blessedly, the Lord "helps" us in this . . . by laying on greater and greater loads of discipline for failure in areas where we are lagging. As we grow, He works with us to knock of the rough edges and we all have them. Since this is the way of it, getting serious sooner rather than later about areas where we are having trouble is the best course. Feeling as if our fellowship with Him is compromised is clearly one of the areas of discipline we receive, but as Hebrews chapter twelve tells us, getting emotionally down about it is the wrong response: the very fact that we are receiving the discipline means that the Father loves us like His own sons and daughters which we are in Jesus Christ. And we can have confidence of victory once we make the commitment to leave no stone un-turned until we win it. The evil one's agents pester continually any believer who has an unresolved and habitual problem, but once we decide to stand and fight . . .
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
So don't be disheartened. Jesus died for all of ours sins and we are restored to fellowship with Him and the Father the instant we confess whatever we have done. Does the discipline sting? All the more reason to use that as motivation to make a change which is the whole point of discipline:
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11 NIV
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #2:
Hi Bob,
Recently, evil blasphemies have been bubbling out of my heart. I try to
stop them but they shock me like lightening. I disown all of them.
Sincerely,
Response #2:
I get this a lot from many believers and I think it happens from time to time
to everyone. As long as you reject it as ridiculous, the "one" who is working on
this will give up (Jas.4:7). "He" only continues with this in cases where
believers get very upset and fall into a loop of self-abhorrence. As with
anything which may be sinful, simple confession and "moving on" is the ticket
(1Jn.1:9; cf. Ps.32:1-6). We are not perfect and won't be this side of eternity,
and in terms of the need to confess (and the need for the Lord to have died for
it) one sin is no worse and no better than another (even if this sort of
thing you are asking about happens to be sinful in the event that it involves
some subconscious participation on our part). Take my advice, spit it out and
don't worry about it; worrying about it is the only way it can negatively affect
you long-term, because that is the only way it is likely to continue long-term.
Here are some links on this:
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #3:
Hi Bob,
I have a real dilemma at my hands. I learned today about an acquaintance
that [...] How do I handle this delicate situation?
Sincerely,
Response #3:
It's important never to say or do anything that violates the truth. But
it's not necessary to beat people over the head with it in an
unsolicited fashion. I dare say that it would be possible for me to take
to task virtually everyone I know outside of this ministry on some point
of truth or the other. But that is not profitable if said person is not
willing yet to receive it. There is a right time and place for such
discussions. I think that it is largely because of the politicization of
this issue that it seems more pressing than others. After all, most
secular people and sadly a large percentage of Christians are not
without fault when it comes to illicit behavior. That doesn't mean that
I'm going to reproach someone who is not walking right if in my
estimation the reproach will not have the desired effect. It takes
courage to do such things, and also great wisdom and humility in order
to avoid being just a self-righteous ninny. And there are consequences
(think of John the baptism vs. Herod and Salome).
Keeping you in my prayers.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #4:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
I am still studying your dissertation on "The Biblical Study of Sin".
Here is a quote from your study:
"True repentance is measured by our change of attitude going forward,
rather than the intensity of our regret looking backward. This is clear
from the primary verbs for this concept in both Greek and Hebrew. In
Greek, metanoeo (μετανοέω) means, etymologically, to change one's mind
or attitude, while Hebrew shubh (שוב) means to turn around and come
back. Thus each verb indicates a clear and genuine change on the
repentant believer's part (of attitude and spiritual direction
respectively), but neither word in any way connotes that an excessive
display of emotion is somehow necessary for effecting that change. We
change our minds so as to do better in the future. We return from our
wrong way so as to take the right way in the future. Indeed, divine
discipline is an important part of getting our attention and causing us
to understand the gravity of our mistakes through appreciation of their
spiritual consequences."
1. Is Divine discipline the only method of getting our attention and
causing us to understand the gravity of our sin?
2. Is the changing of our minds left entirely to us, and is returning
from our wrong way completely left us to us?
Seems to me that God's help and assistance in these matters is sorely
needed, just like it is needed when we are first born again.
I do understand that we must do what God cannot and will not do, but God
by His Holy Spirit also does that which we cannot do.
3. In conclusion then, I know that from your teachings, the Holy Spirit
has a definite role in decisions we make in our lives, but we also have
a part in those decisions, in other words, we can follow the leading of
the Holy Spirit, or, take our own way, as God will never override our
wills or ?
In my mind, if a person changes their mind and returns from the wrong
way, and does it again, more than once or twice, then he has not meant
the requirements of repentance. How can we say we have repented, and
then do the same thing we repented of over and over, but not on a daily
basis. How would you define a life of sin, in other words, if someone
repents of a particular sin, and then, as I said, does it over again. I
know that there is a Scripture that speaks of man forgiving another 70
times 7, not literally, but I also know that God is a forgiving God, if
we repent. How can we have a change of mind and heart without the
assistance or help of the Holy Spirit? I always appreciate your kind and
gentle responses, and this Study has been a tough one for me. Got some
work to do on this one.
Thank you for your love, kindness, gentleness and understanding.
Your friend always,
Response #4:
Always good to hear from you, my friend.
To take these in reverse order, I'm not sure what the problem is with
the translation here except that in my translation the issue is made
clearer in terms of what the Greek actually means and says. The point is
that when it gets down to "things", our "choice" is really about obeying
the Spirit or the sin nature (which is often motivated by the evil one
and his minions and/or the influence of the world). So with this verse
Paul essentially tells us that this whole process is much easier than
most people suppose: all one has to do is to listen to the Spirit and
obey . . . and if not the Christian in question will be following the
guidance of the flesh instead. Simple.
That brings me to the issue of free will addressed in your other
comments. We do have free will. Combating sin and gaining victory of sin
is not easy, but it is something even unbelievers can do. Doing it is
not easy because while our spirit is willing, our flesh is weak and
opposes (with the help of the evil one and his forces and under the
influence of the world system he has set up) every good intention we may
have. Sin, especially chronic sin, is a tough one. But we do have to
"own it" in order to gain victory. I don't think there has ever been a
Christian who hasn't had an issue with at least one form of chronically
sinful behavior or another at some time in his/her life. So it is
nothing unusual. It is also, sad to say, far from unusual for said
believer to be defeated quite often. The number who get "victory" is
usually small. That is because "victory" can only really be achieved
through spiritual growth and diligent and determined application of the
truth to one's life. And even when "victory" is achieved, once the hill
is taken, it will have to be defended and the devil is excellent at
counter-attacks (as are the world and the flesh). So it's hard to get to
the point of being effective in the fight, it's hard to win the fight,
and it's a struggle to hold onto victory after the fight is finally won.
But it is not impossible. Sanctification is an important biblical
mandate (Heb.12:14).
My problem with contemporary Christianity generally is that most
churches/people/groups seem to think that some one-shot, emotional
decision or public proclamation or dramatic action is what brings
victory. All such things bring is embarrassment when defeat comes again
and it surely will come again if battle is joined without the proper
weapons. Spiritual maturity is necessary for gaining lasting victory,
because the truth fully understood and believed is the only thing that
can aid us in this struggle. Of course we have the Spirit but we have
to understand who He is and how He works and how to make use of His
ministry in this fight (just to cite briefly one important point of
necessary truth). I think you can probably see this well enough in your
own life and experience. The very fact that you are writing this to me
now is not without significant. A Christian has to get to a certain
point of spiritual growth to have the humility to recognize that there
is a "problem" and set about with Christian integrity trying to solve
the problem. So good for you! Without recognizing the enemy,
understanding the enemy, understanding the battlefield, understanding
the issues, etc., it's hard to fight and win.
The important thing to understand at the outset is that you can win. To
do so, in addition to continuation of growth day by day, doing all the
good positive things necessary, eventually the believer in question has
to start owning the problem and accepting the responsibility for
failure. Confession of sin is then absolutely critical in this fight. We
cannot afford to be embarrassed to confess or reluctant to confess for
any reason. We have to be willing to flee to the mercy of God on each
and every occasion of failure, just like David did, e.g. We cannot be
flippant about confessing nor can we be so disgusted by our failure and
apparent hypocrisy that we fail to do so. In other words, as in all
things, we have to keep in the middle of the high road to Zion. The
"ditches" on either side here are lack of proper concern for our sin on
the one side and overweening and inappropriate guilt on the other. It's
OK to feel bad about failing; it's not OK to wallow in guilt, especially
to the point of spiritual inaction. And it's OK to appreciate and
embrace God's mercy and forgiveness to us as sinners; but it's not OK to
treat the issue cavalierly. We have to have a proper respect for God,
but an absolute appreciation for our status as His sons and daughters.
Not caring and not being able to "get over it" are two potholes which
will put any believer out of action.
Faith is a key thing here as with all other important issues of the life
of the believer. We have to accept that God does care for us, that He
has provided for us, and that He will help us do whatever we need to do.
Understand. That does not mean that He will do everything for us without
our involvement at all, or that all we need do is pray "O God, please
deliver me from this sin!" That is a fine prayer, but afterwards we need
to actually resist sinning that sin and resist for all we are worth.
How to do that? 1) "Own it"; accept responsibility for our failures; we
are the ones who sin; we are the ones who choose; life is all about
choice; we choose when we sin; we can choose not to sin, even if that is
hard: do we care more about ourselves or about pleasing that Lord? That
is what is at the heart of all sin, namely, cowardly selfishness instead
of courageous humility. 2) Take all steps necessary to insulate
ourselves against the sin pattern in question. Stay away from people,
places, stimuli of all kinds which have anything to do with influencing
us to said sin pattern. As I often point out, if booze is the problem,
having dinner in a brew pub every night is a questionable strategy for
someone who really wants to win. 3) Trust the Lord that He will work
with us on this and that He will help us win this fight . . . if we are
really willing to do what's necessary. That means growing, that means
sacrificing, that means aggressively applying the truth at all points in
our day, not just occasionally, and that means, very importantly,
accepting that we are not going to win without being bloodied
(Heb.12:4); there will be failures, but we can't allow those failures to
keep us down. Confess; move on; make a mental note not to make the same
mistake again; and keep fighting even if/when more mistakes are made.
You ask about divine discipline. I will say that the fear of the Lord
which means a proper and reverent respect for Him is also a critical
part of this equation. Obviously, we do sometimes need that kind of help
to steer clear of things to which we are particularly vulnerable and
He does provide it. So it is entirely appropriate for us to keep in mind
the "spankings" we've received in the past and to focus on them when
tempted, remembering that we really don't want to repeat the
consequences of past failures. When we do so, however, we need to try
and do so without guilt but instead with appreciation for a Father who
loves us and has given us some important motivation to succeed.
Remember: Jesus has already paid for whatever sin we have committed. By
sinning, we don't hurt God we only hurt ourselves. That is not to say
that it doesn't sour our relationship with Him it most definitely
does. But that too is something that really only hurts us. And when we
confess we are restored "to fellowship" (1Jn.1:3-10).
So we have all the weapons, all the help, all the motivation, all the
knowledge and tactics we need to win the fight. All we really need is
the will. God helps us here too (Phil.2:13; Gal.5:17), but we still have
to supply the fundamental desire and the essential choice. Life is all
about choices.
I encourage you to engage in this fight and not look back. There may
have been defeats in the past and there may be more in the future but
this is a fight that must be taken on and must be won. And the sooner
the better.
Here are a few links which may be useful:
Sin and Spiritual transformation
Guilt, Sin and Victory through Spiritual Growth
Apostasy, Sin and SalvationSin, Salvation and Forgiveness: Claiming the Mental and Spiritual High-Ground
On the Firing Line: Encouragement in Christian Trials
Dealing with Sin and Guilt
Sin, Fear and Forgiveness
God's Dealing with the Sins of Individual Human Beings (in BB 3B)
Mutual Encouragement in Christ II
Fighting the Fight II: Struggling with Sin, Doubt, and Severe TestingFighting the Fight I: Accountability, Faith, Sin, Forgiveness, and Reward
The Battlefield Within: Fighting the inner spiritual Struggle.
Sanctification, Separation and Restraint
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #5:
Hi Bob,
God's wrath is beyond comprehension. Who can know it?
I am having a very difficult time walking in the Spirit ever since the
US election. I'm not sure if this is a "sign of the times" that we're
living in, but it's not good. I was reading about the "fruits of the
flesh" in Galatians, and I was left trembling and in terror. This is a
good thing, because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but
I am left in terror, because my secret sins and evil inclinations of my
heart are continually before God.
I thank God for his blessed grace (unearned favor) every day. I only
pray that he may establish the work of my hands.
Response #5:
God is just. That ought to frighten any rational person. But He is also
love. Therefore "perfect love casts out [irrational] fear" meaning
that if we have a godly reverence of Him we have nothing to fear in this
world (1Jn.1:9).
In our Lord Jesus,
Bob L.
Question #6:
If even a wild animal approaches this mountain, it must be put to death. Moses said I am trembling with fear.
Hebrews 12:20-21 NIV
Response #6:
A good verse to quote on that point; here are some others that come to mind:
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Psalm 19:9 NKJV
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
Psalm 111:10 NKJV
But Moses also said:
He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.
Deuteronomy 32:4 NKJV
The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
Deuteronomy 33:27a NKJV
From which we can deduce a deep and closely personal relationship between Moses and our Lord:
So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.
Exodus 33:11a NKJV
So while Moses was terrified by the sights and sounds of Sinai (along
with everyone else), he did not live in terror of the Lord; he loved the
Lord and had a godly fear or reverence for Him in the same way that a
humble and obedient child will have a healthy respect for his father,
but still love him and have confidence in him and how much more in
this case when the Father is absolutely perfect, completely gracious,
and worthy of all esteem?
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #7:
Dear Bob,
I was reading at Ichthys when I came upon one of the emails you posted
up, in which the person in question mentioned her friend being close to
someone whom claimed to be a psychic. I notice that they were
attributing this person's 'ability' (can people even be truly psychic?)
to the evil one, and then I remembered how we are all given gifts. Some
for ministry, others for generosity, others for compassion, and there
were a couple of others ones I cannot truly recall. One of them was
about being able to see/speak to the dead? It was something along those
lines, I can't remember the exact verse.
Well, the reason I bring this up is twofold: one, I do want to know what
came of that story, in terms of if the friend's friend really was really
having the evil one work through her, or if it is at all possible for a
gift like that to come from God? The second reason I ask is because I
know someone who claims she can see (and speak to?) the spirits of the
dead. There was a time, when we were younger, where she thought she was
the daughter as Gabriel, but I think now at our current age and
maturity, she's grown past that fantastical phase of thinking anything
of the sort (and this was before she was saved). However, she does still
mention being able to see the spirits of the dead.
I was wondering if this line of thinking is.. I'm not sure how to put
it: healthy? Either she is making it up, in which case she'll eventually
drop it, or for some reason she really can. Is it possible such a gift
were from God? I remember reading about it in the past to comfort her,
since she was worried about her spiritual status because of it some time
ago, but reading that one story in "The Battlefield Within" made me
remember, and think I should ask you about it. Have I asked you about
this before?
Recently, I accidentally ingested some blood as a result of a bloody
nose; then that familiar feeling of panic started to set in, but then I
kept calm and went back to my teachings. I remembered first our
discussion of what consuming blood was, and that was not what scripture
meant by 'consuming blood' (such as when you cut yourself and first
thing one tends to do is lick it clean). My mind then went back to the
idea that such a thing was not even possible (if I recall), and that
even if it were, Christ's blood has wiped us clean, and nothing can
separate us from God's love. Then I told myself the sequence of what
happened, and that it wasn't premeditated, and that more than likely
when that thought came to mind, it was just the evil one trying to take
advantage of a crack in my armor he may have found.
I must admit to feeling a bit of shame or worry still, even though I
know I need to stop, but I am hoping that this is the sign that some
progress has been made? Before, in the past, I would've written a more
panicked and worried email to you. The idea that my mind is struggling
and these thoughts come to my mind even in the first place still bothers
me greatly, this latest one being no exception, but I'm trying to focus
more on the idea that God's love and Christ's sacrifice wipe clean all
sin, and that the evil one is still trying to take advantage of my one
weakness he knows I still have difficulty with my emotions. I hate
what is evil, and I hate these thoughts, even though we do ultimately
have control over our own minds. Part of me wants to feel even worse
because of that, but then again, there is that word: "feel". I just have
to remember to repent of my sin, ask for forgiveness, and keep moving
forward. The evil one's tactics keep changing up on me: if he can't get
me to believe that I 'may not be saved', he tries to make me wonder if I
am a believer at all. All I focus on is keeping on the road, looking
forward, and keep remembering that feelings are easily swayed and easily
sway us if we let them, and that faith is first and foremost a choice.
How did I handle the situation? I am hoping it is at least better than I
would have in the past.
Finally, I wanted to express my gratitude for just how much youve
helped me, and continue to help me. I hope that in our times together I
havent tested or tried your patience, especially given the recent
matter of the battle of my mind. I try not to look back (not always
successfully, mind you), except in times where I wish to see how I am
now compared to how I was before, and I am fairly certain I would not be
where I am today without you, or at least not as fast as I have done so.
I am not sure how many of these types of emails you get, but you really
have been a great help to me, and from what Ive seen of Ichthys thus
far. You have been a great help and guide to many people. I wont claim
to know Gods will or plan, but I am pretty sure youre accomplishing
what you were meant to do, and I hope your rewards are great indeed.
Response #7:
Thanks for your good words, my friend!
From my point of view, you are making great progress in combating the
assaults of the evil one. Be pleased to keep up that good work!
Blood is a symbol in the Bible. Deliberately consuming blood from
animals is prohibited because that would symbolize profaning the
sacrifice of Christ. His "blood" is a sanctified metaphor for His work
in dying for the sins of the world. Accidental or incidental ingestion
of ones owns blood means absolutely nothing even the Pharisees ate
meat, after all, and though it was ritually drained, we know enough
about biology to understand that it still had blood cells in it, even
cooked very well done. So its the symbolism that is important here.
As to your other concern, I think you know that this behavior you report
has nothing to do with scripture or with reality. So it is disturbing.
I'm certainly not going to advise you on any course of action or
otherwise weigh in on what you do with your applications of scripture.
Relationships are always difficult. No one is perfect, and it is a very
rare person who is straight-arrow on all points of biblical doctrine
if we found somebody like that, they'd probably have good reason to find
fault with us. It is something to put before the Lord in prayer, however
(I'm praying for you both).
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #8:
Dear Robert,
It has been a while I have not heard from you, so I hope that this finds
you well and relieved with having survived yet another election. I
personally feel a great relief with the outcome, as we have been saved
by the bell, as they say, from a very dark precipice. Not that I feel
that the present outcome is a panacea, but at least we have dodged a
very dark bullet. I still feel very uneasy about the future, and as we
all know, its going to get worse before it gets better. Here in the
Dominican Republic we are under a very dark cloud of rulers, engaged in
every evil deception and crime possible. Not to mention the upsurge in
satanism under the guise of local syncretic practices of catholicism and
voodoo. There is something heavy and dark over the world , I sense, and
only through prayer and daily reading of my Bible am I able to withstand
the darts and attacks of the enemy. Is this a common thread among your
readers? Or am I the only one complaining about the darkness that I feel
we are living in? If so, please tell me so that I can get some
professional help LOL! How are things holding up there? I pray that you
and your loved ones are fine, in good health and spirits. I would love
to hear from you whenever you have some time for your long lost
dominican friend. I remissed in not writing but I can assure you that
you have been on my mind, and have mentioned your work to other brothers
and sisters. But it seems that I everyone that surrounds me is either in
Christianity 101 twenty years into the journey, or liberals with a
mindset that the Lord changed in me many years ago. It is a lonely walk,
so please keep me posted from time to time.
God bless and protect you always!
Response #8:
It's very good to hear from you, my friend. I have been keeping you in
my prayers faithfully day by day, and am encouraged by the positive tone
of your email in spite of the darkness of the world. The world is a dark
place, and failing to see and appreciate that fact is a sign that a
person is too friendly with it; being cognizant of that truth is, on the
other hand, a sign of spiritual growth. So I am encouraged by you on
that score as well.
Things here are not perfect but I have been brought through some hard
times and still have my scalp (as the frontiersmen used to say). The
times are busy but my health is pretty good and I'm not on the verge of
going under so praise God for deliverance large and small!
Presently working on Basics 6A, but that is a long way off at present.
Things are "interesting" in the world, and bound to get more interesting
as things progress, regardless of political developments. All the more
reason for us all not only to get by and get through but also to get as
spiritually prepared as possible before the fact.
Feel free to write me any time, my friend!
I hope everything is working out for you finding Christian fellowship
that is more than superficial is a difficult thing wherever one is in
the world these days, not just in your latitude and longitude.
Your friend in Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #9:
Hello I was raised in a Christian home and I was baptized in 2001 while in high school yet afterwards I was sinning and disobedient to God till about a few months ago shortly after I turned 30 and I realized how I've been living my life and realized I've failed God every single time so I asked God for forgiveness and repented and changed my life around. But at times I still fall to temptation and I'm really trying hard not to sin and to obedient to God's Word I tried before in my early 20's but failed miserably. I sometimes feel like if I mess up again then I will be cut off from God and I don't want that to happen and sometimes I wonder if I'm already am. It hurts when I realized I gave into fleshly temptation. Please help me understand I wish I really knew where I stand with God or am I doomed to judgment?
Response #9:
It's good to make your acquaintance.
I want to assure you that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are
not doomed but instead have eternal life and will, with the rest of us
who are your brothers and sisters in Him, live with our Lord forever in
resurrection . . . just as long as you hold fast to your faith
throughout this short life.
You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matthew 10:22 NIV
If only those who did not sin were saved, then no one would be saved,
because all sin (Rom.3:23), all stumble (Jas.3:2), and anyone who claims
they do not makes God out to be a liar (1Jn.1:8; 1:10). Blessedly, since
Christ has already died for all of our sins (1Jn.2:2), our sins are
forgiven when we believe, and all of the subsequent sins committed
thereafter are forgiven when we confess (1Jn.1:9). If our heart convicts
us, we know that God is greater than our hearts (1Jn.3:20), and that we
have an Advocate before the Father to speak up on our behalf, Jesus
Christ our Lord (1Jn.2:1).
Make no mistake. Sin is an issue, but it is an issue for reasons
different from what many who are not well versed in the Bible often
suppose. Sin is rebellion against God, just as any time a child violates
one of their parents' rules. But there is a big difference between
causing mischief and being punished for it, then getting back to normal
behavior on the one hand, and being so resistant to parental authority
that the child eventually runs away. Sin is a problem, obviously,
because it is a bad witness, because it results in divine discipline
from the Lord (analogous to parental punishment likewise meant for our
good but painful at the time: Heb.12:5-13), because it is
counterproductive to accomplishing the mission for which we are still
here on earth after salvation, and because enough sin done arrogantly
enough for long enough will eventually result in our estrangement from
the Lord not by His actions but by our choice: few people can
disrespect any authority to a violent and vigorous degree and still
retain any loyalty to that authority at the end of the road of revolt
and rebellion. So most who have become believers but sour on the
relationship, blaming God, for example, for bad things that happen in
their lives, will eventually fall away and stop believing. Sin is
sometimes a catalyst in this process of apostasy because it can involve
becoming enamored of certain behaviors which the person knows are
unacceptable to the Lord, but said person would rather embrace the sin
than have to answer to the Lord for continuing in it (see the link:
"Apostasy"). Not all believers who are caught in the web of some chronic
sin go that route, however. Equally common is the believer who "halts
between two opinions" (1Ki.18:21) and refuses to give up either the
sinful behavior or the Lord. That is not a sustainable situation,
however, because the Lord will not allow it to continue forever. He will
ramp up the divine discipline and if the believer in question still
refuses to repent and change his/her ways, will eventually bring said
person home to heaven in a painful way, namely, through the
"sin unto
death" (1Jn.5:16; see the link).
From your email, my impression is that you are interested in getting
your Christian life back on track. That is admirable, and I encourage
you to persevere in that intention. It is far from unusual for people
who are saved at a young age to stray from the Lord as young adults and
then come back to Him once they have "gone over fool hill" (as my
maternal grandfather was fond of saying) and found it pointless (that
was my own experience). Being forgiven for sin is easily accomplished
easy for us since Christ died spiritually in the darkness of Calvary in
bearing all of our sins for us. All we need to do is
confess to be
forgiven (see the link). But this is only part of the solution to
victory over sin. To be truly victorious in all things in the Christian
life (of which sanctification is a part, a necessary part, but only a
part) requires spiritual growth. One cannot fight this fight without
ammunition, and our ammunition as believers is the truth of the Word of
God, heard, understood, believed and properly applied. Getting to the
point of spiritual maturity thereby is not an overnight thing, and if we
are in need of spiritual recovery from some hole into which we have
leapt, that may require extra effort and time. But all spiritual
problems are ultimately resolved by spiritual growth and only by
spiritual growth.
To that end, I encourage you not only to confess your sins and set
yourself to walking in a sanctified way, but also to do what is
necessary in order for this to really work in the long term . . . and
also to fulfill the purpose Christ has for your life. You are most
welcome at Ichthys for that purpose of learning the truth so as to grow,
progress and eventually produce for the Lord, but I do urge you, in case
this ministry is not your "cup of tea", to find some place where the
Word of God is being taught in depth and in an orthodox and doctrinal
way so as to be able to build on your good intention the spiritual
edifice Christ means you build. Staying away from sin is our "defense";
but while defense is necessary, it takes "offense" to win this spiritual
battle. That is the growth without which a Christian is leaving
him/herself largely defenseless against the devices of the evil one.
Here are a few links to help get you started with this (and they will
lead you to many others):
Salvation Lost and Found
Spiritual Growth II
Spiritual Growth II
Encouragement, Spiritual Testing and Spiritual Growth
Encouragement, Spiritual Testing and Spiritual Growth II
Sin, Fear and Forgiveness
Christian Struggle, Perseverance and Deliverance
Guilt, Sin and Victory through Spiritual Growth
Apostasy, Sin and Salvation
Salvation Questions
Salvation Questions II
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #10:
Your responses to the questions you have received from the emails on
your site have truly helped me in defending the word of God as well as
ministering the word of God. Your ministry has truly helped me to bless
so many and I am so thankful for your anointing and what the Spirit of
the Lord has revealed to you. I have been studying the word consistently
daily. I have been in the word since I was 5 years old and I am now 42
and God has truly helped me to straighten any crooked paths regarding
his word. Since first stumbling along your page, God has freed me from a
particular sin which was pretty much my only stronghold. I am more
confident in His word and I can with a clear conscious truly say, I'm
free! Thank you for your wise counsel, and I pray my strength in the
Lord it will not be in vain.
V/r Your brother and student in Christ
Response #10:
Thanks for your encouraging testimony!
The power of the Word of God is indeed truly awesome. The truth is the
answer to all problems and the scriptures have the answer to all
worthwhile questions for those who keep seeking the truth the right
way, in the Spirit.
I am certain that you on are on your way to a great reward. So keep
fighting the fight, my friend! There is nothing but blessing at the end
of that road, even if we do have to fly through some flak on the way
there.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #11:
Hi
Bob,
I have sinned greatly against God, because I visited a very bad
political website after getting TOO caught up in politics this election
cycle. I had nightmares of having my eyes gauged out a la Zedekiah for
visiting this website. Pray that God may not remove me from this life.
Response #11:
Visiting bad websites of any kind is always a bad idea, but it's questionable if
what you mention is even sinful. Even if it is/was, God forgives us any sin when
we confess it (1Jn.1:9) because Jesus has already died for it. So while doing
something that violates our standards is not a good idea (Rom.14:23; Jas.4:17),
allowing ourselves to become guilt ridden over something we have repented of and
confessed is ten times worse.
Repent, confess, forget and move on. That is the only way for a Christian to
survive and thrive in this life (not forgetting that spiritual growth is the
essential part of the picture).
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #12:
Hi Bob,
I can't answer this question, because I'm not gay. But do some people
naturally feel attraction for the same sex, or is it ALWAYS a result of
perversion from poor choices?
Response #12:
Neither am I, but from what we can tell from scripture (see BB 3B for details),
while everyone has a sin nature, not everyone is tempted to the same things. All
are tempted, but some more so than others in one thing or another. We can
certainly see that in our observation of human life as well. Engaging in sin
amplifies and accelerates sinfulness I should add. Romans chapter one and James
chapter one talk about the process. So a Christian walking closely with Jesus
will be tempted; but an unbeliever or rebellious Christian who involves
him/herself in gross sin will go from bad to worse and end up doing things and
being tempted to things that otherwise would not be much of a problem. We are
all different in tastes; we are all human and identical in the biggest things
under the skin (the spirit's free will opposed to the flesh).
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #13:
Dear Bob,
Your response this week to that woman was impressive. I couldn't have
handled it with the dignity you did. I think you were getting through to
her, but I would have been inclined to state it more directly. (Probably
losing her for good which I suspect is inevitable.)
I read in 1 Corinthians 6:9,10. "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall
not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves
with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." Also Romans
1:26-27.
That seems to me to be a resounding condemnation of the behavior. While
I've never treated a homosexual crudely (though they have treated me
that way,) I avoid them if at all possible. Further, I also believe that
the "marriage" brouhaha is a direct attack on Christianity since civil
unions and civil contracts have always been available. Their argument
strikes me as specious. I prefer Lot's approach. My understanding is
that, if they're still doing this at their end, they'll not enter the
kingdom of heaven.
In other matters, recent stumbling verses were 2 Corinthians 2:15,16. I
don't know how many times I've read this and thought I understood, but
this last time brought me up short. I have understood it to mean the
death of the earthly and rebirth in the Spirit. Is this a correct
understanding?
Thanks. Yours in Jesus Christ,
Response #13:
Good to hear from you, my friend. I hope all is going well with you and
yours.
To take your last question first, Paul is speaking in 2nd Corinthians
2:15-16 of his charge to evangelize the world, giving the gospel to all
which results in confirmation of condemnation for those unwilling to
accept it but in eternal life to those who are willing to be saved a
task to which no one is equal.
Thanks for your kind words. The person in this exchange is/was not at
the time confirmed in this behavior, if my correspondence with her prior
to it is a guide. 1st Corinthians 6:9-10 and other such lists in
scripture, if all are read carefully, will indict pretty much everyone
of some past sinfulness in fact in the similar list in Galatians
5:19-21 Paul actually adds for good measure that it is those who
"practice things similar to these things" who will not inherit the
kingdom (meaning any sort of sinful behavior which is embraced as
standard practice, the Greek verb prasso being used with that particular
force here as parallel to "being [by profession] a fornicator" etc. in
the 1Cor.6:9-10).
The purpose of these two catalogues and other such (of which there is a
fair number in scripture, e.g., Ex.20-23; Lev.18-20; Ps.15:2-5;
Prov.6:16-19; Rom.1:18-32; Gal.5:19-21; Eph.5:3-5; 1Tim.1:8-10;
2Tim.3:1-5) is not to make those of us who do not indulge in certain
types of gross sin feel more secure, but to warn every Christian that
the repetitive practice of any sin is a dangerous business and embracing
it as "not a sin" even more so. In practical terms, the way this works
is that refusing to repent of any type of sinful behavior so as to be
fairly characterized as "one who practices it" will lead a believer
either to apostasy (when the contradiction between Gods' Will and the
person's becomes too great to handle with the result that the person
stops being a believer and rejects Christ) or the sin unto death (in
cases where the person refuses either to reject Christ or to give up the
sinful behavior which is repugnant to Him and produces a terrible
witness). The main link on this is in
BB 3B: "Apostasy and the Sin unto
Death".
This was what I was trying to get across to this person, namely, the
inconsistency with being a believer and the resultant spiritual danger
of doing things one knows clearly from scripture are prohibited as
sinful and repugnant to the Lord. The worst thing any believer can do is
to start telling him/herself that sinful behavior "X" is actually not
sinful. Turning truth on its head will always land a believer on his/her
backside and often very quickly too.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #14:
Dear Bob,
Thanks for clearing up what Paul meant. It concerns me a little that my
preconceived notions may have clouded my understanding of other
scripture. I assume it was the Holy Spirit that brought me up short this
time. Line on line, precept on precept is true. I hope your
correspondent eventually sees the light. Living with someone doesn't
necessarily make for a sinful relationship. I've had roommates in the
past. But sexual intercourse does. "Having her baby" regardless of how
it's done seems to me to qualify as the same thing.
I don't want to judge nor is it my place. From your description of "prasso"
I doubt it does; that word suggests a prostitute. I have enough trouble
keeping myself straight without correcting
someone else. I worry, though, that she's headed down a very bad path.
I worry about my own sins that I've not recognized as sins, so haven't
confessed. Somehow asking for forgiveness of all sins recognized or not
doesn't seem to resolve the problem. My constant sin is my mouth, I
suspect. (Too much time on the East Coast.) One day, with God's help,
I'll get that under control. As an aside, as someone who was married 35
years to a woman Icherished, I think Paul's advice was best. Stay single. Get a good dog.
Anyone who would want more than one wife should be committed to an
asylum. Although I know some people who can't stand to be alone and
remarry after losing a spouse, I would argue against it.
Along those lines, my understanding of Biblical marriage/the taking of a
spouse is having intercourse with her. The two become one flesh, hence
marriage. The same is true of any two people combining bodily fluids
that way. They become one. (The church of science is confirming that in
the horizontal DNA exchange.) Hence the "confusion" of homosexual sex.
Also, my understanding of Biblical marriage is that the husband (after
the taking of a spouse) is to take responsibility for his wife and
offspring -- regardless of how many wives he may have or how many women
he's bedded. That's something that doesn't always happen today in spite
of state authorized marriage.
In any event, thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding of Paul's
statements. Thank you, also, for being willing and able to field
questions like this. All is well here as I hope it is for you. Thank you
for asking.
Yours in Jesus Christ,
Response #14:
You very welcome, my friend. Glad to hear you are doing well!
Yes, I pray for this person too. Clearly, any sort of sinful conduct is
going to bring discipline from the Lord. Bigger problems occur when we
start seeing a sinful course as "an option" and "not really all that
bad" or even "virtuous". Turning the truth on its head is the fastest
route into apostasy or the sin unto death (depending upon the true
resiliency of the person's faith). While sex isn't marriage (marriage is
marriage), it's absolutely a problem outside of marriage (as God defines
marriage); and I certainly agree with you about taking responsibility. I
think if more people realized viscerally what sort of responsibilities
marriage entails, especially in God's eyes, there would be less
accidents along these lines.
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #15:
I've come to the realization that OSAS/Positional Security along with
the constant assurances of "we all sin and we'll never stop, just
confess and you're forgiven" has caused me to backslide.
Exactly like it says in the post about the three false doctrines. Along
with that truth I found in the post, I've also come to a point of
confusion and a sense of abandonment from God. I've heard assurance from
everyone, but it leaves me questioning their faith as well because they
believe the same lie that I bought into. I backslid for about two years.
I've not stopped praying the whole time, still have a desire for church,
a relationship with the Lord, to know Him intimately, be involved with
whatever will He has for my life, etc. and I know that in and of itself
doesn't mean I'm Christian. I'm just saying that I'm not denying Christ
or denouncing the faith. However, I prayed 3 weeks ago that God makes me
more sensitive to the nudges of the Holy Spirit, to continue to convict
me of known sin and convict me of unknown sin, and that my fiancι and I
would come to an intimate relationship with Him and that our marriage be
centered around Him. That evening I happened to be at a Bible study
(completely unplanned. One I've never been to) and it was on a Spirit
driven life. I thought about my prayer about the Holy Spirit that
morning and it made me feel like it was an answered prayer, but then
Hebrews 6:4-6 came up and I felt condemned. My question is, can I be
forgiven due to ignorance because I bought into the lie of positional
security and be restored to God or have I "fallen away" or done what
Hebrews 10:26 is describing? I feel like I've committed the unpardonable
sin, and I'm so angry with the false doctrines going around leading
people astray.
Response #15:
It's good to make your acquaintance. I'm happy to hear that you have been helped by these materials, and also that you've come to the realization of what the truth is in regard to the false "Once saved, always saved" teaching. Moreover, your experience of being emotionally pushed to the other extreme after rejection of the first extreme is not uncommon at all. As I like to say at these times, OSAS is not biblical, but neither is "pins and needles salvation", the idea that if we mess up we are immediately tossed out of God's family. Many OSAS'ers are correct about the fact that we are forgiven when we confess: God is 100% faithful to do as He says He will do (e.g., 1Jn.1:9; cf. Ps.9:10) of course He is also faithful as a perfect, loving Father to discipline us for our sins in just the right way to teach us that straying from Him is painful and costly (e.g., Heb.12:1ff.). You are a believer and therefore your salvation is secure as long as you are a believer. What OSAS misses is that just as a person can put their faith in Christ to believe, so also a person can fall away after believing by ceasing to believe at all; it's called apostasy (see the link):
And those [whose seed of faith fell] on the rock do receive the Word with joy when they hear it. However these [types] have no root [to their faith]. They believe for a while, but in time of testing they apostatize.
Luke 8:13
Apostasy is not easy to accomplish however. It is also not the direct
result of sin, any sin, no matter how terrible that sin may seem to us
(all sin is terrible, even the ones that don't bother us at all, and
Jesus had to pay the entire price for them all on the cross). The
relationship of sin to apostasy is that sin weakens faith, and the worse
the sin, the more frequent the sin, the longer before we confess the
sin, and particularly falling into a pattern of sin from which we are
unwilling to extricate ourselves, weakens it all the more. And if faith
dies out, we are then no longer believers and only believers are
saved. Generally speaking, it isn't sin that usually brings on apostasy
but a person feeling let down or disappointed by God. More often than
not, the believer who falls into a pattern of gross sin which he/she is
not willing to give up is also not willing to give up the Lord and faith
in Him. When that happens, the result is not apostasy but the sin unto
death (see prior link), whereby the Lord takes that believers and
his/her terrible witness out of this world and brings them to heaven:
salvation is not lost, but no doubt such individuals will have little to
show for their lives here on earth, and we are here to win
eternal
rewards (see the link).
It seems clear to me from your testimony that the Lord is working in
your life to get you not only to live in a sanctified way (that is the
good and very necessary "defense" of the Christian life), but also to
move you towards spiritual growth, toward positive progress in your walk
with Him, and eventually toward ministry (in accord with whatever gifts
you have been give) so as to earn a good reward which glorifies Him.
That requires not just "being good", praying and reading one's Bible,
but also consistently accessing, hearing/reading, and believing the
truth as it is taught from a sound and spiritually reliable teaching
ministry. There aren't many of these around nowadays (few churches teach
at all and those who do are usually caught up in one set of false
teachings or another just as you report). It's not everyone's cup of
tea (and I am happy to recommend a few other places), but I like to
think that Ichthys is one such good place, and you are certainly welcome
to all the materials here (I also recommend
"Bible Academy" at the
link).
Before closing, let me give you a few links for reassurance that you are
not in danger of losing your salvation:
No, Hebrews does not teach that you lost your salvation.
Have I Lost my Salvation?
Have I Lost My Salvation? (III)
Salvation Lost and Found
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #16:
Hi Dr
The more you think you are spiritually strong, the more the Lord shows
you, you have flaws and makes you realize that you will never be 100%
sanctified on the flesh. I am doing good from my standpoint thinking I
have a routine of studying His word, fighting the fight if faith with my
trials and my spiritual progress has matured and then out of nowhere
sexual sin. Something pops up online that gets your imagination running
wild and before you know, you clicked and fell for the temptation.
We are but just men and without his grace and mercy, none of us can make
it. This humbled me but now I have to fight harder the temptations when
they come, especially when I am idle, which is not that often, which is
a blessing in disguise.
In Christ our Lord
p.s. One thing I did notice is that when temptation does come my way,
whatever kind it is, I don't pray for deliverance. I will make of an
effort when I know temptation is at the door to stop and pray that the
Lord delivers. I believe that will help me even though I don't fall
every time but one fall is enough.
Response #16:
I think you have hit upon it exactly. The evil one is very adept at
working hand in glove with our sin natures to take advantage of every
opportunity offered. When we are fighting a good fight, there is often
little opportunity for temptation (rather that will be the time of
tricky opposition). But just as David failed so spectacularly with
Bathsheba when he decided very uncharacteristically to leave off his
normal practice of accompanying the army when in the field, so when we
ease up even for very deserved and needed rest it is often the case
that we let our guard down as well. On this score, no doubt married men
have an advantage over single men on the one hand (1Cor.7:1-2), but on
the other hand the former may be less accustomed to these attacks and
thus more vulnerable on the rare occasions when they are more open to
them it certainly didn't "help" David that he had multiple wives at
the time of his failure. We live in a time when all things carnal are
hyped by the devil's system in a more brazen and ubiquitous way (with
modern media) than perhaps ever before in human history. But we mature
believers ought to be able to put these temptations largely aside,
avoiding them as much as possible in the first place.
Some helpful tactics: 1) "avoid [as far as possible] anything that even
looks like evil" in this regard and on this score: 1Thes.5:22; 2) "fear
God" (Eccl.12:13) in regard to the potential consequences of this sort
of failure (David received 14 years of the most intensive
discipline/punishment ever; cf. Prov.5:1-14; Eccl.7:28; Is.3:16-26); 3)
look below the surface (2Cor.10:7): below any attractive exterior is an
inner person . . . with all the flaws and disagreeable traits we have
ourselves, maybe even more so; the exterior, therefore, is mostly a lie
(Prov.31:10), and we also don't want to be guilty of putting a stumbling
block in anyone's path; 4) For those who are married, it is important
always to keep the commitments we have made firmly in mind, and make the
best of what we have been given by the Lord, remembering that in reality
nothing is perfect in this life (Prov.5:15-23).
This is a fight which can be won; but it does have to be fought with
honor and consistency in order to be won.
One final note here, since you mention the internet: there is a
difference between temptation and sin. And there is a difference between
a mental slip and what David (a greater believer than any of us by far)
did in stumbling so dramatically as he did. Still, one thing leads to
another. This must have been true in David's case too (Jas.1:14-15). We
don't have all the details, but he didn't just "up and commit adultery";
there was some prologue there. This is why it is important for us to
fight the fight at the first sign of trouble. The further out we draw
the line, the more intolerant we are of allowing any consideration of
such things in our hearts, the less we give the evil one any sort of
opportunity to tempt us in this way, and the better for all concerned.
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
1st Corinthians 6:18 KJV
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #17:
Also, you feel bad after falling for such easy temptation. I felt bad
all day and that is a good sign I guess so I should be in a better
position next time the Lord wants to test me to refine me again.
Thank you and God bless
Response #17:
You're always welcome, my friend.
I do think that part of the divine discipline for any failure where we
really did "know better" and "saw it coming" yet sinned anyway is just
this sort of dis-ease. It is a blessing, not only because it helps us
learn our lesson, and the only way we will stop "feeling bad" for such
things besides learning not to fall into the same trap again is to
quench the Spirit's powerful witness (1Thes.5:19), and that would be a
big step in the wrong direction.
Also, it's not a bad idea to distinguish between genuine tests of faith
which are of God, helping us to grow by challenging our faith, and
fleshly temptations which arise from the sin nature spurred on by the
evil one and his minions. This latter category is ubiquitous in our day
and age. Certainly, God is the Author of the plan, and everything that
happens has been taken into account by Him, but I still think the
distinction is quite important:
(13) Let no one say when he is being tempted, "I'm being tempted by God!" For God has nothing to do with evil temptations, nor does He tempt anyone. (14) Rather, everyone is tempted by his own lust, being dragged away [by it] and enticed [by it]. (15) Then, should lust conceive (i.e., should the person give in to it), it gives birth to sin. And sin, should it be fully carried out to the end (i.e., should the person give in to a life of sin), produces death (i.e., spiritual death, the death of faith).
James 1:13-15
This is also an important point to make on account of the possible confusion because the same Greek word(s) is used for both testing and tempting. The peira- root clearly has to do with "tempting" in the verses above, but there are places, e.g., Hebrews 11:17, where we clearly have to do with a test which is from God (cf. Cor.10:13 where it can be both). Please see the links:
And a final note on spiritual combat tactics: those preparing for or
engaging in ministry already have (or should have) plenty on our plates
to keep us so busy that we don't have the time (or even energy) for such
things. After all, learning and mastering Greek and Hebrew alone can
take a lifetime. We all need to relax from time to time but that is
precisely the time we can't afford to relax too much (just ask David).
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #18:
This is where I learned a valuable lesson as part of my spiritual
growth. I didn't pray. If the temptation was that powerful, I should
have immediately prayed but I didn't because I thought I could easily
think of something else or allow myself to get distracted from something
else.
In the past, this worked because I was a spiritual infant and the Lord
was helping me to grow. Now that I have been walking more consistently,
he wants me to grow to rely on him when temptation comes and I believe
as you grow spiritually, the temptations become more intense and that is
where your maturity is shown.
I confessed to the Lord I wasn't matured but He did give me insights so
I believe with the Spirit's help I am ready to handle another instance
of intense temptation, even if it is not of similar nature.
One other thing, forget about learning Greek and Hebrew, studying and
perusing your site will keep you busy just as much. I have read up to
2/2015 of all previous email postings and still have 750 weekly email
postings to go. That will keep me busy. I was printing out each weeks
email and kept a large 3 ring binders that hold 10 lessons each and I
have 10 binders already but when ai realized I have 750 more emails to
read, my strategy has changed. That is over 75 binders not including
current weeks email. I decided to only print out current week's email
but at the rate you produced your emails I might have to find another
solution. I like to print and read your materials. All of your study
materials are printed in binders. I have to figure out what to do about
emails.
Response #18:
I appreciate your spirit. One other thing I can tell you about all this
is that while you and I are discussing this from a theological point of
view, looking at the issue in a timeless fashion as it needs to be
considered in such discussions, from a practical point of view we
Christians also need to be quick to move on from failures and not dwell
on them. God has forgiven us, and that is true even if He is doling out
some discipline to help us to avoid the same mistake(s) in future. So
after we turn back to Him and confess whatever it is, large or small,
it's important not to get hung up on these past mistakes and anything
that happened even as recently as yesterday is the distant past in
Christian terms. We are here to live for the Lord one day at a time.
It's a trap for a Christian either to get caught looking too far into
the future (planning is needful to a certain degree, but we really have
no idea what will happen even tomorrow: Jas.4:13-16), and if we are
fretting about what we did wrong yesterday or what we failed to do
that we should have done we risk missing the boat on what we are
supposed to be doing (or refraining from doing) right here and now. The
Christian life is spiritual combat, and every combat veteran understands
that not paying attention, being mentally distracted, can get a soldier
killed very quickly, even if it is only a momentary lapse. Falling into
sin or getting distracted from our present tasks on account of past sins
does not result in immediate death of course, but these things can trip
us up in our walk, slow down our spiritual progress, result in divine
discipline, give us another dose of regret we have to fight and fend
off, and just generally impede the progress which the is the whole point
of our being here after salvation. Some mistakes are going to happen.
But it is very important not to let worrying about what has already
happened make us more vulnerable to more such things happening here and
now since we are putting ourselves off of our game by allowing ourselves
to be distracted with thoughts about the past. We can't change the past
not even what happened yesterday. We can make today count for our
Lord, if we give it our full attention. If we do, tomorrow will take
care of itself too.
On the topic of studies, I didn't realize there were that many! While
I'm flattered that you would think them worthy of printing out and
organizing, I think your contemplated switch to reading the postings
on-line is a good one. I used to do exhaustive notes on my mentor Col.
Thieme's tapes. Today, the value of that is all in what I concentrated
on and the truth I remembered in my heart, not in my filing system (I
don't even have most of those many binders anymore).
Yours in our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Bob L.
Question #19:
Hi Bob,
I've been studying the ten commandments, through the work of the
wonderful Thomas Watson (titled, unsurprisingly, The Ten Commandments).
And I've come to a terrifying realization: it's too hard. I cannot obey
God's perfect moral law. I know exactly what it demands, and I fall
horribly, horribly short. And the New Testament says that only doers of
the law, not hearers of the law will be saved. After all, the Devil
knows that Christ is "the Holy One of Israel," but it's not doing him
any good. My heart has many idols. I love the boastful pride of life and
boasting in my own works. So I am a breaker of the second commandment.
My heart does not respect the name and authority of God, so I break the
third commandment. I am too ashamed to go over the rest! How do I know
if I have the right kind of faith? There is a type of faith that is
dead, mere appraisal of the facts of the Bible.
Response #19:
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Romans 3:20 NIV
For all sin and fall short of God's glory.
Romans 3:23
We all fall short of the perfect standard of the Law; the Law was given
to convict people of sin so that they might be saved. And when we
believe in Jesus Christ, all of our sins, past, present and future are
washed away. That is "the redemption which is in Christ Jesus"
(Rom.3:24).
You have faith. I can testify to that. Can you live a more sanctified
life? We can all stand to improve. If you have sinned, confess and move
on. This is a fight to the finish in which we are involved, and no
Christian can afford to get overly subjective about it. You have been
fighting a good fight. If you are convicted that you need to fight it
harder and better, start trying to do so; and if you have failed, get
back up and try not to fail again. But please don't think that you'll
ever be perfect. That is not an excuse not to try; but if you accept the
false premise that perfection is possible it will destroy you or turn
you into a legalist who redefines sin into some comfortable (false)
formula.
Be pleased to thank God for His ineffable grace in removing all of your
sins in Jesus Christ. Jesus died for your sins they are already
covered by His blood. Please appreciate that. Becoming too subjectively
focused on what we have done takes our gaze off of what Christ has done
for us. So be grateful and happy that you have been forgiven!
In the One who died for us that we might live with Him forever, our dear
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Bob L.
Question #20:
Hi Robert Dean Luginbill, Ph.D.,
I really like your site. I have a weird question. Is innocence blind. I
think it is to evil and yet how much we are exposed to evil. My question
is How do I know what to ignore and what to highlight. I don't want to
be too blind and yet I value innocence very much. I think Jesus is
calling me to greater innocence every day. I don't think He wants me to
avoid certain things that are evil but He doesn't want me participating.
To be in the world but not of it.
An example is my television. I have to try and stay current on events
but I can't stand the advertisements and such which are very offensive.
I don't want to be an old fuddy duddy but I'd rather be ignorant than
less innocent. Not that I am totally because I make mistakes. But I am
forgiven because of Jesus the Son of God come in the flesh.
I just need some help in this area. Sorry to ramble on but I really have
no one I trust to answer this question.
Thanks in advance.
Response #20:
Good to make your acquaintance.
As to your question, the word "innocent" and its cognates have developed
some connotations in English which are not necessarily helpful in
understanding what scripture teaches.
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Matthew 10:16 KJV
NIV, ESV and NASB, to name three popular versions, have "innocent" here
instead of harmless. Both words fall short of doing justice to the Greek
word akeraios which means, literally, "unmixed", and in this context has
the double meaning of being actively and passively separated from evil
in terms of interacting with the world, uncompromised by it, that is.
That is to say, to fulfill this command, the believer should be
"harmless" in terms of how he/she relates to others (like a sheep rather
than a wolf), but also pure in terms of not allowing the ubiquitous evil
viewpoint and carnality of this world invade his/her thinking and values
so as to corrupt a simple love for Jesus Christ.
How to do this? It is perhaps easier to see how not to do wrong to
others, but even here we all fall short. As I often tell readers, if you
ever think you have "arrived", see how you react in traffic the next
time you are late for work; or take notice of how you deal with some
cashier or someone on the phone who is being particularly unhelpful.
Clearly, we could all use a little more patience in respect to how we
deal with others, even if we are much more sheep than wolf in this
regard.
Getting better regarding the above is a question of learning and
applying the truth of the Word of God. Not just one piece here or there
but the entire breadth and length of biblical truth. So spiritual growth
and progress in the application of the truth one has learned and
believed (it does no good merely to "know" truth; it has to be believed
to benefit us) is as with so many other things in the Christian life the
essential key here. Getting better at using this key in situations such
as the one described is a life-long process.
The same thing applies in terms of how we ward off evil influence. We
cannot "go out of the world", as Paul assures us (1Cor.5:10). Many in
the past have tried this foolish experiment but every monastery in
history is monument to the impossibility of escaping worldly influence
through physical separation. Our separation has to be spiritual to work.
Spiritual growth provides the armor we need to resist the temptations
and the pollutions of this world. It is virtually impossible to avoid
contact with such influences. Obviously, there are TV programs we
shouldn't watch, websites we shouldn't frequent, music we shouldn't
listen to. But it is impossible even to move around in a modern city
without hearing music we wouldn't choose to hear, seeing images we
wouldn't choose to see, and reading copy/headlines we would rather not
consider.
As in all things in the Christian life where it comes to application of
the truth to complicated life circumstances, a proper balance needs to
be struck and this will differ from individual believer to individual
believer . . . because we are all different in many ways and also
because no two of us are at the same point of spiritual growth.
So, just for example, I get emails from individual who realize they have
an obsession with certain types of music. In such cases, avoiding such
music and perhaps music altogether as much as is possible is not a bad
thing to do. Or others who are addicted to television or music or social
media or whatever. Anything we are doing too much of anything the
Spirit is telling us is getting out of hand needs to be addressed for
our spiritual welfare. What is to be avoided in this process, however,
is the double-edged danger the Christian encounters when making such
lifestyle changes: 1) on the one hand, we need to be careful not to make
a virtue out of any sort of self-denial of anything: it may be indeed a
spiritually salutary thing for us to do to stop watching satirical and
scatological comedy altogether, but it is dangerous to be proud about
giving it up and doubly dangerous to look askance at others who have not
made the same application; 2) whatever we decide to do in terms of
behavior changes, it is important not to make a "law" out of such
things, even if we are going completely "cold turkey" regarding whatever
it is: we have to remember that this is our application which may change
over time to some degree, and that if we are not convicted that a
particular activity of this sort is sinful, then "failing" on any given
day is not something we need to feel guilty about. Guilt is a very
damaging emotion and often used by the devil and his minions to gain a
foothold in manipulating us.
I'm always happy to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ to grow
closer to the Lord. That is what it is all about. If watching less TV,
for example, allows a person to spend more time listening to or reading
good Bible study and also the Bible itself, and if such a change makes
seeing things from God's point of view more consistent, well and good.
But making behavioral changes apart from the objective of spiritual
growth, progress and production the plan of God for believers in a
nutshell is fraught with legalistic perils and does nothing to advance
our spirituality. We need to keep our eye on the prize, the eternal
rewards our Lord has for us . . . not for presenting a certain
appearance to the world, but for actually growing in the truth, actually
walking closer to Him through that truth, and actually helping others to
do the same through ministry. That is where
the crowns of righteousness,
life and glory grow (see the link).
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #21:
Dear Robert Luginbill,
Thank you for your response. I appreciate mostly that you did respond
and your encouragement. I like the way it is a journey and how listening
to God and keeping from idols is important. You are a smart person. God
loves you. Thanks again. You more then answered my question you gave me
hope.
Response #21:
You are most welcome. Please feel free to write any time.
Incidentally, you might want to look at the recent Ichthys posting, "Dealing
with Sin and Guilt" it has a lot to say about this subject also. Wishing you
continued spiritual progress and production in Jesus Christ our Lord, and a
wonderful reward on that great day of days.
In Jesus Christ who is our everything.
Bob L.