How should we as Christians respond to homosexuals? Christian churches have split over the gay issue. Few issues in our generation have polarized Christians as does homosexuality. This topic has become a battlefield, with Christians from two extreme positions lobbing theological grenades and demeaning, judgmental insults at each other from opposing perspectives:
Extreme Liberal View
Homosexuals are born as homo- sexuals. God made them, and therefore any biblical references that seem to prohibit loving homosexual practice are archaic and culturally biased. Why would God create a homosexual and then accuse him/her of sinning if they express their love with another homosexual in a monogamous relationship? Homosexuals in loving and faithful relationships are simply demonstrating their love. Those who take any other position are homophobic, bigots and hatemongers.
Extreme Conservative View
The practice of homosexuality is condemned in the Bible. Homosexuals are not born – they are made. Nature does not produce homosexuals – they are produced by dysfunctional relationships and a corrupt world. Homosexuals are deviates and perverts – they are skilled at using politics and the media, attempting to move homosexuality into the mainstream of society. The truth is that homosexuality is absolutely the worst kind of sin.
A Balanced, Christ-centered Perspective
There is a third alternative increasingly favored by many Christians. These Christians reject both extremes and advocate a balanced and biblical, Christ-centered viewpoint that doesn’t answer all the questions or solve every ambiguity, but comes closer to authentic Christianity than the two extremes. This third, balanced perspective acknowledges that no one definitively knows whether homosexuals are born or whether they become that way. The jury is still out, with conflicting studies and research, much of which unfortunately seems to be self-serving and subjectively skewed. The Bible condemns homosexual practice, along with many other sins, including hatred, pride and self-righteousness. On the one hand, no human has the capability of declaring some of the Bible to be true and accurate, with other portions being myth and opinion. Such “scholarship” attempting to justify homosexual practice is self-serving abuse of the Bible. On the other hand, the Bible does not indicate that homosexuality is the worst of all sins, nor does it give such a ranking to any sin. The gospel of Jesus Christ makes it clear that we are all sinners to start and that we all need Jesus Christ. Above all, the Bible clearly defines Christians as those who have love. Christians are identified by this love – God’s love. This love is not a word or concept that humans can subjectively use to justify their behavior. Love is not expressed through lying, stealing, hating, pride, envy, drunkenness, gluttony or homosexuality. Love is not expressed by condemning others, shouting insults at them from picket lines or ostracizing them. Unfortunately, many have taken unbiblical views that are either self-serving and self-justifying on one hand, or judgmental and hateful on the other. Sadly, many Christians have become known as bigots who have no time for homosexuals. All Christians are humanly born sinners, and even continue to sin after their new birth in Christ. Christians have proclivities and weaknesses of all kinds, including homosexuality. However, Christians who are homosexuals, who have homosexual desires, including those who have once been practicing homosexuals will not, by definition, practice homosexuality. They will not parade their pride in the practice of homosexuality and insist that the church or society at large accept them in same sex marriage. Marriage is one man and one woman according to the Bible. Therefore, a Christian homosexual will be a celibate homosexual, much as a recovering alcoholic will not drink any alcohol, and they will avoid situations where they may be tempted. Other Christians who happen to have differing weaknesses and sins will reach out to celibate homosexual Christians rather than condemn them. Christians are known by God’s love that lives in us through Jesus Christ. Christ lives His life within us and reforms us in God’s image, transforming us from all human culture, including the culture of homosexuality. We claim to love the sinner and hate the sin, but the problem of homosexuality and its destructive effects within our society has surely made it a challenge. Still, it can’t be right for Christianity to be pitted against homosexuality as though it were the worst sin on parade. I recently heard of a pastor who resigned his position and filed for divorce to marry the church secretary with whom he had been sexually active. His main complaint: his wife was too fat. Is his sin less than one of homosexuality? Such hypocrisy makes our very specific outrage over homosexuality difficult for those in darkness to understand. According to the Bible, God intended marriage to be a lifelong, committed relationship between a man and a woman. Divorce, spousal abuse and extramarital affairs all dishonor marriage, as does homosexuality. Yet as restrictive and unpopular as this message is for many people, it can only be heard if it is accompanied by love. For Christians, the real issue surrounding homosexuality isn’t genetics or religious freedom or even a constitutional amendment. We’ve focused on these enough. The real issue is the call of Jesus Christ. Let us be the first to heed it. We may be surprised to see who follows! [Back to Home]
Sure you do! But where is it? What does it contain? How does the Bible use the word "heart"? I have become increasingly aware that the use of the word "heart" can be confusing to Christians who are trying to sort out the meaning of their salvation – what really happens at salvation, and how it affects our human lives. We hear sermons and read about a NEW heart, a CHANGED heart, a REPENTANT heart, a BROKEN heart, etc., and without the proper differentiation in meaning, there can be misconception and confusion. Before we can start on the usages of the word "heart", it is well to consider the basic composition of man. The apostle Paul seems to be the first person (except Jesus Christ) in the Bible who really recognized the actual structure of this organism we call a human being. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, he states, "…I pray God that your whole SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." You ARE a spirit, you HAVE a soul and you LIVE IN a body. We are tripartite beings – three interrelated parts functioning as a whole. The SPIRIT is the part from the spirit realm of God which makes us into a created "image of God" as stated in Genesis. The SOUL is the intellect, emotions and will contained in the brain by which we choose the path we will follow. And the BODY is all the rest of the material parts of us with which we make our life in this world. So how does all this apply to concepts of the heart? Writers have always found it difficult to express in words things concerning our internal nature and characteristics. Since the organ of the heart is the core of the physical body, they have used the term "heart" to speak of many varying concepts of both spirit and soul also. They have given us a spirit "heart" and a soul "heart" to go along with our body heart. The problem is that there is seldom any differentiation made between the "heart" of the spirit and the "heart" of the soul. They use the term "heart" interchangeably between the two without distinction. This tends to blur the understanding of distinctions between the soul and spirit which must be made for spiritual maturity in Christ. For instance, when the Bible speaks of giving us a NEW heart, this means the one time conversion process by which Christ comes to indwell the Christian. This is the so-called "heart" of the spirit. This is once and forever. When the Bible says we must have a CHANGED heart, or a BROKEN heart, or a REPENTANT heart, or a LOVING heart, this is referring to the soul. We must choose daily with our soul "heart" to follow Christ and to allow Him to guide us into the "fruits" of the Spirit which are nothing more than the supernatural attributes of Christ within the Christian. When these things slip away from us by the influences of the world, we are drawn back by whatever means God chooses to use to a greater understanding of our salvation. I find that many sincere Christians have never made the distinction between soul and spirit. In fact, this distinction has seldom been made at all down through the ages of the church. And the confusion about "heart" just tends to prolong the misunderstanding. I would like to see the term "heart" applied only to the physical heart of the body. At conversion and new birth, we don't get a new "heart", we get a NEW SPIRIT NATURE. As we grow in spiritual maturity in union with Christ, we don't get a changed or a repentant "heart", we get a TRANSFORMED SOUL! You have a blood-pumping HEART – But you also have a spirit and a soul!
It seems to me that the subject of freedom from sin is one of the most distorted of all Biblical truths being taught today. The usual line preached goes something like this: "Brother, if you want to be free from sin, then you had better consecrate yourself to the Lord and walk after all of His laws. God's Law is our boundary to protect us from falling into sin." Have you ever heard this approach before? You probably have in one way or another, and the really sad thing is that most people who hear this type of reasoning usually nod their heads in fervent agreement. Let's get right to the heart of it by looking at Scripture. God's Law won't keep you from sin. The startling truth is this: God's Law keeps you bound up in sin! How can I say this? Well, it's not me saying it. The Bible repeatedly says this. 1 Corinthians 15:56 says: "The power of sin is the Law." This verse says that sin derives its power from the Law. The third Chapter of Romans tells us why this is so. "Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God" (3:19). What does this mean? Perhaps I should say here that God's Law is just, holy, and good. God's Law is right. There is not one thing wrong or out of place in it. But here is what the next verse in this chapter of Romans tells us: "Because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin" (verse 20). You see, God's Law is right, but there is one big flaw with the whole system of the Law. The Law is right, but we aren't! The Law is God's word, but we can't obey it, and the result is that through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. Our failure to consistently meet the demands of the Law only makes us aware of sin and failure. You can preach the Law until you are blue in the face, but there is only one possible outcome to that kind of message: defeat and sin-consciousness. You may be wondering at this point why, if this is so, God instituted the Law in the first place. The reason is simple: He wanted us to know we could not meet its demands. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul put it this way: "But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor" (Gal. 3:23-25) Why was the Law given? To lead us to Christ. The Law makes us aware of sin. Thus, sin's power is found in the Law. The reason God does it this way is so we will see our need for a Savior. When a person comes to Christ, we are no longer under the tutor – the work of the Law is done. Its usefulness is over. To continue under this tutor as a Christian is to ignore Jesus Christ. It's putting yourself right back under the very power of sin. So what happens to the Law anyway? The Bible tells us that Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Law becomes fulfilled in us when we receive Christ as Savior: "The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:2-4) This text perhaps more than any other shows us how the Law and sin were, and are, interwoven. Moreover, we see that the reason Jesus died for us was to condemn sin in His flesh, so the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled. Think about this: if something is fulfilled, do you still need to do it? If it's fulfilled, then it's finished, right? We can go on to something else now because the Law is finished. We can walk in the full provision of the new message of Jesus Christ, for He has fulfilled the Law, met all of its demands, and it is fulfilled in us who believe. Can you see that saying the Law keeps us from sin is a total misunderstanding and the cruelest of all teachings to give to a Christian? The Law doesn't keep you from sin, it keeps you IN SIN! Its demands only make you aware of your failures. THERE IS A BETTER WAY. Recognize what Jesus has done, walk in His finished work, and you will be experientially free from sin. Here is where grace comes in, because this fantastic freedom from sin is made available to us through the grace of God. Look at this verse closely: "Sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14). As long as you try to live under the Law, sin will be master over you. The good news is that you can be free from sin as you live in God's grace. You see, grace is stronger than the Law. The Law said, "Do this and you will live. Don't do this and you will die." But grace says, "Jesus has done it all, and He now offers His victory to you freely." Grace is stronger because we don't play a part in it. We have been, and always will be, the weak link in the chain. So in grace we see Jesus doing for us what we could never do for ourselves, and He includes us in His victory. Let me ask you a simple question, one which will let you know where you stand concerning freedom from sin. When you stumble and sin, what are you aware of – your failure or God's covering grace? If you become fixed upon your failure, then you must still be caught up with the false concept of thinking the Law keeps you from sin. As long as you try to follow God by attempting to obey all the laws, I can guarantee you a life of failure and self-condemnation. Under that system, every fall you have will only further highlight the great gap between God's word and your performance. You will continually feel that you ought to be able to do better and will probably condemn yourself for not overcoming whatever particular sin it is that trips you up. Moreover, after a while you'll begin to feel like the boy plugging the hole in the dyke; you put your thumb in one hole and three more holes pop out. Let's face it, the sin itself lasts only a moment, but the guilt we and others take on can last a lifetime. As long as you measure your performance by the Law, that's how long you will feel like a spiritual flop. Or worse, you may run the risk of hardening your heart so that you won't feel the guilt. Or maybe you will brush your sins under the rug by focusing on other people's sins. You see, this whole system of trying to perfect oneself by the Law is corrupt and your continuation under it can only harm you. Under grace, you realize that Christ lives in you, as you, and for you and that by your new birth you ARE free from sin in your new nature. Sin's paralyzing after-effects are gone. Now if you fail, you can simply agree with God about your sin, receive His forgiveness, and move on. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Forgiveness is for the sin itself, whereas cleansing is for the debilitating guilt which always comes after. You may be thinking that this sounds too easy. Maybe you feel that God shouldn't let you off the hook. Do you see how deeply ingrained within us is the concept which says we need to pay for our sins? As Christians we do a slight variation on this tune. Since we know Jesus died for our sins and for the sins of the world, we can no longer say we need to pay for our sins. So in the place of "pay for sin" we substitute "feel guilty for sins." But it's still the same thing, no matter what you choose to call it. You still find yourself suffering for your sins. "There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). Stop whipping yourself with guilt and condemnation. Stop this practice of comparing your failures with God's Law. It's time to throw out the false doctrine of victory through obedience to the Law. It's time to recognize who you are in Christ. I'm not saying it's OK to sin, but let's clear the air with the honest confession that we do sin. Now, what are we going to do about it? We can go on condemning ourselves and others if we really want to, or we can stop the games and get down to the business of finding true victory over our sins. Here is a radical but true statement: GOD IS NOT INTERESTED IN YOUR PERFORMANCE! He is drawing you and waiting for you to come to the place where you will get sick of your works and will finally turn with the eyes of faith to behold His mighty power working within you. It's HIS performance, not yours, that God is interested in. By becoming fixed in a Christ-consciousness, we will come to where victory really is. God has done it and grace is the door to a true spiritual realization of it. It has always been the fundamental postulate of religion that MAN IS MADE FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. To hold communion with his Creator – this is his nature and the very purpose of his existence. Man bears God's image. It is man's glory to live in this world as a child in his Father's house. But religion has always recognized that there is one factor in human experience which has the fatal power of disturbing this fellowship. That factor is sin. Of all sin's consequences, by far the most serious is the loss of fellowship with God which sin involves. It interrupts the family relationship. This is what Paul calls "alienation". He charges his converts that they "walk not as other Gentiles walk…alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18). Christianity is not to be understood by the analogy of any other faith whatever; if we think to understand it so, we are sure to error badly. With one voice the other religious creeds declare that man must take steps to reconcile or to "please" his God, and so restore himself to favor. Christianity cuts clean across this, and declares the exact opposite. GOD IS THE RECONCILER. God in His untiring love has taken the initiative, has broken into the atmosphere of man's hostility, and has thrown down every barrier that guilt and hopelessness and resentment can erect. Everything in Christianity that matters starts from God's side. The passion and hunger FOR God comes FROM God, and God answers it with Christ. When we accept and allow Christ to direct our life on a day to day basis, we achieve the freedom from sin as designed by God. Because sin is nothing more and nothing less than choosing to live independently from God. And by choosing our union with Christ, we are choosing to NOT LIVE INDEPENDENTLY. Grace is the only true freedom from sin. Grace points us away from ourselves and to our Lord Jesus Christ. "SIN SHALL NOT BE MASTER OVER YOU, FOR YOU ARE NOT UNDER LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE."
We are hearing so much today about “identity theft”. Unscrupulous people get hold of your personal information by devious methods and create a new “you” by use of your social security number and bank account numbers. It can require much effort to clear up the confusion and erase your bad credit rating. Your identity is so important – it is “who you are” and no one else is exactly like you. In today's world we are taught that what we do determines who we are. If you tell a lie, you are a liar. If you steal something, you are a thief. But the Bible teaches something different. According to the Bible, who we are determines what we do! Who our father is, the life that we have in us, our nature, determines our identity, which produces our behavior. I can hear you now saying, "What is he talking about? Is he saying we don't have the freedom to make choices? We have no options on our behavior?" Bear with me as I explain. They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham" (John 8:39). The religious Jews thought that Abraham was their father, and thus their perceived identity was as children of Abraham. Jesus, however, makes it clear that our true identity comes from a lineage that began way before Abraham. He told the "sons of Abraham," You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will [want to] do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and did not abide in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own [resources], for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44). Listen closely. If you are a person who WANTS to lie, it is because it is your nature to lie, which you received from your father, Satan. Telling the lie does not make you a liar. Being a liar by nature makes you WANT to lie. "You do the deeds of your father" (John 8:41). A key to understanding the Christian life is knowing that since Christ is now our life within us, God is our Father. Therefore we have His nature and WANT to do His works because Christ is our identity. THE BORN AGAIN BELIEVER DOES NOT WANT TO LIE FOR IT IS NOT HIS NATURE. Because Christ now lives in us, as us, and through us (Galatians 2:20), it is not we who WANT to sin. Paul explained, "Now if I do that which I don't WANT to do, it is no more I that do it, but sin working in me" (Romans 7:20). Do you get it? Unbelievers – those before a new birth in union with Christ – lie, steal, or sin in general because it is their nature and they WANT to do it. Believers – those born again in Christ – still can lie, steal, or sin in general, but because of their new nature in God, they don't really WANT to do it. It is critical that we Christians determine our identity by the source of our life, and not by the deeds that we sometimes do. Doing wrong does not make you a sinner any more that doing right makes you a saint. All that is required for salvation and new birth is belief. Christians are corrected by God (not punished because Christ received our punishment on the Cross). Certainly we still sin at times. BUT IT IS NOT BECAUSE WE WANT TO. Our new nature does not permit us to WANT to. When we slip and sin, we really don't WANT to, but our human weakness succumbs to temptation. Our divine Father understands and uses the circumstance and all of its fallout to draw us closer to dependence on God's strength through Christ and not our own. Yes, identity is the key to life. All human beings are vessels containing a nature – the nature of Satan before becoming a believer in Jesus Christ, and the nature of God after a new birth in union with Christ. God's salvation for us is receiving a new identity, a new nature in union with Christ. IDENTITY IS CRITICAL.
I live in St. Charles MO located on the Missouri river near the confluence of the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers, the two largest river systems in the United States.
There is much barge traffic on these rivers. Barges are giant steel boats which are capable of carrying many tons of cargo. But how do they do it? They are made of steel, but we all know that if you drop a piece of steel into water it rapidly sinks to the bottom. What's going on here that allows such a heavy weight of cargo to be carried on our waterways without sinking?
There are two physical laws involved: the law of gravity tending to pull the barge down to the depths of the river, and the law of displacement. When we see a barge floating on the river, we know that the law of displacement has set the barge free from the law of gravity. The law of displacement had not negated the law of gravity, but it had set the barge free from the law of gravity in so far as it attempted to sink the barge in the water.
The law of displacement as applied to floating objects is: the total weight of the object must be less than the total weight of the water displaced by the physical size of the object in order for the object to float in the water.
As applied to barges, the total weight of the cargo of grain or oil or whatever is within the steel shell of the vessel must be less than the weight of the water volume displaced outside the vessel as it floats on the water.
Before this displacement principle was discovered, it was thought that any boat had to be made out of material lighter than water such as wood. But during the U.S. Civil War, steel hulled warships began to be constructed - the first steel boats.
Have you ever wondered how to carry your zest and fervor for Christ into those days when the car won't start, or the furnace quits, or the children are sick - or your job is suddenly gone?
What made the difference between the flamingly zealous apostle Paul and his cool-hearted helper Demas, whose fire finally went out? How does one move from a promise to a passion? What makes the difference between one who serves with spirit, and one who only does a duty?
I'm thinking that the real issue is what draws us to God, the underlying incentive, the dream in our hearts, that bright picture in our minds of His promise of future glory and our grip on it, something you and I really want. Each one of us wants eternal life, BUT WE NEED SOMETHING MORE SPECIFIC, A CLEAR MENTAL PICTURE OF WHAT WE WANT TO DO OR BE OR ENJOY IN ETERNITY'!
This picture may be very individualized. Maybe you are like me – one who likes to learn about the universe and its contents. I am ready to enroll in Heaven University and take whatever courses they offer. I like to picture myself flying from galaxy to galaxy, sun to sun, planet to planet, populating and teaching about the fundamentals of God.
For you, the mental and knowledgeable aspects of eternal life might not fascinate you as much as the emotional prospects – the vision of God and the relationships between the inhabitants of heaven. Maybe you yearn to create or design – a new flower, a new pattern, or a perfect work of art that at this time you can only start to imagine.
Yes, all this is well within the wonder of God's promise, which is "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think!" (Eph. 3:20).
People in the Bible were captured by these dreams. You will recall that the old patriarch Abraham was looking for a country, because he was an alien and pilgrim in his own. He was willing to leave that place called home in search of a far better future one – and was willing to spend everything he had. Abraham looked "for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:10).
Yet we all have a tendency to dwell in the here-and-now. And true, there are matters that require our immediate attention. We have physical and moral duties in the world today. But is this all we want – all we require? Never!
How can we dwell beyond the here-and-now? The apostle Paul had the secret: "Forgetting the things that are past and reaching forward." I like that phrase, "reaching forward". Paul had his mind's eye fixed on Christ and all that Christ could give him – the crown of life, glory, honor, immortality (Phil. 3:13; 2 Tim. 4:8).
At the same time he was forgetting the things behind, the trivia, the worthless things that ought to be forgotten. If we make a habit of dwelling on trivia, trivia is all we will have.
How do we forget it? BY THE DISPLACEMENT PRINCIPLE. We forget what is worthless by focusing on what lies ahead, that dream uniquely in our heart, that vision of the promises of God that can be ours.
What is your dream? What promise of God captures you? What concept of the spirit world makes your heart beat faster?
All of God's promises are real. Dream as far as your eye can see – the reality will exceed it. Imagine, like me, the travel experience around the universe and the beauties of God's creation. Imagine the most beautiful music you have ever heard – you haven't heard anything to compare with the heavenly strains of heavenly instruments and voices. Try to feel the joy of the most loving, most delightful, most gracious companions you have ever known – the promises of God will explode that memory.
The law of displacement works in the mind as well as in the river. We continue to float safely in the river of life overcoming the law of gravity (freed from the law of sin and death) by a proper use of the displacement principle.
Displace those distractive worldly thoughts, that unimportant trivia, with dreams. What promise of God grips you? What are you looking forward to? Write it down! Look at it often. Dream about it! Picture yourself having it. Let it be your incentive, your reason for living and serving God. A longing only He can satisfy.
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).
But the more we learn about what God has for every faithful one, the more that dream will possess us and the more we will be inspired to reach forward. And as we keep reaching, a love for right doing will become our obsession. When it does, we will be on our way to developing the character and lifestyle of the Family of God to which we have been adopted.
Paul states the DISPLACEMENT PRINCIPLE as it applies to our thoughts:
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from Me, or seen in Me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9)
Steel DOES NOT sink in the river waters when the proper rules of displacement are applied.
Your mind DOES NOT sink in the polluted waters of the world when the proper rules of thought displacement are applied.
Many Christians struggle with a question about repentance. They find that they keep falling into the same pattern. They repent and immediately enjoy the close fellowship of Jesus. Things go well for some months and then inevitably they fall, committing the same sin they've struggled with for years. And despite their best intentions, they always react the same – they run and hide just like Adam and Eve. This hiding goes on for months as they feel helpless to do better, and though they are full of shame and guilt, paradoxically, they enjoy their sin and a part of them doesn't want to stop. They give up even trying to act like a Christian, they stop going to church and can't bring themselves to pray. Eventually, they realize how miserable they are without God and go back to Him asking forgiveness. Things will be fine for a while and then the whole cycle starts over. Many hearts grieve over the relationship they once had with Him but they feel like they cannot truly repent. Deep down, they know that eventually they will give in to this temptation again. If they’re really honest, there's a big part of them that doesn't want to give up this behavior. So, even though they know it's wrong, they know they’re a sinner and they know Jesus died for them - they feel like they can't accept His forgiveness, to do so would be hypocritical. And since God is omnipotent and knows our true motives, wouldn't He despise their deceitfulness and deny them forgiveness anyway? Can God really forgive us if we continue in the same sin? Doesn't He ever just get fed up with us? They feel that in order to ask forgiveness they have to be willing to promise God that they’ll try harder to be better. But they know it's a promise they can't keep, so how can they lie to God? How can they break out of this cycle? Anyone who feels this way is in good company. A man named Paul wrote, in Romans chapter seven, about his own struggle with sin. He said, “. . . I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do . . . . “(vs. 14-15). He concludes this passage, in verses 24-25, by saying, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Is there ever a time when God won't forgive you? No, God always forgives. The key is that we must want to be forgiven. We must ask. Not necessarily immediately -- there is no expiration date beyond which sin cannot be forgiven. But we must ask. God will not make us repent, he will not force us to accept his love and forgiveness.Struggle with sin is a human dilemma -- whether we have accepted Christ or not. For Christians the difference is that Christ lives in us, so we have His nature at work in our lives – but we have this external sinful influence from the world, the flesh and the devil working on us also. This dilemma, this dynamic, is with Christians every day of their lives -- it is with new, "baby" Christians as well as mature Christians who have lived with the Lord for 50 or more years. As long as we are in this flesh we war against fleshly influences. Sometimes, given genetic predispositions, and past addictions that send powerful urges through our bodies, these battles can be intense, and seemingly endless. The Bible makes one thing clear. Victory is ours because of Christ, because of His cross, His resurrection, and His Life in union with ours. It is not victory because of our superior character. Victory is given to us, whomever we might be, and whatever the specific lust or craving we battle, in spite of our behavior -- it is given to us because of the perfect work of Christ. But again, we must humble ourselves and accept Jesus. We must forget the idea that our salvation is based on our performance. If it is, we are all sunk! Having said this, God's grace is no excuse for us continuing in our sin. Christ in us will gradually have His way with us, and will help us, direct us, encourage us. Depending on what we are dealing with that may mean we join a support group, we enter counseling, we join AA or Al-Anon, etc. Many Christians do these things because Jesus leads them to do so, because they wish to glorify Jesus in their lives, and know that while their salvation does not depend on their perfect lives, Christ in them will gradually improve them. Programs and support groups don't save Christians, they are often the vehicle that some Christians with severe battles use because Christ is in them. God will never deny you forgiveness. God will forgive you of the same sin over and over again, as long as you wish to be forgiven, as long as you humble yourself as a child and seek Him. He does not get "fed up" with us or become tired of us. He won't forgive because you promise to do better, because we, as humans, have nothing to offer God (in terms of our performance) that deserves His love. He wants to give us His love and wants us to love Him in return. God will not give up on you -- don't give up on Him!
