Tag: sin

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Christian Living

Unconfessed Sin. Unintentional Sin. Unknown Sin. Is this a big deal?

Is it possible we could sin and not know it? Possible to have unconfessed sin in our lives? And if so, what would that mean? As we read God’s Word, we find that He is serious about sin. And because He is, we sometimes get worried about our own possibility of some sin we may be unaware of.

a photo of a person with a cartoon sad face - pointing to our fear about unconfessed sinLet’s start by thinking about unintentional sin. Sins that I committed that I didn’t mean to, and maybe didn’t even know about. Does God care? Well in that somewhat difficult third book of the Bible – Leviticus – we discover that God gives instructions on this issue. In Leviticus 4:2, God says, “When anyone sins unintentionally…”

The passage points out that it is possible to sin unintentionally and that we can even sin without knowing we have done so. That is because God’s will does not change, even when we are unaware of it. But this is also true in our own families. Parents have wishes that their kids might not know about, and kids could violate those wishes unintentionally. We can do the same with God’s commands.

But to help the people not be overly concerned about it, God tells them that if they sin unintentionally, but later realize it, that they were simply to make amends through the proper offering at the moment they realized their error. That’s good news. God isn’t looking for ways to punish us. He’s looking for ways to forgive us!

I’m glad He pointed out to them that if they discovered unintentional or unconfessed sin, there was a way to deal with it. In the same way, if I didn’t know I had hurt your feelings, but later discover the truth that you were upset with me about something I’d done, the right thing for me to do is to apologize to you the moment I realize my error. We should do the same with God.

This section of Leviticus also reminds us that ignorance is no excuse. For capable, intelligent adults, if we violate the Word of God even in ignorance, our guilt remains. But before we say “that’s not fair,” we can look at how things work the same way in our world.

Just because I’m unaware of a rule doesn’t mean I can’t be punished for it. If you fail to pay attention to the Speed Limit sign, you can still get pulled over and get a ticket when you exceed that number. Your ignorance of the speed limit does not change the fact that you are guilty of breaking the speed limit.speed limit 25mph sign - reminding us that ignorance of the limit will not keep you from getting a ticket

God expects us to know how to live in a way that pleases and honors Him. He has given us the Bible to help us. God the Holy Spirit resides within us to guide us. And we are responsible to repent of our specific sins once we become aware of them.

So don’t let this frighten you as if you might be condemned for unconfessed sin. Don’t let this lead you into thinking that God is looking for any opportunity to pounce on you with condemnation. Providing a way to deal with these sins through an offering points out that God desires to forgive more than to punish!

These commands point out that God gave His people ways to reconnect with Him anytime they realized they had sinned, even if the sin was in the past. God doesn’t want us living in fear of Him. God loves you and wants you to have a deep relationship with Him, and He does all He can to keep our relationship with Him strong and healthy.

Remember – Jesus died on the cross for all your sin – past, present, and future! God has taken care of the ultimate penalty for our sins through the death of Jesus. So if you have made Jesus Lord and Savior, then your unconfessed sin does not condemn you in any way.

Take a moment to thank God that Jesus’ death on the cross took care of atoning for all of your sins – past, present, and future. And thank Him that by confessing Jesus as Lord of your life, that He has become your Rescuer, Redeemer, and Savior.

And if, when you read God’s Word and listen to the Holy Spirit, He points out any attitudes, thoughts, or behaviors that you previously didn’t realize were sins, commit to repairing any damage done by those sins, and work toward refraining from those sins in the future. Remember that all of God’s commands are for your good – to bring blessing into your life. He isn’t a divine ogre looking to squash us, He is a loving Father looking to forgive us and bless us!the word forgiveness spelled out in the sand

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Christian Living

Consistently Faithful, Even In the Face of So Much Evil

I already know this to be true – you strive to be a person who is faithful. Faithful to your family, certainly. Probably most who read this strive to faithful to God. Maybe a lot of us even strive to be faithful to our employers. You strive to be a faithful person.

But in the struggle to be faithful, you have probably thought – “There sure is a lot of unfaithfulness and evil in the world today. So why am I trying so hard to remain faithful, when so many others are getting ahead by their unfaithfulness?”a sign with two opposing arrows, reminding us we have a choice to be faithful or to sin

You are right about the level of unfaithfulness around us, but before you get too upset about it, remember that things haven’t changed all that much in the past four thousand years. Joseph proves my point.

Joseph is so consistently faithful to God. And yet, a great deal of sin is constantly around him. It begins with his brothers who exhibit quite ungodly behavior:

  1. In Genesis chapter 35, Reuben has slept with one of his father’s concubines.
  2. The brothers were in some way unfaithful as shepherds of their father’s flocks, because Joseph gives a bad report about them to his father in chapter 37.
  3. And their jealousy makes them ready to kill their brother, even though they eventually decide to sell him into slavery.
  4. They make a pact to lie about this to their father.
  5. Then we have Judah’s sons who are wicked and are both killed by God due to their wickedness. (You’d have thought son #2 would have learned a lesson from the death of son #1).
  6. Judah makes a promise to his daughter-in-law, but then refuses to keep his word to her.
  7. While on a business trip, Judah sleeps with a woman he thinks is a prostitute, but who is actually his daughter-in-law who has tricked him.
  8. And with Joseph now in Egypt we learn that Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce him on multiple occasions.
  9. We also have the cupbearer who fails to keep his promise to Joseph.

This is a lot of sin and unfaithfulness within his family and in the relationships connected to him. And certainly there was the temptation to get ahead by following the same path. But Joseph maintains his integrity and character and his faith in God – living in a way that honors his Lord.sign that says "right is right even if no one is doing it" reminding us to be faithful to God

Isn’t this so very similar to our world today – a mess of sin – with people in our families and our communities and our places of work who are unfaithful to God. And so many around us would prefer that we join in with them, because doing so would help them feel less guilty about their unfaithfulness. It leads us to ask the question: “Will I give in, or will I be faithful and obedient like Joseph?”

The path of sin is easier, because it is a shortcut to something we want (at least we want it at that moment), but the actual costs are terribly high in the end.

God, help me to be faithful and obedient to You like Joseph was, even though so many around me have rejected Your guidance and tempt me to disobey Your word and Your will.

What Bible verse(s) help you defeat the temptations that come your way? Or who helps you stand strong against temptation, instead of pulling you towards it?

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Christian Living

Is there hope for reconciliation in our polarized situation?

“What’s on your mind?”
The image above shows you the default question that I see before I start typing a new post. And due to the polarized discussions that are taking place these last few weeks, my answer to that question is “too much!” It seems that my mind is swimming through ideas; my thoughts are racing in so many directions. I know there are some things I want to say, I believe there are some things I need to say, but I’m not really sure how to say them. Maybe you find yourself with similar feelings.

The death of George Floyd is terrible. It grieves my heart that a man was killed in such a horrendous manner. It is a great tragedy that has once again brought out the fact that injustice is still very real in our nation, specifically for our fellow black and brown citizens.

The rioting that has followed has also been tragic. While the peaceful protests have shown that people can shine the light on injustice in a helpful way, the violence committed by others on people and property is terrible. These specific tragedies point out truths we already knew – that…

  • Our nation contains injustice.
  • Our nation contains prejudice.
  • Our nation contains violence.
  • Our nation contains sin.

But our nation also has within it an amazing resource for healing and reconciliation… Jesus and the people who follow Him. And those of us who are followers of His are called upon by our Lord to be salt and light in these difficult days. Don’t miss this truth that as Lord, Jesus is our Commanding King. And as such, He has called us to serve as His ambassadors – sharing His message of peace and grace with others.

But many of us have felt trapped on how to proceed as His ambassadors. We know that we are in a watershed moment. We know that we need to speak up for the ones who are facing injustice (the Bible tells us to). We know that we need to speak out against the evil of prejudice and racism that is still so prevalent in our nation today (the Bible tells us to).

And yet, as we watch and listen to so many others, we struggle to know what we should say, how we should say it, and when we should say it. The Bible tells us to be quick to listen and slow to speak. It seems that we are seeing too much of the opposite taking place – people who are quick to shout their opinions without doing the hard work of listening to those who are distraught.

The Bible tells us that Jesus, through His work on the cross, has torn down the dividing walls – removing the barriers. Yet we find that we often put them right back up. As His followers, we are to be ministers of reconciliation. And therefore, I’m wondering why the conversations that are being sparked from these tragic situations have to be as ugly as what I am seeing. For example:

  • I have seen family members attack one another on social media over the issues that are being discussed.
  • I have seen church members post comments on social media that are inconsiderate and polarizing.
  • I have even seen posts and messages from pastors that are inappropriate and unhealthy in seeking to bring any type of reconciliation.

These things also grieve my heart.

Brothers and sisters, we must do better.
In fact, because we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we can do better.

It grieves my heart that so many who are supposed to be ministers of reconciliation are not listening, but instead are adding fuel to the fire. I wish more of us would pause before speaking (or posting) to reflect on the truth that “just because I have an opinion, doesn’t mean I need to share it.”

Christian brother or sister, before you share anything on social media, please ask yourself, “How will what I am sharing bring reconciliation and healing?” Follower of Christ, before you say anything to a neighbor or friend, you need to ask, “How are my words going to show that I love all people, just as Jesus commanded me to do?”

God gives us some easy-to-understand commands about dealing with other people. And though they are easy-to-understand, they are not always easy to live out:

  • Love your neighbor as yourself.
  • In humility, consider others as more important than yourself.
  • Look not to your own interests, but rather to the interests of others.
  • As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

These aren’t my ideas; these are quotes from the Bible. They are the King’s commands to His followers. How well are you following? Let’s use these as our guides. If we will allow these words of God to be our guides, remembering to listen more than we speak, then we will find that we have a much better chance at being the peace-makers and the ministers of reconciliation He has commanded us to be.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peace-makers.” How are you working to bring peace to a hurting nation right now? How are you working to bring peace to your hurting neighbors right now? One of Paige’s favorite verses states: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.” How about we try following that command for a change? I believe that if we obey God’s Word, then God will be faithful to honor our obedience to Him and give us opportunities we never had before to foster healing in the midst of such division.

Today, instead of worrying about what group or symbol or idea you need to defend because someone said or posted something you didn’t like, how about we worry more about how to serve Jesus by bringing words of peace, healing, and reconciliation to the table as He has commanded us?

two hands grasping one another with words like serve, unite, and assist - showing that we are better together and need reconciliation
Better Together

I believe that because of Jesus – His work on the cross and His work in the lives of His followers – that there is hope for reconciliation in the midst of our polarized situation. I pray that we will have patience with each other as we work through what to say with each other with grace, compassion, and empathy. And I do know that for me…

I am going to ask God to help me continue to listen, continue to understand, and continue to grow in my compassion and empathy. I am going to ask Him to help me only use words that will bring healing and reconciliation. I am going to ask Him to help me stand up for and care about those around me who continue to face injustice and who live in fear. I am going to ask Him to help me be a peace-maker.

Maybe you could too?

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Categories
Christian Living

Is My Physical Pain a Punishment From God For My Past Sins?

So the title above was the question I received from a friend a while back. The full question with some extra comments was posted yesterday. And I want to thank those of you who shared some of your responses with me.
a man holding his head in his hands, symbolizing pain - could such pain be a punishment from God?
It’s a serious questions, and one that many people wonder about. Here was my Response:
There is not much theological support for us having God continually punish us for past sins. Paul was a persecutor of the church, but when he repented, God used him greatly. He did end up having a “thorn in his flesh” to contend with, but God did not tell him it was because of punishment for past sins.

Yes, God does discipline His wayward children, but it is used to bring us to repentance and restoration. As you pointed out in the opening of your question, much of what we contend with in the areas of pain are simply consequences of our own making, which God allows us to experience.

A person who chooses to get drunk habitually may lose his family. This would be a consequence of his poor choice of behavior. But we also often are dealing with the consequences of someone else’s sinful behavior. For example, the person who loses his family to an accident caused by a drunk driver is suffering the consequences of someone else’s bad behavior. We live in a depraved, fallen world that makes life tough. That does not mean it is God’s punishment, but rather just the consequences of our inviting sin into this world which has caused continuous and growing damage.

In the same way, when Adam rebelled against God, he invited disorder into God’s perfect world. Sickness and disease have come to us due to this continued disorder and decay. And so we don’t typically look at the cancer that someone gets as being a direct punishment from God for a specific sin, but rather as a consequence of the decaying world that we (humanity) caused by our sin as a human race. So we find that our sin has even affected life on the cellular level.

Therefore, I wouldn’t look at an injury that is causing pain as punishment from God today for sins from your past. Rather I would look at the physical pain that you are experiencing as a consequence of living in a world that should have been pain-free, but is not due to our sin. Now we must live with pain while we long for the day when we can enter the eternal Kingdom where God will wipe every tear from our eyes.

Could God supernaturally heal us of the pain we are suffering in the here and now? Yes. And sometimes He does. But usually we are allowed to continue walking through the pain with our hand in His. Enduring the consequences of our own bad behaviors, the consequences of others’ bad behaviors that affect us, and the consequences of those “thorns in the flesh” – all of these help us learn as Paul did – that when we are weak in and of ourselves, we are able to find our strength in our relationship with Jesus.

And so to all who are struggling through pain or illness, may you place your hands in His, may you find your strength in Him, and may you continually look forward to celebrating together in eternity at having healed bodies and no more tears!

.

Categories
God

The Love of God. God is Love.

Pastor D. L. Moody wanted everyone to hear the truth: God is Love.
portrait of D. L. MoodyBut he also knew that even though people may come to a worship service, not everyone is listening! Therefore, he shares:
“We built a church in Chicago a few years ago, and we were so anxious to make people believe that God is love, that we thought if we could not preach it into their hearts, we would burn it in! And so right over the pulpit we had the words put in gas jets, ” God is love,” and every night we had it there.”

R. A. Torrey worked with Moody in that church and became the pastor a few years before Moody’s death. Regarding the message of “God is Love,” he indicates:

Mr. Moody… was so anxious that everybody should always hear this one truth, and was so afraid that some preacher might come and forget to tell it, that he had it put on the gas jets right above the pulpit, to that the first thing you would see when you went in there on an evening was that text shining out in letters of fire.

One stormy night, before the time of the meeting, the door stood ajar. A man partly intoxicated saw it open, and thought he might go in and get warm. He did not know what sort of a place it was, but when he pushed the door open he saw the text blazing out, “God is love.” He pulled the door to, and walked away muttering to himself.

He said to himself, “God is love? No. God is not love. God does not love me. He does not love me, for I am a poor, miserable sinner. If God was love, he would love me. God is not love.”

But it kept on burning down into his soul, “God is love! God is love! God is love” After a while be retraced his steps, and took a seat in a corner. When Mr. Moody walked down after the meeting, he found the man weeping like a child. “What is the trouble?” he asked. “What was it in the sermon that touched you?”
“I didn’t hear a word of your sermon.”
“Well, what is the trouble?”
“That text up there.”

Moody himself indicates:
“I found him there weeping like a child; but as I unfolded the Scripture, and told him how God had loved him from his earliest childhood all along, the light of the gospel broke into his mind, and he went away rejoicing!”

Jesus is the clear evidence to us that God is Love. Jesus came to rescue us from our sin. Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. The religious leaders were appalled at such behavior. To their complaints about who He associated with, Jesus explained:
“It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Brennan Manning indicates:

This story provides us with a revelation as bright as the evening star: Jesus comes for sinners, for those as outcast as tax collectors and for those caught up in squalid choices and failed dreams. He comes for corporate executives, street people, superstars, farmers, hookers, addicts, IRS agents, AIDS victims, and even used car salesmen. Jesus not only talks with these people but dines with them—fully aware that His table fellowship with sinners will raise the eyebrows of religious bureaucrats who hold up the robes and insignia of their authority to justify their condemnation of the truth and their rejection of the gospel of grace. Are we really that different?

I hope I not only remember that God is Love toward me, a sinner, but also that I am to now share that love with others who are struggling with their own sin.