| |  | | | What Is Sin? “People consider themselves good people only by the standards of bad people. We judge ourselves against others rather than against an absolute standard of good”.
(I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist. Page 397) |
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| | | On one occasion the late Bishop Taylor Smith mentioned the subject of salvation to the barber who was giving him a shave. "I do my best, " snapped the barber, "and that's enough for me." The bishop relapsed into silence until the shave was over, and when the next man was seated the bishop asked: "May I shave this customer?" "No, you mustn't," replied the barber, with a wry grin. "But I would do my best," answered the bishop. "So you might, but your best would not be good enough for this gentleman, " said the barber. "No, and neither is your best good enough for God," replied the bishop. |
| | | | | | | | What Is Sin? Sin is literally missing the mark. When most people think of sin, they think of the Ten Commandments. When most people think of sinners they think of murders, idolators, and adulterers. There is a natural human tendency to think of the Hitlers and child molesters of the world as sinners, and ourselves as "perhaps not perfect" but certainly not in the same category. In his sermon on the mount, Jesus corrected this false self-righteous view of ourselves with these eye-opening words: "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, `Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, `You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:21-28) The bottom line is that there is absolutely no room for self-righteousness. There is absolutely no basis for a Santa Claus theology that promises toys and rewards for those who have been good. No one is good enough "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23 ) "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23) What is this gift. See Salvation
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| | | | | | Degrees Of Sin? The Bible is very clear… ‘You sin, You die! “How primitive!” we exclaim... “How archaic!” But let us for one instance envision a world without sin. Let us imagine what our lives would be like without transgression of God’s laws. What would it be like to never have to worry about the safety of our children, and never have to lock the doors to our homes or have locks on cars. A young woman could walk home in the late evening and know she would get there safely. Pornography would not exist. There would have been no Enron and no Watergate. What would it be like if politicians and used car salesmen told nothing but the truth? Children would be raised in the security of two parents who are committed to one another. While there is little doubt that some crimes arise out of need and desperation, the vast amounts of funds we would save on our police force, judiciary, armed forces and related organizations would ensure that no one would be in want. Are we getting the picture yet? Perhaps the Bible has a point after all. Again perhaps the Bible seems too harsh when it says that all sin merits hell. After all how can a tiny infraction deserve death? Lets look at it this way… Where does one draw the line between a ‘big sin’ and a ‘small’ one? If I as a ‘friend’ of yours, walked away with a paper clip from your desk you probably would not consider it theft. You would probably conclude that I needed a paper clip for some reason and dismiss it. If I walked away with a ten-dollar bill you probably would consider it theft but may look the other way. However if I took $100 you would probably jump up and down. So where shall we draw the line between a paper clip and a hundred dollar bill? At a penny? A dime? A fiver? And how much are you willing to bet that, if asked, ten people would give ten different answers. And how much more would you be willing to bet that (sooner, rather than later) some one would decide the thief was ‘dysfunctional’ and should see a psychologist instead of paying for the crime... and, once more, we’d be back to square one. Cultures and people across the globe have different standards… So whose standard shall we judge by? See Relativism God made it simple. He set the standard... He said ‘No sin’. So are all of us destined to pay the very heavy price for our sin? No, Because God in His infinite mercy sent His Son to pay the price for us.. See Salvation |
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| | | | | | | | | |  INDEX TO ARTICLES
A Realistic Look at Sin
If you want to liven up a conversation, introduce the subject of sin. The reactions will be varied. Some will get angry and others will jokingly sneer about it. Some will suggest that the idea of sin is an arrogant imposition of “religion” – an invention of the priest craft and clergy for the purpose of exercising control over the masses. Others will pontificate that “sin” is simply an ignorant appellation for those cultural and psychological abberations which plague our society. Few will have a sensible let alone Biblical view of this important theme. What Is Sin?
We have learned that our first step to becoming one of God's called, chosen and faithful servants is to recognize that we are sinners (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8). But how does the Bible define sin? What is it? The Meaning of the Cross
The cross of Christ addresses directly the matter of sin. But what does that mean? Do people "sin" anymore? What a silly question, you think. But is it? Why A Moral Life Wont Get Us To Heaven
The general, world-wide assumption is that, when we die, our good deeds and our bad deeds will be placed on the divine scales and weighed to determine if we go "up" or "down." Is The Sinner’s Prayer Effective?
The “Sinner’s Prayer” is not found anywhere among the cases of conversion in the book of Acts in the New Testament, nor is there a single instance of any sinner instructed to pray for their salvation. On the contrary sinners were admonished to ‘repent and be baptized’ 
ALSO SEE Am I Going To Hell?
Most people believe in justice. It is built in. It is part of their moral intuition, the image of God in man that is being expressed. They clamor for justice. Hated By God
"Hate the sin and not the sinner" has become almost universally accepted as representing divine precept. However, that saying is not to be found in the Bible. Indeed, although our "God is love" (1 John 4:7,16), yet Scripture makes it clear there are some things He hates ... and, what many may not realize, there are even certain types of people that the Bible tells us God hates! What is "Agape" and How Did It Work?
We tend to assume at once that "love" means what it does to us in modern times -- in this case, a mushy sentimentality that never says a harsh word and never steps on the toes of others. but conceptually, it is certainly possible to love one's enemies, and yet also attack them; and the same for one's disciples or allies. How Much Sin Can God forgive?
Just with ten sins a day for 50 years, it comes out to something like 182,500 infractions of the law. What judge would let you off with that kind of a rap sheet? (Keep in mind we're talking about all sin, not about just rape, pillage and theft. The Myth of Original Sin
Most Christians who profess to believe in the doctrine of original sin are ignorant of exactly what its teachings really are. They are ignorant of the fact that the doctrine has not always existed. They are ignorant of the fact that it evolved, that it had its roots in a heathen philosophy, and that it was made a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church in the 5th century A.D. They are ignorant of the fact that it is only a theory, and that there is really not one but several differing theories that have evolved and come down to us in the church. They are also ignorant of the fact that the Bible passages used as proof-texts for this doctrine have been taken out of context and tortured into teaching a doctrine that is completely foreign to the Bible. |
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