Where do YOU draw the line?
Adultery… Jesus defined adultery not just as sexual intercourse, but even as lusting after another that is married? Can this person be forgiven?
Fornication… How about one who just has “harmless” sex with the occasional boyfriend/girlfriend?
Homosexuality… Is homosexuality something that should be allowed in the church? Can this person also be saved still living this lifestyle?
Idolatry… You shall have no other Gods before Me! You shall NOT make for yourself a carved image? Is worshiping other gods or parts of other religions ok to God?
Witchcraft… How about the Wiccans? Some of them are just nice earth loving people out to make a better life for all who live on the planet? Are they saved too?
Hatred… How about the Black Panthers or the Ku Klux Klan? They all manage to use scripture in their beliefs? Does that make them right? What exactly is hatred in Gods eyes? God himself hated Esau and the Canaanites.
Murder… How about those who murder? Or maybe guys like Joseph Duncan who murder and rape little boys and girls. Can they too be forgiven and saved according to God? Should there be a penalty for their actions?
Drunkenness… What? Drunkenness? Why is this sin? Jesus made water in to wine at a wedding? Fermented drink was common back then too? I know way too many who fit in this category… What do we do with them?
So the big question is where is the “line”? How much sin is “ok” to keep in your life? After all Christ died for the sins of those who believe in Him right? He already bears all of our sins if we believe. So, where is the line? Is it a playboy magazine for some, but others it’s physical touch? One man sleeps with another man’s wife and his friends can’t believe he would be so brazen as to commit that kind of adultery, yet they sit in front of the TV and watch pornography, which by Jesus’ definition is adultery all the same, and they are committing that against their own flesh! Where is your line?
I know a lady who is attractive, sweet, and intelligent as well. She is nice to those she encounters and is willing to give her last penny if it will help another. Outwardly she is a model citizen. She even believes that Jesus was a good man and that His desires of peace and love were extremely admirable legacies that He left behind. However, she is a practicing Wiccan. Outwardly she is a model of how the church describes a Christian should be. But a bad tree can NOT bear good fruit. Is she evil? Is she good? Is she somewhere in between? Where is your line on this one?
Maybe this one is too easy. If you remember Joseph Duncan and the atrocities that he committed with purposeful intent you will immediately have some strong feelings toward him. He murdered a family just so he could rape their young daughter. He was a repeat offender let out on parole. This most likely crosses any acceptable “line” that most people would draw. However…Can he be forgiven and saved by Jesus? Is there still a penalty that must be paid for his sins?
Last but not least… Homosexuality is directly spoken against in the Bible. God makes it clear it is a perversion! It is sin just as adultery and non-marital sex. Should practicing homosexuals be allowed to be in the ministry? Should Pastors who commit adultery be allowed to stay Pastors? Should casual sex be something that is looked upon lightly? Once again…Where is your line? Can homosexuals be saved?
With all that to think about, where do you draw your line? How does it match up with where God draws His line? How much sin is ok in Gods eyes? The Bible calls us to a place of purity and holiness with God. Jesus died and bore the sins of all who call on Him, but that does not give us the OK to continue to walk in that lifestyle. We have fallen in love with the things of this world, and Christ wants us to fall in love with Him and His ways. They contradict! Christ calls us to repentance! Repentance means to recognize your sins, completely turn away from them and start walking toward Jesus. I challenge you to search the mind of God for the answers to where He draws the line. By His grace and His mercy that line is attainable. But that line is 180 degrees from the sin you are living in and the sins where you come from.
Oh and by the way I will give you a hint… NO SIN! That is the line that God draws. Adultery, homosexuality, non-marital sex, idolatry, witchcraft, divorce…etc…etc…etc… NONE OF THEM ARE OK! Can we be forgiven from them? Absolutely! But it means recognizing it as sin and walking away 100%
Fornication… How about one who just has “harmless” sex with the occasional boyfriend/girlfriend?
Homosexuality… Is homosexuality something that should be allowed in the church? Can this person also be saved still living this lifestyle?
Idolatry… You shall have no other Gods before Me! You shall NOT make for yourself a carved image? Is worshiping other gods or parts of other religions ok to God?
Witchcraft… How about the Wiccans? Some of them are just nice earth loving people out to make a better life for all who live on the planet? Are they saved too?
Hatred… How about the Black Panthers or the Ku Klux Klan? They all manage to use scripture in their beliefs? Does that make them right? What exactly is hatred in Gods eyes? God himself hated Esau and the Canaanites.
Murder… How about those who murder? Or maybe guys like Joseph Duncan who murder and rape little boys and girls. Can they too be forgiven and saved according to God? Should there be a penalty for their actions?
Drunkenness… What? Drunkenness? Why is this sin? Jesus made water in to wine at a wedding? Fermented drink was common back then too? I know way too many who fit in this category… What do we do with them?
So the big question is where is the “line”? How much sin is “ok” to keep in your life? After all Christ died for the sins of those who believe in Him right? He already bears all of our sins if we believe. So, where is the line? Is it a playboy magazine for some, but others it’s physical touch? One man sleeps with another man’s wife and his friends can’t believe he would be so brazen as to commit that kind of adultery, yet they sit in front of the TV and watch pornography, which by Jesus’ definition is adultery all the same, and they are committing that against their own flesh! Where is your line?
I know a lady who is attractive, sweet, and intelligent as well. She is nice to those she encounters and is willing to give her last penny if it will help another. Outwardly she is a model citizen. She even believes that Jesus was a good man and that His desires of peace and love were extremely admirable legacies that He left behind. However, she is a practicing Wiccan. Outwardly she is a model of how the church describes a Christian should be. But a bad tree can NOT bear good fruit. Is she evil? Is she good? Is she somewhere in between? Where is your line on this one?
Maybe this one is too easy. If you remember Joseph Duncan and the atrocities that he committed with purposeful intent you will immediately have some strong feelings toward him. He murdered a family just so he could rape their young daughter. He was a repeat offender let out on parole. This most likely crosses any acceptable “line” that most people would draw. However…Can he be forgiven and saved by Jesus? Is there still a penalty that must be paid for his sins?
Last but not least… Homosexuality is directly spoken against in the Bible. God makes it clear it is a perversion! It is sin just as adultery and non-marital sex. Should practicing homosexuals be allowed to be in the ministry? Should Pastors who commit adultery be allowed to stay Pastors? Should casual sex be something that is looked upon lightly? Once again…Where is your line? Can homosexuals be saved?
With all that to think about, where do you draw your line? How does it match up with where God draws His line? How much sin is ok in Gods eyes? The Bible calls us to a place of purity and holiness with God. Jesus died and bore the sins of all who call on Him, but that does not give us the OK to continue to walk in that lifestyle. We have fallen in love with the things of this world, and Christ wants us to fall in love with Him and His ways. They contradict! Christ calls us to repentance! Repentance means to recognize your sins, completely turn away from them and start walking toward Jesus. I challenge you to search the mind of God for the answers to where He draws the line. By His grace and His mercy that line is attainable. But that line is 180 degrees from the sin you are living in and the sins where you come from.
Oh and by the way I will give you a hint… NO SIN! That is the line that God draws. Adultery, homosexuality, non-marital sex, idolatry, witchcraft, divorce…etc…etc…etc… NONE OF THEM ARE OK! Can we be forgiven from them? Absolutely! But it means recognizing it as sin and walking away 100%
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