What Is Sin?

If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know I sometimes post articles by other authors instead of writing my own.  This week while researching the subject of sin, I came across this article by Jack Kelley of gracethrufaith.com which, in my opinion, said everything I wanted to say but in a much better way than I ever could.  So enjoy this post and I pray you will learn from it as I did.

What Is Sin?

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Judging from the feedback I’ve received lately, some of us don’t know what sin is. The word comes from an old English archery term meaning “to miss the mark.” Jesus gave us the mark in Matt. 5:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Anything short of that is missing the mark, and whether by thought, word, or deed, is sin. The main purpose of His three chapter Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) was to change our perception of sin. The Pharisees thought that if they obeyed the commandments they weren’t sinning and therefore didn’t need a Savior. To achieve their position of authority, they had to have lived such an exemplary life as to appear nearly perfect. This focus on perfection in their behavior made them arrogant, unsympathetic toward their weaker brethren. It had made them worse than useless in advancing the Kingdom. They were actually driving people away.

He began by saying that in judging our behavior, God would not overlook even the smallest detail of the Law. He said that even our thoughts would be held against us. Anger is as bad as murder, He said, lust is as bad as adultery, and so on. He said that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees we will certainly not enter the Kingdom. (Matt. 5:20) Later on He said that they were like whitewashed tombs which are beautiful on the outside but full of dead men’s bones. He said in the same way they appeared to people as righteous but were full of hypocrisy. (Matt. 23:27-28) The Pharisees were compulsive about their behavior, applying the Law to the most minute things in their lives, even giving a tithe of the herbs and spices that grew in their gardens. (Matt. 23:23) And our righteousness needs to exceed theirs? In all of their behavior they had achieved perfection.

Where Did That Come From?

Then where does sin originate if not in our behavior? In Mark 7:20-23 Jesus said: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ “

Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) This is what he meant. Satan brings evil thoughts to the threshold of our minds. If we immediately take these thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ, there’s no harm done. We’ve fended off an attack. (2 Cor. 10:3-5) But the moment we give them any consideration at all, we’ve sinned. Anger, jealousy, envy, lust, resentment, frustration, self-pity are some of the more obvious ones, but then there’s admiration, pride, self-satisfaction, self-righteousness and a long list of others that give glory to someone or something other than God. Our hearts being incurably wicked we do two things that make us sinners. First, we harbor these thoughts, and second we think that because we don’t act on them we haven’t sinned. But whether acted upon or not, these and many more are all sins punishable by death. No one sees them, and they’re so natural to us that often we ourselves are barely aware of them. To all outward appearances we appear to be fine, upstanding examples of Christian goodness, but inside we’re rotten to the core.

Pastor Chuck Smith, the founder of Calvary Chapel, once said, “We aren’t sinners because we sin, we sin because we’re sinners.” It’s our nature. Those who claim to have stopped sinning simply don’t understand this. The best we can say about ourselves is that because of our conversion we’re perhaps a little more aware of our sins, but the research has shown that by and large most of us live lives that aren’t any freer of sin than our unbelieving neighbors. Like them, we’re after bigger and better stuff for ourselves while ignoring the needs of people around us. Like them we’re jealous of the success of others while crediting ourselves with our own success. Like them we get angry about little things. Like them, we wish our lives were different. Like them, we have a secular world view.

But what has been most instructive to me lately is the way so many people actually think they’re no longer sinners, just because they’re saved. I guess the old saying is true. We all want grace for ourselves while demanding justice for everyone else. We want to be judged by our intentions but we want others judged by their actions.

As the Bible clearly shows, there is no hierarchy of sin. All sin brings death. We don’t think there’s anything wrong with being angry or envying the possessions of our neighbors or entertaining a lustful thought now and then, but we demand others stop their sinning or else be condemned. Please don’t misunderstand me. There’s nothing wrong with being uncomfortable around sinful behavior. There’s nothing wrong with deciding to withdraw from it. And there’s nothing wrong with demanding that the leaders of our churches adhere to Biblical principles about sin. But when we start saying that certain forms of sin disqualify a person for salvation, then we’ve put ourselves in God’s place and risk having the same measure we use in judging others, be used with us.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matt. 7:1-2)

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)

According to Biblical standards we all willingly, consciously and deliberately sin. The fact that some sins are more obvious to us than others is irrelevant. It’s what’s in our hearts that counts, and God sees them all. We forget that Jesus said every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 12:31) Every sin. And not just once. Enough to last a lifetime.

Repent And Be Saved

Having talked about sin, we should also take a look at repentance. The Greek word translated repent is metanoeo. Meta means after and noeo means to understand. To repent literally means to understand afterward. As it’s used in the New Testament it means to change one’s mind. The phrase “Repent and be saved” means change your mind about your behavior and realize that you’re a sinner in need of a savior. It was first used with Jews who thought that keeping the Law would save them. When John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2), Jesus (Matt. 4:17), and Peter (Acts 2:38) told the people to repent, they were telling them to change their minds about believing that their own works could save them. Only people who know their behavior is sinful will realize their need for a Savior. Once it becomes clear to us that we’re sinners and can’t save ourselves, we’re ready to ask for salvation. We’ve repented.

But nowhere in the Bible is anyone required to change their behavior before they can ask for salvation. The old hymn “Just as I Am” makes that clear. To say that the word repent implies that behavioral change is a condition of salvation is an incorrect understanding of the word. The notion that Christians stop sinning once we’re saved is similarly incorrect. The fact that God chooses to see us as a new creation is a function of His ability to look ahead to what we’ll be in the resurrection. It’s not due to our suddenly exemplary behavior.

There was a time in ancient history when people looked forward to cloudy days, because they thought the Lord wouldn’t be able to look down and catch them sinning. It was like a free day. Today we understand how absurd that was. When a person is caught in adultery, or theft, it’s obvious to everyone that he or she has been sinning. But the person who secretly envies his neighbor’s possessions, is jealous, harbors resentment, or is self righteous, is every bit as much a sinner. The only difference is that nobody knows. Nobody on Earth, that is.

And then there’s the sin we’re not even aware of. This is what caused David to write, “Who can discern His errors? Lord, forgive my hidden faults.” (Psalm 19:12) We can’t even figure out our own motives and yet are often quick to judge the motives of others. We say they could stop their sinning whenever they want to, and are only doing it by choice, while we remain in our secret sins having convinced ourselves that we’re not sinning, and seeing no need to stop.

Do we think that condemning others and questioning their salvation, as so many in the Church do, is helping them? With the woman caught in adultery, Jesus saved her life by exposing the secret sins of her accusers. Once they understood that He knew the hidden flaws in their behavior, they no longer had the stomach for condemning her. This was a demonstration of his admonition in Matt. 7:1-2 to avoid judging others unless we want to be judged in like manner. He said He would use the same measure on us that we use on others. When He said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” (John 8:7) , He was saying in effect, “If you want to start killing people for their sins, are you willing to face the same judgment for yours?” He can expose our hypocrisy just as easily, you know. If we want other believers kicked out of the rapture for their sins, are we willing to be kicked out for ours? We’ve all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It’s true, Jesus said. “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of Heaven.” But He can do that. He’s Jesus. We’re not.

After they fled, Jesus asked “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:10-11) My guess is that she stopped committing adultery. Of course she also would have stopped if her accusers had killed her, but would she have been delivered from her sin?

The Pharisees were upset with Jesus because they considered Him “soft” on sin. After all, He palled around with “sinners”, had dinner in their homes, and said He came to save them, not to condemn them. I’ve noticed that the closer people came to Jesus, the more they became aware of their sins. They were often on their knees, weeping, pleading for mercy. The Pharisees stood in the back, scowling, arms folded across their chests, silently condemning. I think Paul was writing about such people when he said they show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance. (Romans 2:4)

Jesus said that prostitutes and tax collectors would enter the Kingdom before the Pharisees did. Why? Because they knew they were sinners in need of a savior. They had repented, whereas the Pharisees had not. (Matt. 21:32)

I think you get the point of this, which is to remind us that we’re all sinners who deserve only judgment. There’s not a single one of us who has earned the right to go in the Rapture. We should be so thrilled to know He’s going to take us anyway that we search high and low trying to find a way to say thanks, instead of looking around for people we want to have excluded. And those of you who think that you only sin occasionally, if at all, and that others are just weak, it’s time you repent. Admit you’re a sinner and ask the Lord to forgive you. He will immediately agree, and perhaps for the first time you’ll experience the full measure of God’s Grace, because he who has been forgiven much, loves much. Selah 12-13-08

https://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/forgiveness/what-is-sin/

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No Place for Hypocrisy

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.   Romans2:1-2  NKJV

I am sure we have all heard or been accused at one time or another of “judging” someone else.  It seems all too common lately as our society has moved in the direction of requiring people to agree with ideas whether we want to or not.  Unfortunately, the accusation of judging is a result of misunderstanding the very definition and nature of the word.  I often use the analogy of being stopped by an officer of the law after being observed to violate any of the many laws which govern our society. Speaking only for myself, it’s usually for exceeding the speed limit.  The officer is not “judging” me by pointing out my violation, but rather telling me he observed me breaking the law.  The truth is, it is the judge in the courtroom who passes the sentence for my violation who does the “judging”.

The truth is, judging someone else is an action.  It is choosing to punish, in one way or another, someone else who we feel deserves it for their beliefs or actions.  In the body, it should go without saying that attempting to judge another is usurping the responsibility of God the Father, who makes it very clear in many different places in the Word that He alone will judge.  It also should be clearly evident that none of us has any right to judge another as we all have sinned and will continue to do so until that time we are transformed from this body of sin and the sin nature that comes with it.  In fact, there is a word Jesus used to describe those who judge, which most of us would find patently offensive, and that is the word hypocrite. 

I’m sure most, if not all of us, would be very offended if someone were to call us a hypocrite, yet that is what Jesus often called those Pharisees and religious leaders who wanted to use their religion to judge others.  In Romans chapter 2, Paul explains God’s judgment, and shows us at least four of the mistakes hypocrites make when they attempt to judge others. 

They blame.  Hypocrites choose to point the finger at someone else without knowing the whole story.  It is making an accusation without knowledge of the whole story.  The reason God reserves the right to judge is He is the only one who knows the heart, and the motive behind the action.  Hypocrites are quick to blame, and as a result are most often wrong.  In verse two Paul tells us God’s judgment is “according to truth,” based on His knowledge of all the facts, as opposed to our ignorance of them.

And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?   Romans 2:3  NKJV

They are brash.  Hypocrites are self-righteous because they underestimate God’s perfection and overestimate their own.  They attempt to sit as a judge of others without the realization they are standing in front of the real judge, God the Father.  As verse three tells us, those who choose to do that will themselves be judged.

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?          Romans 2:4  NKJV

They are bitter.  Bitterness is a result of thinking God will not fulfill His responsibility.  Hypocrites “despise” “God’s goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering,”.  Hypocrites want to see judgment occur immediately, and fail to take into account the patience of God’s love for us as sinners.  What they perceive to be leniency is simply God’s everlasting patience.  This, however, offends their desire to see action in the form of punishment and their impatience causes them to become bitter.

But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”   Romans 2:5  NKJV

They are blind.  Hypocrites have no problem seeing other people’s sin, but seem to have no idea of their own.  “Hardness” and “impenitent” can be described as stubborn and unrepentant.  The hard heart will lead to deafness of God’s Word, and the lack of repentance shows blindness to their own condition. 

  

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.   Romans 12:9-19  NKJV

I find it revealing that Paul ends his treatise on God’s judgment by telling us as believers just how we are to live in relation to those who we might feel have offended us.  Having the desire to see deserved judgment applied is a normal reaction to those who desire to live a righteous life.  Yet we must never let that desire cause us to cross the lines of responsibility and try to take matters into our own hands by punishing someone else for perceived offenses.  It is God’s place to judge, and He reserves that task for Himself.  As Paul explains, our response is to act in love towards those who offend with the knowledge that, as sinners, we all have offended God and deserve punishment.  Is it too much to ask of a believer that we live as God commands and leave the judging to Him?  Love conquers all.

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Do You Really Love Him?

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”                   John 14:15  NKJV

Most of us have, at one time or another experienced the joy that comes from knowing someone loves us.  I am equally sure that most of us would agree that there is no greater feeling than to know someone cares about us in a loving way.  Like many parents, over the years I have saved many of the little notes that I received over the years from all three of my daughters.  The notes were written on different occasions, and some are long while others are just short sentences, but they all had one thing in common and that was that they all expressed their love for me.  I do, in fact, have a sticky note from my youngest daughter on my computer that she wrote just a few weeks ago which says she loves me, and she is now in her thirties.

As I sat and thought about those years, I began to remember all the little things that they had done as they were growing up in order to show their love for me.  Some were big, some were small, but the one thing they all had in common was that whatever it was, it was demonstrative.  In other words, they were not content to just say they loved me, but rather they wanted to show me they did by doing something they knew I would enjoy.  I think it would be fair to say we would all agree that when we truly love someone it is a natural desire to want to do something in order to show that person just how much we care.  It also stands to reason that we would seek to know the person well enough to give them something we know they would want and enjoy.

Obviously as believers we should have the desire to know God in such a way as to demonstrate our love for Him in ways that we know would please Him.  We do that by studying His Word and developing our relationship with Him in order to know Him better. In the passage above from the book of John, Jesus tells us just what God wants from those who claim to love Him, and that is obedience to His Word.  In this chapter, as well as the next, Jesus repeatedly explains that what God wants most, and expects, is that those who claim to love Him follow His commandments.

"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."           John 14:21  NKJV

Jesus makes it clear that the proof of our love for the Father is the desire to please Him by knowing and following His commandments.  So how logical does it seem that many today believe the greatest threat to the Church is the attack on the authority of the Scriptures?  It shouldn’t come as a surprise considering we are shown exactly how Satan works by looking at what happened in the Garden of Eden when the world is introduced to the deceiver for the very first time.  How does he choose to attack?  His intent is to always try to create doubt about the very Word of God.

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; "but of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' "Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.”                             Genesis 3:1-4  NKJV

In other words, God said it, but He really didn’t mean it?  How often today do we hear those same words or something similar when the Word of God commands a certain course of action which the world may find objectionable?  More and more today we see examples of the Church compromising on certain commandments we find in the Word in order to be “politically correct”, or simply ignoring the facts presented in the Word and creating a god which fits their own desires and beliefs.  As believers though, the question the Church should be asking is simply this; “do you really love Him”?  If you truly love someone your concern is how best to show them your love in a way that they would appreciate.  When it comes to our relationship with God, He has already made it clear how best to please Him.

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.”                    John 15:10  NKJV

I think the key word in this passage, and the answer to how best know what God expects is contained in the word “abide”.  In the Greek the word is “meno” which means “to sojourn, abide in or tarry, or continue to be present”.  In other words, by striving to keep God’s commandments we are pleasing Him, and as a result are able to live our lives in a relationship with our Father in which He can manifest His love for us just as we do for Him.  I like how David describes the relationship we can have with our Father if we seek to please Him in this way.

“ALEPH. Blessed [are] the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed [are] those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways. You have commanded [us] To keep Your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments.”              Psalms 119:1-6  NKJV

Do you really love Him?  Are you trying to please Him, or please yourself?  You see, that is what it really all comes down to.  We either do what we know is pleasing to God, or we choose to do what pleases us.  My daughters looked for ways to make me happy, either by writing little notes or doing things for me they knew I would like.  That was their way of showing me they loved me.  Are you looking for ways to show God you love Him?  You do that by studying His Word and keeping His commandments.

"But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?”         Luke 6:46  NKJV

If you have never made the choice to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, and question where you may spend eternity, may I encourage you to pray to Him today and confess your sins, ask Him to come into your life, and begin to experience a life filled with the joy which comes from trying to please Him.. Simply pray the following prayer;

Jesus I know I am a sinner. I have sinned against you, but I know you loved me enough to send your Son, Jesus Christ to die for my sins and then rise from the dead so that I may live forever with You. Lord forgive me of my sins and come into my life and help me to begin to live for You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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The Father's Discipline

Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.  Psalm 119:67  NKJV

“Just wait until your father comes home”!  Those words, of course, were the most dreaded any of my siblings or I ever wanted to hear.  Unfortunately, I seem to recall hearing them quite a lot as I was growing up.  I also have plenty of memories of the judgment I received for a few of my more notable transgressions.  Yet I truthfully can never recall receiving correction that wasn’t well deserved, nor punishment that didn’t fit the crime.  The lasting effect of loving correction was to awaken in me the realization that if I failed to follow the path expected of me, judgment would swiftly follow.

A fact that seems to escape many believers today is the stated principle in the Word of God that our Father will correct us in exactly the same way if we stray from the path He expects us to walk on.  While most would agree that the Bible spells out exactly what the Father’s expectations are concerning how we are to live our lives as His children, many would also dispute that much of what we would consider troubles in this life are actually God’s attempts to correct and/or discipline us for not following His Word.  If you look closely at the passage from Psalms, notice the progression David shares with us.  He chose not to keep God’s Word, he went astray, and the Father afflicted him.

“And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”   Hebrews 12:5-6  NKJV

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.”   Proverbs 3:11-12  NKJV

chastening    mûwçâr… properly, chastisement; figuratively, reproof, warning or instruction

David, although he knew better, made the choice to ignore God’s instruction and go astray.  What resulted was God’s judgment on him as a means of correction with the expectation that he would realize his mistake and choose to follow God’s instruction.  Something I slowly figured out as I started to study scripture as a young believer is something I like to call the rule of opposites. I suppose it goes something like this; in the Christian life there is no middle ground, or gray areas where we can “negotiate” with God. Either we do as God desires, or we do the complete opposite.  I suppose there are many examples in life we could use to illustrate this principle such as black and white, up and down, or simply good and evil. I think you begin to get the picture. Yet as a believer I find myself looking at things in in a way many might consider overly simplistic. You see, in my way of thinking, we either do it God's way or Satan's way.

I think it entirely possible that statement might offend some, yet if you think about it, isn't it a logical conclusion? The Bible tells us, and certainly illustrates by many examples, that God looks at our behavior in just this way. Either we do as He commands, or we follow Satan’s alternative. Remember that old classic song “I Did It My Way”? The truth is, it wasn't really your way it was Satan's way if it didn't follow God's way. I have always been troubled by believers who seem to think there is nothing wrong with ignoring God's commands if they can somehow “justify” their behavior in their own minds, as if it is possible to negotiate with God! Notice how children try to negotiate with you in order to get what they want?  Unfortunately, God has a message for His children who think they can get Him to change His mind.

“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.”   Job 5:17-18  NKJV

We should never forget that Satan’s first attack in the Garden of Eden was to cast doubt on the Word of God.  He still uses the same tactic today as the world will tell us that God didn’t really mean what He said and we can feel comfortable changing the Word to conform to whatever it is we wish it to say.  The unfortunate reality is that God’s children often choose to ignore His Word and wander in another direction.  Equally unfortunate is the fact that just like children, some are easily turned back by gentle correction while others are stubborn and place themselves in a position to receive a more severe discipline from the Father.  The passages above should make it abundantly clear that God will not hesitate to judge and discipline his children for disobedience when it is deserved.  Looking to the world for answers or guidance in dealing with the problems we might face in this life will lead to only one inescapable result and that is correction and discipline from God.

“knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.”    2 Peter 3:3-6 NKJV

I personally find this to be one of the most depressing passages in the Bible. Why? Because if you study the context of the entire book, you find that Peter is describing the problems that will arise in the Church in the last days, and the "scoffers" he is talking about are actually believers. How is it possible that someone who says their hope is in God and claims to be a believer, could doubt the very promise we have been given concerning His return? For the very reason Paul tells us about in Romans.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Romans 12:1-2 NKJV

They choose to do the 'unreasonable" thing by letting their actions be controlled by "their own lusts", and as we know by now if your actions aren't controlled by God, they are obviously controlled by Satan. To some that might sound harsh, but the reality is that the rule of opposites applies. Either we put our lives under God's control as a "reasonable" (logical) decision, or we go the other way.  We either look to God’s Word for answers, or to the world which is controlled by the evil one. Peter, Paul, David, and many others throughout the Word make it clear that the unfortunate result for those who choose the wrong way is God's judgment. God may delay, but He never changes His mind. Those who choose the wrong path will pay, and pay dearly.

Every day we can look at the world in which we now live and see the arrogance of those who have chosen to reject God's advice and look to the world for answers. If you have chosen to believe that you are a sinner, and have accepted the gift of salvation offered by God through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, you can rest easy with the knowledge that as a loving Father, He will always correct us with proportionate discipline.  It’s our stubbornness which dictates the severity of the correction.  Listen to God when He speaks and spare yourself the Father’s “chastening”.

Life as a member of God’s family is the most rewarding relationship anyone can experience.  Not only can we live with His promise to provide and help us in this life, we also look forward to the promise of eternal life with Him in the place He has prepared for us.  If you have never made the decision to become a member of God’s family, I hope you would choose to do it today.  You can do that by simply praying to God wherever you are with a simple prayer like this;

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

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