"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast."
Ephesians 2:8-9
I am a sinner, there I said it! Yes it is true, I have done and will continue to do things that are sinful. Do I dare say that too, that I will be sinful until I die.
Yes I an a Christian. Yes i'm saved, and yes I'm not sinless.
How can that be? Aren't Christians sinless?
Well, Christians are sinless in the eyes of God only, because we believe that He sent a way to make it so. This way is the Good News, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
You see, we, you and I are unable to live a sinless life. That's right everyone is a sinner, you, me and that guy looking over your shoulder to see what your reading, EVERYONE.
If you meet a Christian who say they are without sin, ask them to explan, and if they say it is because I believe in Christ. Then ask then if they continue to sin, and doesn't that make you a sinner?
You see there is a nasty lie going around in the Christian Church in America, that once you are saved, you are no longer a sinner. People like Joel Osteen and Kay Arthur who teach that you are no longer a sinner, once you become a Christian. That's right, all that bad stuff you did last week, not a sin, Jesus has your back. It was after attending a Precepts Bible Study that I wanted to go on to get my Theology degree, (which a did in 1998) when I heard women believing and hanging onto every word Arthur was saying. This including her statement that Christians must stop calling themselves sinners. When disagreeing with this statement and backing it up with scripture, I was shuned and put down for my believes.
Because of this "sinless" state of belief, people here in the US are more likely to pointout your sins, since they don't have any. However they just skim over this in the Bible . . . How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7:4) Right after is verse, Jesus goes on to tell, yes to tell the religious leaders, You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (7:5)
How is this happening? Because it is easier to have people tell you what to think, then to think and read on your own. At this point I have just upset most main stream Christians, but I ask you, when was the last time you spent time in the Word? Real time spent studing without a devotional booklet with others conments, just you and the Bible, maybe Vine's or Strong's and a biblical cultural history. Do you watch FOX News more then you spend in the Word? Do you listen to preachers on the TV or radio more then you spend time in the Word? The Bible is God's love letter to YOU! Have you ever got a love letter? Did you just let it sit there, have someone else tell you what your love is thinking? Did you read it yourself and hold thoes words close to your heart?
At the end of Matthew 7 is the story of the foolish and wise men, building on poor and firm foundations, that foundation is the Word of God, the Bible. (24) "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Jesus also warns belivers about false prophets and teachers, because He knows it it easier to follow. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (21-23)
The most wonderful thing about Matthew 7 is this all falls under Jesus' teachings of judgment of others. “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." (1-2)
You see. you are a sinner, just like me and our fathers before us. We all have been born into a fallen world and can't do anything about it. The law of the Old Testament is not something we can achieve, but rather a list of why we need Jesus. Salvation is by the gift of Grace, a mercy, clemency, not because we are good but because we know we are not good and need some help.
This leaves us with that question of people sinning, and what do you do? The most important thing is to look at everything and everyone the way Jesus does, with love. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27) To simply put it, love God and study His Words, and share the Gospel. There is no need to point out others sins. (for the most part they know already) Your job is to share Christ love and acceptance and His willingness to die for each and eveyone us, so we can live.
So I'm I a sinner, YES. I am a sinner, saved by the Grace of God that comes from believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesue had to came into this world to die, to die for ME, and everyone else so that we can have a relationship with His Father. Do I still sin? Yes I still sin but God sent a helper in that of His Spirit, and I pray for help to overcome and cease sinning. I also know that this will never happen here on Earth and I can only hope to grow.
This sin that we have in our lives is that which Adam and Eve gave us, with it's roots in wanting to be god and being higher like a god. Jesus did just the opposite when He came to Earth, rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:7-8)
So strive to be Christ like to reflect His image of love and humblness.
8 You see there is a nasty lie going around in the Christian Church in America, that once you are saved, you are no longer a sinner. People like Joel Osteen and Kay Arthur who teach that you are no longer a sinner, once you become a Christian. That's right, all that bad stuff you did last week, not a sin, Jesus has your back. It was after attending a Precepts Bible Study that I wanted to go on to get my Theology degree, (which a did in 1998) when I heard women believing and hanging onto every word Arthur was saying. This including her statement that Christians must stop calling themselves sinners. When disagreeing with this statement and backing it up with scripture, I was shuned and put down for my believes.
Because of this "sinless" state of belief, people here in the US are more likely to pointout your sins, since they don't have any. However they just skim over this in the Bible . . . How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7:4) Right after is verse, Jesus goes on to tell, yes to tell the religious leaders, You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (7:5)
How is this happening? Because it is easier to have people tell you what to think, then to think and read on your own. At this point I have just upset most main stream Christians, but I ask you, when was the last time you spent time in the Word? Real time spent studing without a devotional booklet with others conments, just you and the Bible, maybe Vine's or Strong's and a biblical cultural history. Do you watch FOX News more then you spend in the Word? Do you listen to preachers on the TV or radio more then you spend time in the Word? The Bible is God's love letter to YOU! Have you ever got a love letter? Did you just let it sit there, have someone else tell you what your love is thinking? Did you read it yourself and hold thoes words close to your heart?
At the end of Matthew 7 is the story of the foolish and wise men, building on poor and firm foundations, that foundation is the Word of God, the Bible. (24) "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Jesus also warns belivers about false prophets and teachers, because He knows it it easier to follow. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (21-23)
The most wonderful thing about Matthew 7 is this all falls under Jesus' teachings of judgment of others. “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." (1-2)
You see. you are a sinner, just like me and our fathers before us. We all have been born into a fallen world and can't do anything about it. The law of the Old Testament is not something we can achieve, but rather a list of why we need Jesus. Salvation is by the gift of Grace, a mercy, clemency, not because we are good but because we know we are not good and need some help.
This leaves us with that question of people sinning, and what do you do? The most important thing is to look at everything and everyone the way Jesus does, with love. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27) To simply put it, love God and study His Words, and share the Gospel. There is no need to point out others sins. (for the most part they know already) Your job is to share Christ love and acceptance and His willingness to die for each and eveyone us, so we can live.
So I'm I a sinner, YES. I am a sinner, saved by the Grace of God that comes from believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesue had to came into this world to die, to die for ME, and everyone else so that we can have a relationship with His Father. Do I still sin? Yes I still sin but God sent a helper in that of His Spirit, and I pray for help to overcome and cease sinning. I also know that this will never happen here on Earth and I can only hope to grow.
This sin that we have in our lives is that which Adam and Eve gave us, with it's roots in wanting to be god and being higher like a god. Jesus did just the opposite when He came to Earth, rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:7-8)
So strive to be Christ like to reflect His image of love and humblness.
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