The photograph in today's blog was taken just this past weekend by a family member in San Fransisco, Ca. Also, I had had a very unfortunate conversation with several freinds regarding homosexuality. I say unfortunate because one of those freinds was a fellow believer who was in fact sinning as much as those who practice homosexuality. These experiences have gotten me thinking about the ministry of Jesus and how we should in fact strive to follow Him and His example. It also brought me back to a very basic question; just what is Sin?
"In the beggining...", we find sin was nothing more than mans disobeying his creator, his Father. As time progressed that one sin led to more "types" of disobedience, murder, sexual sins, stealing, contempt for parents, lying, and desiring with passion the possesions of others. This "sin" hurt the Father so much it was decided to bring an end to all of creation here on earth with the exception of one family. That family was the family of Noah
After the flood God realized that the family he had saved still poessed the root of sin in their hearts. Soon the Father and His Love was once again forgotten and disobedience was the rule of the day. Then came Abraham.
Abraham was God's hope for restoring all of mankind to the kind of paradise He had originally designed us for. Some call that paradise Nirvana, some call it heaven, others call it the Kingdom of God. The price of admission; obedience to His Laws.
God in His great Love saw that man of his own free will could never meet that price. He then decided to change the price of admission. No longer would God hold the leaders of the people responsible for the people's disobedience, individual responsibility would become the rule. No longer would He create a single political nation as a shinning example for all of mankind to follow. He HIMSELF would bear the punishment for His creations failures, their sin.
So He made Himself go through the process of becoming a man, living as a man, and dying as a criminal even though He never had a single thought or desire to commit a crime against God or man. He, God paid our price of admission into His Kingdom.
Sin is simply disobedience to the rules of God's Kingdom.
All kingdoms must have rules; laws. God's Kingdom is no exception. Those rules were spelled out in the form of the Ten Commandments.
Laws spell out what is acceptable behavior for the individual so that the Kingdom as a whole can function and provide safety and security for those individuals. God's laws with the 10th commandment went a step further and described an attitude;"you shall not covet". In other words, I don't want you to act this way nor do I want you to think or feel this way.
Paul, in his letter to the Roman church, said he as a Jew had no problem with the first 9 Commandments of the Law but the tenth, that was a whole different ball game. What he meant was under the old covenant, even as pious as Paul was, He could not qualify to enter God's Kingdom.
Jesus s life, death and reserection changed all of that.
Now we have new laws; believe in Jesus as God's Messiah, repent from your former rebelion, be baptized in Jesus and recive the Holly Spirit. Then Love God with all your heart and soul, and your neighbor as yourself, wich is the essence of the Ten commandments. If you follow these rules then you will enter into God's Kingdom not just in death but in the here and now.
God's new covenant with man was promised in Jeremiah 31, fulfiled through Jesus and restated twice in the letter to the Hebrews.
If you wish to know more about the role of the Ten Commandments in the believers life please buy the books I have written and are available here.
I am asking you to buy them because I need your help. I have been off work several times in the past 45 days, first for a major surgery for my wife (10 days) and now eye surgery for myself (9 days and counting. Please, if you can, buy my books and read them they will help you in your walk with our Lord.
You may buy them at a discount through the home page of this website or here and on Amazon.
May the God of Abraham Isaac, Jacob and Our Lord Jesus richly bless and keep you. Amen
Thank you
Les
"In the beggining...", we find sin was nothing more than mans disobeying his creator, his Father. As time progressed that one sin led to more "types" of disobedience, murder, sexual sins, stealing, contempt for parents, lying, and desiring with passion the possesions of others. This "sin" hurt the Father so much it was decided to bring an end to all of creation here on earth with the exception of one family. That family was the family of Noah
After the flood God realized that the family he had saved still poessed the root of sin in their hearts. Soon the Father and His Love was once again forgotten and disobedience was the rule of the day. Then came Abraham.
Abraham was God's hope for restoring all of mankind to the kind of paradise He had originally designed us for. Some call that paradise Nirvana, some call it heaven, others call it the Kingdom of God. The price of admission; obedience to His Laws.
God in His great Love saw that man of his own free will could never meet that price. He then decided to change the price of admission. No longer would God hold the leaders of the people responsible for the people's disobedience, individual responsibility would become the rule. No longer would He create a single political nation as a shinning example for all of mankind to follow. He HIMSELF would bear the punishment for His creations failures, their sin.
So He made Himself go through the process of becoming a man, living as a man, and dying as a criminal even though He never had a single thought or desire to commit a crime against God or man. He, God paid our price of admission into His Kingdom.
Sin is simply disobedience to the rules of God's Kingdom.
All kingdoms must have rules; laws. God's Kingdom is no exception. Those rules were spelled out in the form of the Ten Commandments.
Laws spell out what is acceptable behavior for the individual so that the Kingdom as a whole can function and provide safety and security for those individuals. God's laws with the 10th commandment went a step further and described an attitude;"you shall not covet". In other words, I don't want you to act this way nor do I want you to think or feel this way.
Paul, in his letter to the Roman church, said he as a Jew had no problem with the first 9 Commandments of the Law but the tenth, that was a whole different ball game. What he meant was under the old covenant, even as pious as Paul was, He could not qualify to enter God's Kingdom.
Jesus s life, death and reserection changed all of that.
Now we have new laws; believe in Jesus as God's Messiah, repent from your former rebelion, be baptized in Jesus and recive the Holly Spirit. Then Love God with all your heart and soul, and your neighbor as yourself, wich is the essence of the Ten commandments. If you follow these rules then you will enter into God's Kingdom not just in death but in the here and now.
God's new covenant with man was promised in Jeremiah 31, fulfiled through Jesus and restated twice in the letter to the Hebrews.
If you wish to know more about the role of the Ten Commandments in the believers life please buy the books I have written and are available here.
I am asking you to buy them because I need your help. I have been off work several times in the past 45 days, first for a major surgery for my wife (10 days) and now eye surgery for myself (9 days and counting. Please, if you can, buy my books and read them they will help you in your walk with our Lord.
You may buy them at a discount through the home page of this website or here and on Amazon.
May the God of Abraham Isaac, Jacob and Our Lord Jesus richly bless and keep you. Amen
Thank you
Les
RSS Feed
