iCrucified

Posts Tagged ‘Sin’

LONG POST WARNING…

I know I might sound like a broken record, but I cannot escape the thought patterns that rise up out of my heart and take up residence in my mind. As I continue to read from my Bible and the ancient writings of Christians that have journeyed the path of discipleship in the ways of Jesus Christ, I learn and appreciate a deeper understanding behind the meaning of the “narrow way.” As wide and deep are the mercies and grace of our Great GOD; laser straight with precision focus and dedication must be the way of his disciple. This narrow way of laser-focus-dedication is not, and cannot be, confused with legalistic rules, programs, disciplines or programs. Nor should it be confused with maniacal fanaticism. Likewise, it is not a life journey that one enters into expecting to find balance. While I find myself using the words moderation and balance quite often on the course and path of my faith journey, realistically…balance is something that I rarely experience. This, of course, could be more attuned to my own personality, but I think unbalanced and wholehearted speak more closely to right definition when it comes to the description of a true Jesus disciple. Your mileage might vary, but this is my experience.

You might be asking; “what’s driving the thinking, Jeff?” My answer; a lot…let me share a bit of it with you.

“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of Heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.” 1 Kings 8:23

If you read this blog, you probably noticed that my blogging has been sporadic lately. I’m not prepared to share in detail why that has been, but will say that my soul has been at unrest. This is not to infer negative implications. Personally, I think what the Lord has been speaking to me is good. He is defining my path; He is guiding my steps…He is writing my destiny. As a result of this “heart conversation” with my Lord, my mouth has been silent and since this has been all that has consumed me for the past several weeks and couple months…my blogging has been minimal…feeling restricted by what I can share and what is on my mind. There are some things I feel ok to talk about, so I’ll share some of them now and maybe more over the next few days or however long it takes to flesh it all out. Read the rest of this entry »

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I just finished reading the book Spectacular Sins by John Piper and while I’m not quite sure that I share the same perspective and point of view as JP, I did enjoy the book. I was in agreement with the ultimate consensus and bottom-line conclusion of Spectacular Sins, but did (and presently do not) not follow the same path to arrive at those conclusions. If you are not familiar with the book, I’ve probably got your appetite whetted by now wondering what in the world I’m referring to.

The basic premise of the book is that God Almighty is the power and authority behind the greatest and most spectacular sins in the history of all Creation; I mention all Creation because Piper includes the Rebellion and Fall of Satan as one of these “spectacular sins.” The book is meant to reveal and highlight the extent and magnitude of God’s sovereignty over all things trying to convince the reader that God has planned and orchestrated all the events (including acts of sin) for the express purpose of bringing more glory to himself through the person of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, I am not oversimplifying or misrepresenting the substance of Spectacular Sins.

I said that I did not follow or agree with the line of reasoning that JP put forth to explain his position. In the next paragraphs I will endeavor to share the points that I view differently; however, one of the foundational passages of scripture that Piper uses for this thesis is from Colossians 1:15-20 with an emphasis on Colossians 1:16 “For by him all things were created…all things were created through him and for him.” This is worth remembering, and JP qualifies later that all things were created for him and by him yet scripture does not say they were created evil; he goes on to support this position by quoting from Jude 6 “…angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling.” Piper says; “They were created good, and they rebelled against God.” (p.35) So far, I’m tracking well and in full agreement with the Piper Premise. Read the rest of this entry »

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I am posting some of these thoughts over on the blog for my home church while our congregation reads together through the New Testament Scriptures. I wanted to have a permanent link to my own blog, so I’m posting here too. This will be a multi-part post over the next couple days, so feel free to read along and share your thoughts for or against.

“…suppress truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18)

“…they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like” (Romans 1:21)

“They traded the truth about God for a lie…” (Romans 1:25)

“…they worshipped the things God created instead of the Creator himself” (Romans 1:25)

It is easy for us to point the finger at “the other guy” about now. Most of us in the Christian world would not consider ourselves to be included in the audience that Paul refers to in the passages above. We’re good. We know Jesus. We accepted His free gift of salvation; we said so in a prayer. We go to church. We own a Bible. We say grace at the table and occasionally volunteer in a service project…when we have time and it doesn’t interrupt the schedules of our lives. Paul says to us; “You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse!” (Romans 2:1). If that statement is not enough to rattle us “good knower’s of God’s word,” Paul writes the following words to the Roman Jews (I really think these words can be/should be applied to us Christians in 21^st century North Amercia): Read the rest of this entry »

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