Katelyn’s Question #3

What is the basic moral nature of mankind?

This is a continuation of the following posts:

Is There a God? If So, What is God Like?– Or Katelyn’s Question #1

Katelyn’s Question #2

 

Sin is the basic human nature.  The term “original sin” is used to describe the tendency to sin which is born into all human beings.  This sin is inherited from Adam and Eve, because they ate from the tree of knowledge, against God’s command.  When Adam rebelled, his nature and that of all of mankind after him became sinful.  Romans 5:12 says:

“…sin entered the world through one man.”

Everyone was born with a sinful nature, but Romans 5:19 says:

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

The answer to original sin is redemption and salvation.  Through Jesus, the Son of God, all Christians, and those to come have been redeemed, or saved from sin.  Jesus was sacrificed on the cross to deliver us from sin.  There is no other way to overcome sin than by the power of the Holy Spirit, a power that is received when one becomes a child of God.  Christians are to not only recognize their sinful nature, but repent and ask for forgiveness of their sins.  Proverbs 28:13 says:

“Whoever conceals their sin does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

Original sin is something all humans are born with, and it brings the consequences of ignorance, death and suffering.  Man is only saved from sin by the grace of God.  The Bible provides many verses that speak of redemption and remind Christians that their sins are forgiven through the death of Jesus.  Isaiah 44:22 says:

“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist.  Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”

 

What Stands Out? Hebrews Chapter 10

Wow, we’re getting to the good part.  There are so many beautiful verses in this section of Hebrews.  How about …

“For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.”  Hebrews 10:1

I love that phrase … “the law has but a shadow of the good things to come.”  Think about that.  The best things of this life are only a shadow of the joy we will feel when we meet Christ face to face.

And how about this one:

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”  Hebrews 10:24-25

It’s telling us, don’t waste time!  Enjoy the fellowship of other Christians!  Encourage them! Spread the good news, so that others do not miss out on eternity with Jesus.

“Therefore do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward.”  Hebrews 10:35

All of Hebrews up to this point has been telling us that we can rest assured of our salvation because Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the law.  We are reconciled with the father through His blood.  He was the perfect and final sacrifice, and we no longer need to live up to God’s standards on our own.

This is a truly inspiring chapter– what do you think?  What stands out for you?

Interactive Study Blog – Hebrews Chapter 10

For thousands of years, the priests of the temples sacrificed animals to atone for our sins. I cannot imagine how many animals were killed, but because they were not the perfect sacrifice, it never provided the perfect atonement necessary for us. We received the perfect sacrifice from Jesus Christ on the cross. The prior sacrifices were a constant reminder of our sinful nature and that we would never receive the complete atonement we craved. It took our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, to provide the necessary perfect sacrifice. The moment He did the first covenant was abolished, and the new covenant, the atonement of our sins through the blood of Christ, was installed.

What a wonderful gist He gave us.

God Loves You And So Do I

Michele Edgel

Freedom Is Not Free

I know all of us have heard this expression, a lot, but have you ever turned it towards what Christ did for us on that cross? He paid a price that was terrible so we can have our freedom. Freedom from the sentence of death from sin. Wow, it is mind blowing to think about it. I could spout all the scripture in the Bible or quote numerous theological writers but the cold. hard facts are that Christ died for us to pay a debt we could never, ever pay; so that we could have freedom from death and instead have the gift of eternal life. What is grace? It is the following:
G – God’s
R – Redemption
A – At
C – Christ’s
E – Expense
His payment, our freedom. Think about it = Do you repay Christ everyday for this freedom? Do you stand up for Him, as He hung for you? Do you cherish this freedom or take it for granted? Some days I am better than others, but in all honesty, I do not do justice for the payment He gave for me. I hope that by coming to this realization, I can strive to be better, I mean He deserves my best doesn’t He, He gave me His.

God Loves You And So Do I
Michele Edgel

A Prayer Through the Storms

The Friend I Have In Jesus

How is it that you find me, everywhere I roam,

Standing right beside me, never leaving me alone?

It’s because you are the chosen one, whom God sent to us in every way,

The one who died on a cross, taking our sins on that precious day.

You melt our hearts with love, and dry our tears when they fall,

You wrap your arms around us and always listen when we call.

The glorious Son of God and Savior to the nations,

Giving us a chance to be forgiven, helping us man our battle stations.

Your take us on great journeys, as far as the East is from the West,

Giving us your divine instructions and leaving us to do the rest.

We, your faithful servants try to discern your will for our lives,

However unsure or nervous we are, sometimes even as painful as piercing knives.

Somehow through all the pain and anxiousness you reveal your peace at last,

Letting us experience the calm in the storm, helping us to stay strong and steadfast.

Everywhere I look and turn, you are never far away,

My Jesus, my friend, my Savior, who’s with me every day.

                                                                                                                           LAW

I wrote this poem one night after chapel on a Via de Cristo weekend. I read it when I am going through hard things and reminded that I am never alone, Jesus is always with me. It is my prayer through the storms of life. Do you have a comforting prayer or poem that you go to for strength and comfort?

In His Love,

Leslie Winston

 

My Personal Rebirth

When the theme for this month was chosen, I figured with all the Bible verses we have to choose from it would be pretty easy to find one to focus on, but for some reason my brain will not do that, it wants to tell my story.  (I am hoping it is God pushing me.)

I was baptized at 8 days old, promised to the Lord at an early age, but didn’t go to church or act like a Christian for a long time.  It has only been pretty recently that I have felt an overwhelming need to walk a straighter line and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Now if you have been following this blog, you already know that I consider myself a work in progress (granted a lot of work still needs to be done) and that I try hard every day to be a better person, but know that I fall short no matter how hard I try.

Fortunately, thanks to Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, I am reborn white as snow on his eyes.  But in my eyes, I still fight with my feelings of sin and undeserving nature of his gift.  I believe that these feelings of “guilt” are what make me want to do better.  I usually believe that this is the way God steers me down a better path, but sometimes wonder if it isn’t Satan trying to get me to fall again. (Which I do on a regular basis)

Everyday I struggle with feelings but do not allow them to shadow what He did for me.  I am NOT perfect, but I am perfect in His eyes.  Praise the Lord for that.

I hope that by opening up with my experience, that others will comment on theirs.

Are you like me and fairly new to being a Christian?

Have you always followed God’s path?

I really want to know, please comment.

Always remember   –  God Loves You And So Do I

Michele Edgel

Resurrection, Imperfect by John Donne

I don’t know how many readers will like this, but what can I say? I was an English major in one of my lives! I really like John Donne who was a church of England cleric, and one of the metaphysical poets.  If you read the entire post, you will see that the poem is titled “Imperfect” because it was unfinished.

conversant faith

RESURRECTION, IMPERFECT

Sleep sleep old sun, thou canst not have repast
As yet, the wound thou took’st on Friday last;
Sleep then, and rest; the world may bear thy stay,
A better Sun rose before thee today,
Who, not content to enlighten all that dwell
On the earth’s face, as thou, enlightened hell,
And made the dark fires languish in that vale,
As, at thy presence here, our fires grow pale.
Whose body having walked on earth, and now
Hasting to heaven, would, that he might allow
Himself unto all stations, and fill all,
For these three days become a mineral;
He was all gold when he lay down but rose
All tincture, and doth not alone dispose
Leaden and iron wills to good, but is
Of power to make even sinful flesh like his.
Had one of those, whose credulous piety
Thought, that a soul one might discern and…

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How Should A Reborn Christian Act?

***Warning – This blog may upset some people

What a way to start my newest blog. When we are reborn as a Christian through Christ’s sacrifice, I believe that it comes with certain responsibilities; being kind to others, non-judgmental towards others, giving the credit for ALL good things we do to Christ and the list goes on.

Read this part carefully – Just because you go to church that doesn’t make you a Christian, anymore than sitting in a garage makes you a car. When people say they are a Christian in one breath – and put down their neighbor in the next; talk about all the sacrifices they make for God as they are complaining that they aren’t satisfied with the 2-year-old car they have; or better yet, talk about how they can’t believe that “SHE” wore that to church. Really, that is NOT Christian PERIOD.
When you are truly reborn into Christ – you want to do right (being a sinner makes it hard) you want Him to get the glory, you want to give all you have to Him because He gave all for you.
Now before you say that I am being judgmental – you are RIGHT – I am. I firmly believe that when someone is representing themselves as a Child of God we are responsible to make sure that they are accountable for their actions, words or lifestyle. That doesn’t mean I think I am better than them, and I would hope that my friends and family would admonish me when my behavior is contrary to the will of God.

We are responsible to make sure that we as Christians present ourselves as fallen saints & unworthy sinners and without His sacrifice bound for hell. When we do not use the gift of our rebirth in Christ as a positive identification and act like we are better because we are “Christians”, we are in danger of condemning others to being turned away to the wonderful gift we have.
We do not attend church because we are perfect saints but we attend church because we are unworthy sinners.

I am hoping to get some comments about this, does anyone deal with these feelings when confronted with any of these situations? If so, how do YOU handle them, because as anyone who knows me will tell you, I tend to be outspoken and am working on being more “politically correct”.

Remember, no matter my rant – God Loves You And So Do I

Michele Edgel

The Resurrection is Now

Jesus said to her (Martha), “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”…John 11:25-26

This verse came to me this morning and I think it’s significant.  Jesus is speaking with Martha about her brother, Lazarus, who died a few days ago.  Martha knows that Jesus has the power to raise Lazarus, but he’s waited so long she’s not sure if he will. So she questions him about his intentions.  She tells him she knows he could have come earlier and prevented Lazarus from dying;  she also knows that all will be raised from death in the last days.   Notice how Jesus answers her.  He does not say “I will be resurrected” or “I will resurrect Lazarus” or even “Don’t worry, we’ll all be resurrected at some point. He says, I AM the resurrection.”

What does this mean?

I think it’s another one of those indications that the kingdom of God is both now and not yet.  If we believe in the resurrection of Jesus, the kingdom has already come in our lives.  We are a “new creation” NOW, even as we look forward to the second coming when “every knee will bow” to Christ.

How would we live if we really believed this?  Well, I think we would give God the proper place in our lives (first) NOW; we would stop being anxious and worried NOW;  we would love others as Christ loved us NOW;  we would want to tell everyone how they, too, could experience this new life NOW.

Think about it:  you and I have already been raised from the dead.  We don’t have to live in darkness and fear.  The resurrection is NOW.

 

Is it a joke?

It’s April Fool’s Day and I just got back from seeing the movie, Risen.  It makes me think about how for over 2000 years people have been saying the Resurrection is just a joke;  an elaborate trick played on gullible people who didn’t want to believe Jesus had died.

Even today some (even some who call themselves Christian) will tell you that Jesus was a wise teacher, a prophet, maybe even a man specially chosen and touched by God.  However, they just can’t bring themselves to believe he was actually raised from the dead.  Maybe Jesus was taken from the cross before he was dead;  maybe his followers stole the body and started a wild rumor;  maybe the entire life of Jesus as reported in the Bible is just a myth, meant to symbolize certain truths, but not really THE TRUTH.

Here’s what the Apostle Paul had to say about that:

“…if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”  1 Cor. 15:14

In other words, everything hinges on the resurrection.  We need to be able to say on Easter morning, and every morning, “He is risen.  He is risen, indeed.”