Archive for December, 2008
Are We Saved by Grace or by Works?
Posted by Christoferl in Bible Study on December 21, 2008
We are saved by Grace
Titus 2:11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
But we cannot access Grace without faith in Christ….
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
and we know true faith is accompanied by works…
James 2:17
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
You can’t have one without the other with all three components…
We shouldn’t argue over one or the other – Saved by Grace? Saved by Works? – but understand that even in this; even in salvation; there is a unity of components – as it is in all the things of God.
We are saved through Jesus Christ. Let us rejoice as brothers and learn from our differences instead of dividing over them!
Powered Down
Posted by Christoferl in Bible Study on December 14, 2008
It’s been an incredible last few days. Living in North Central Massachusetts, we have been hit by the terrible ice storm that has literally shut down much of the New England area. Still, we are fortunate in the sense that we expect to have our power back by Monday, December 15. Some places, such as Gardner, MA are expected to be without power until at least Thursday, December 18. In fact, my sister and her family, who live in Gardner, have had to seek shelter with friends of the family further east because their heat won’t work without electricity. Our heat won’t work either but we were fortunate that my father-in-law has been able to put us up until our power comes back and he only lives about a half hour from us.
Other places, such as Derry, New Hampshire, are expecting to e powerless for another two weeks or so – and thats truly terrible in this winter time where temperatures are hitting lows of 12 or so. Those folks are going to be hurting for a while.
I think one of the most amazing things I’ve seen here is that the whole area is remincent of the experience I had in Florida when we were hit by hurricane Charlie about 4 years ago. People are hording gas. Grocery stores are running on emergency generators, but they aren’t able to sell frozen goods or perishables – I guess that’s due to health concerns and liabilities. You would think you would see a lot of goodwill towards each other, but there certainly seems to be a shortage of it. Oh sure, its there, but its there’s a lot of selfishness and such – I guess it’s human nature – but its sure troubling.
So – this is just a little update – letting you guys know we are ok and thankful that things weren’t worse. God has been amazing, giving us time with my father-in-law thats well appreciated. Truly, there are blessings in the storm – but there’s lots of room for prayers.
God bless and HJD!
Why Does God Hate Homosexuality?
Posted by Christoferl in Commentaries, YT Related on December 18, 2008
In response to the question: Why does God hate homosexuality? asked by Youtube user, williamcardno.
You are looking for answers – but you refuse the Bible – so it makes it more difficult to gently and lovingly provide and answer in my opinion – so lets get blunt here… What’s morally wrong with homosexuality? The answer is obvious though discounted continuously and it all boils down to the design of our bodies. It is obvious that men and women were created in such a way that when joined in sexual union there is not only pleasure but purpose – namely procreation. Now you might say – waaaaait – procreation is cool – but what about straight couples who can’t procreate for medical reasons? I would remind you that you asked about homosexuality – and not about straight couples that can’t procreate… bringing them up only confuses the matter at hand. The fact of the matter is that even if straights can’t procreate – they are still suited for one another by design.
Maybe you are thinking – there’s no harm in homosexuality, but there are many detrimental medical ramifications to homosexual sex. The male body, for instance, isn’t designed for intercourse – and when you use certain body parts to perform intercourse – there are dangerous consequences that come into play. But I don’t want to turn this into a medical report, the facts are out there to either be accepted or ignored. The anus is not designed for the same usage as the vagina – and thats the bottom line.
But lets say you’re willing to take medical risks – lets say that for you its all about ‘love’. Sexuality shouldn’t matter where love is concerned, right? After all, Homosexual relationships can certainly have LOVE so why would God be so dramatically opposed to your love if He is so compassionate and loving? Assuming I am correct in my conclusion that homosexuality is a clear and blatant violation of the intended purpose which God made us for – your love for each other is not the problem – its your desire to consummate that love in a heterosexual fashion that is the problem.
Because homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of God, its really no different than an alcoholics love for whiskey, or a smokers love of cigarettes, or a druggies love for drugs. Its a love of something that is detrimental to your existance both physically and spiritually, would a loving father be ok with his child loving alcohol or cigarettes or drugs? Not a chance – and so it is with homosexuality.
This doesn’t mean He hates homosexuals – because He doesn’t – but He certainly hates the way homosexuals have chosen to live their lives and what they’ve decided to do with the time and the opportunities they’ve been blessed with in this life.
I don’t think this will be a ‘satisfactory answer for you either – why? Because it doesn’t find a way to reconcile your homosexuality with God.
You might say – how can I KNOW the mind of God? You might be really confident in that too – since you stated – NO BIBLE – in your video – but the Holy Spirit has confirmed to me and millions if not billions of others that homosexuality is a sin. Now in saying that I want you to know that its no better or worse than murder or adultery or lying or stealing and so on… we wouldn’t expect anyone to realistically claim a sin is good would we? I don’t think you’d condone murder. Do you think adultery is good? Would you think lying or stealing is good? sin is sin… and its easy to sit there and say we are all sinners so we are all hypocrites, but that won’t make YOU right with God… and thats really what the argument comes down to… it comes down to getting right with God… I can love you – I can accept you for who you are – but it won’t change your standing before God…
Maybe you don’t believe in God – or your perception of God is vastly different than mine – and that’s fine – its between you and God – but I would be lying and doing the Gospel of Jesus Christ a disservice if I did not stand for the truth as He has revealed it to me. Also – I could not claim to love you as a fellow human being if I said anything less than what I’ve said in this video.
There is compassion in this Christian heart towards you – but compassion is not the same as acceptance – its not compassionate to say ‘hey – homosexuality is ok because its love’ when its an abomination to our Creator. The truth hurts, but that doesn’t mean it should be hidden or ignored. If you want to live as a homosexual, God has given you that right. If you want to live in rebellion against His way – thats also your right, but understand you do so in the face of the consequences for your choices. One such consequence is dealing with the fact that homosexuality will never be accepted by those who fear God. There will never be an answer that you are willing to accept other than a lie that says God is cool with your lifestyle. The consequence that worries me most though is the possible damnation you will face when you are before the Lord on judgment day. I am not the judge, I cannot say you will burn in hell for the things you do as a homosexual – but I can say I am afraid that you might burn in hell for your rebellion. I am not a bigot – I am a fellow human being who is trying to warn you before its too late – and if that makes me a bigot in your eyes – then so be it.
Believe it or not william – you are in my prayers and I really do care.
GBU and HJD
homosexuals God
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