Today, thoughts are shared on the methods for defining “sin” used among Christian believers. All sin must be known and understood as contrary to the existence, active presence, and sovereign will of GOD. Many of us began knowing what sin is by answering a list of forbidden attitudes, behaviors, and things people say. Even so, in the same way only learning to recite the ABCs does not make a child able to read and write complete words, becoming an independent and mature believer requires more than simple information that describes a few of the many negative conditions, offenses, patterns, and situations that call forth divine wrath against sin. Wrath against sin is not an emotion or feeling that GOD experiences from time to time. Anger and disgust directed against disobedience, evil, and wickedness are permanent and inseparable aspects of the full character, makeup, and substance of the Creator. Created beings and living creatures who sin are not yet annihilated because divine wrath must also be in balance with other sacred elements such as compassion, forgiveness, impartiality, joy, longsuffering, and mercy. A writer at “Yahoo! Answers” using the ID “chaindropz” (Level 4 with 3,074 points, a member since September 10, 2007) posted the following:
How do Christians determine what act is a sin?
THE GOLDEN ARROW: Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (Romans 13: 8-12, King James Version, KJV)
THE DOUBLE DAGGER: On Law and Sin (06/07/2017); Atonement, Repentance and More (06/06/2017); Sin to Cover Sin? (02/24/2017); Knowing GOD and Sin? (02/03/2017); Divine Presence and Spirit (01/18/2017); Eternal Life From GOD (10/24/2016); The Cross and Creation (03/24/2016); Condemned by the Church? (08/19/2014); Principles of Correct Belief? (08/20/2014)
“chaindropz”, many mature Christian believers agree that divine instruction regarding sin is necessary for new life within the church. Among small children, young people, and sinners who are just beginning to acquire the sacred knowledge, and develop godly concentration through regular sacred practices (we say, sacraments), sin often is known primarily on the basis of divine law, prohibitions (statements like “thou shalt not”), and ones intuited, diffuse, inner sense of right and wrong/good and bad. Sin seems to be no more than an abstract, immaterial force, or influence. Correctly understood, sin is no common object you may hold in your hand, or slip into your pocket; and sin can not be eliminated or destroyed by merely retracing/reversing a persons actions. (The death of a sinner will stop them from committing more sins, however, the consequences and outcomes from their deeds will continue long after they are dead and gone.)
For mature Christian believers, the divine operations for responding to sin also include using special tools from GOD. There must be discernment (using ones own spirit content to recognize and respond to spirit substance from divinity appearing within events, oneself, other persons, prophecies, holy writings, etc.), judgment (applying the precepts and principles of divine law as standards to assign meaning, quality, and value; to resolve conflicts; and to settle disputes) as well as incarnation (the embodiment of spirit substance using flesh and blood).
Sin opposes the continued existence of divine law, the Law Giver, and the divine order that serves as the platform of this universe. More than simply promoting death, sin generates non-existence, and the return to conditions of chaos and formlessness that were in place before Creation. Sin has direction, effect, and presence; and sin may dominate awareness and self-will in created beings and living creatures. The will of GOD is not subject to sin; thus, provision of fresh endowments of divine spirit through the ministry of Jesus Christ is an important “solution” in the full response of GOD to sin. Sin can not be controlled or erased by simply listing all the specific acts and behaviors that are offensive to GOD. Finite tools such as intellect, logic, carnal reason, philosophy, science and human willpower are not enough to eliminate sin.
There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, through operations of the Holy Spirit during baptism there are the death, burial, and resurrection of ones inborn spirit. All believers must become “born again,” so to speak, from divine seed, and have fresh deposits of Spirit from the makeup of GOD. Inseparable aspects from the character, nature, and spirit content of GOD are imparted. Included are faith, forbearance, holiness, longsuffering, lovingkindness, wisdom, and wrath against sin. Every one who becomes “born again” also must “grow up again” while living on the earth, and is to become ripe for harvest (mature; fit to meet the Lord in the air at his Second Coming). As vessels of divine substance these will be received as sons and daughters of GOD, divine offspring, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.
THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC
Points are shared, today, on why there are multiple denominations and organized expressions of Christian belief. Rather than a set of ceremonies, customs, commandments, rituals and traditions, Christianity is a compilation of precepts, premises, principles, promises and prophecies. The writer at “Yahoo! Answers” using ID “Random” (Level 1 with 64 points, a member since April 13, 2015) posted the following:
Why are there different forms of Christianity?
I'm not going to name all of them (obviously) but I was just wondering why there are so many?
As a nonbeliever of God I always thought that Judaism would be (don't take this the wrong way) right because Jesus was Jewish was he not?
I'm starting a fight and i'm pretty sure I will get someone that says it isn't my place to be nosy if I don't believe in the first place, but I can't help it.
also what are the differences between them? Like Catholics and Jews etc.
THE GOLDEN ARROW: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. (Romans 6: 16-18, KJV)
THE DOUBLE DAGGER: The Core Concepts? (04/06/2015); Catholics, Protestants and the Trinity? (10/12/2014); The Gift of Life Despised? (10/13/2014); Choosing a Church? (05/31/2014); Before Getting Baptized? (11/28/2013); The Rich in Divine Relationship? (11/29/2013); Why Not One Bible? (11/02/2013); Why Jesus Used Parables (11/03/2013); Denying Baptism to Others (11/04/2013); Jesus and the Pharisees (07/14/2013); How Could Angels Fall? (07/15/2013)
“Random”, here are some points that clarify the diversity and richness of Christian belief:
(1.) Many of the devices, doctrines and mechanisms provided by divinity to mankind through Jesus Christ are to serve like guides and outlines that encourage growth, rather than blueprints and technical plans that must be actualized and carried out in precise detail.
(2.) GOD is a spirit. Christian believers are entered into a new relationship with Deity wherein the full character of divinity (we say, the GODhead) is being made known and visible. The One who has put forth all Creation must be engaged through exchange, interaction, and life experiences that are the expression of eternal process and purpose. Thus, the revelation of divinity that comes by the holy writings shares a divine perspective, and is a record of the active presence of divinity as it has been recognized within thousands of lives over the course of thousands of years.
(3.) GOD is immutable and unchanging. Yet, created beings and living creatures all are subject to change. In addition to fixed patterns for movement through phases and stages of emotional, intellectual, physical and psychological growth, humans must respond to learning, social pressures, and the operations of corruption and sin. Godly change in ones spirit content and spiritual growth occur only by operations of divinity. Those born-again through baptism (death of ones inborn spirit, rebirth from divine DNA, so to speak), also must “grow up again” facing the same life challenges as all others upon the earth.
There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually understood. (For example, (4.) Every believer must respond to the Gospel and to the new covenant and testament by the blood of Jesus as a personal experience of discovery, insight, and transformation. While there is only one faith, one Lord, one baptism, believers continue upon different levels of maturity and readiness for harvest. The process of salvation is intimate, natural, organic and present, rather than abstract, mechanical, and remote. Through the unity of flesh and spirit, there must be a “new creation” (without a “big bang”) that can establish the living as immortal and incorruptible.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.
THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC
Today, points are shared on whether bestiality and other sexual practices were endorsed by Jesus Christ through “silence”. Believers understand that the earthly ministry of Jesus was carried out as the proclamation and fulfillment of divine promises and recorded prophecy, rather than a teaching of Mosaic covenant and its demands. Even so, Jesus promoted the law as legitimate and eternal. Consider again: Jeremiah 31: 33-36, KJV: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Also recall, Matthew 5: 17-19, KJV: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. The fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” who uses the ID “James 1:1” (Level 2 with 754 points, a member since November 27, 2014) posted the following thrust:
Did Jesus, by not addressing these subjects, okay men having sex with men, and people having sex with animals.?
THE GOLDEN ARROW: Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1st Corinthians 6: 15-20, KJV)
THE DOUBLE DAGGER: Human Law, Divine Favor? (03/23/2015); Condemned by the Church? (08/19/2014); Principles of Correct Belief? (08/20/2014); Recognizing Divine Wrath? (02/26/2014); Angels, Law and Sin (10/18/2013); Animals Do Not Sin? (09/29/2013); GOD is Acknowledging (09/30/2013); Law in Christian Belief? (09/03/2013); A Need to Know? (09/04/2013); The Spirit by Measure (09/22/2012); A Man in Heaven? (09/23/2012)
“James 1: 1”, here are a few points that have released many Christian believers from spiritual error:
(1.) The Gospel is a complete teaching that has come forth as a revealing of divinity and Deity. In place of a developed code of covenant law with ordinances, statutes and judicial decisions applied and enforced as our standard (we may say, the letter of the law), Christian believers have received an imparted spirit that operates through precepts, principles, prophecy, and spiritual imperatives (i.e., accountability, duty and requirements enjoined by ones own content from divinity). Therefore, new life for the believer will express unchanging divine intent and eternal purpose.
Saying this another way: (2.) Hosea 6: 6, KJV: For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
(3.) Matthew 9: 13, KJV: But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
(4.) Matthew 22: 36-40 KJV: Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
(5.) Romans 13: 8-10 KJV: Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually understood. For example, (6.) Romans 8: 9, KJV: But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith. Love has spoken.
THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC
Today, a collegian asks about attending church functions unaccompanied; and there is more on how divine love continues despite the death of children. A “Yahoo! Answers” writer using the ID “Pat Robertson” (Level 2 with 477 points, since December 4, 2013) posted the following:
Is it weird to go to church by yourself?
Especially if your a college student. Theres this college ministry tonight and I dont know anyone there but I want to go. I have aspergers and o dont know if I should go because idk what it will be like.
THE BATTLE AXE: That Mortal Children Die? (12/15/2013)—The operations of flesh are material and mechanical in nature, and substance; and mortality requires completion with a “coming into harmony” necessary to eternal demands and imperatives. The tool of death has been shown to fulfill divine intent, and, so is not contrary to sovereign authority, divine love and sacred purpose. Those who are experiencing the heart of GOD, and are covered within the depths of GOD’s love through Jesus Christ, know as a certain and inarguable truth that GOD is hurt by the death of the just, and those that are innocents. Because of his majesty and power, the Almighty endures a great burden and sense of loss for all who die. Even so, duty and responsibility require continued divine restraint, separation, and the outworking of things already begun from the foundation of the earth and the heavens. (See again Ezekiel 18: 31-32 and 33: 11-20, 2nd Timothy 1: 7-10, Romans 5: 1-21 and Hebrews 2: 14-15, KJV.)
THE GOLDEN ARROW: Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. (Psalms 119: 4-12, KJV)
THE DOUBLE DAGGER: Never Taught It? (10/13/2013); Without Pointing A Finger? (10/14/2013); A Relationship not Just Knowledge? (06/25/2013); Lost Without GOD? (06/26/2013); Struggling? (05/11/2013); Through Much Tribulation (05/12/2013); Jesus Lives! (05/04/2013); Experience Is Not Evidence? (05/05/2013); Church Mandatory? (05/06/2013); A GOD of Love? (05/07/2013); Life Given By Knowledge? (04/03/2013); A Spirit Church? (04/04/2013)
“Pat Robertson”, may I share a few thoughts based upon my college experience, and life as a Christian believer since a minor child of eight?
(1.) All of your own personal goals and purposes at this stage in your life require that you change by learning, growing, and developing necessary strength to fearlessly and independently make sound adult decisions. Because you are already anchored in meaningful beliefs and understandings, you do not have to shrink from new challenges and new situations. Like Christopher Columbus, you may go forward and sail on a broad sea as an explorer charting and mapping the way for others; yet, only as you continue to acknowledge the guiding stars that are the life line connecting you with your home port.
(2.) You are not at fault for needing confirmation and information, for simply being curios, or for wanting companionship with other believers. However, a person should be called “remiss” and in error when they fail to grasp that they have a duty as a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ to comfort other believers with the things from GOD they are receiving; build up the body of believers; encourage others to take decisive and godly action (we say, exhort); to make unselfish sacrifices (we say, love); and to proclaim the Gospel (we say, spread the good news).
There is far more to be said, correctly shared, and spiritually understood. For example, (3.) Believers are only without joy that comes from GOD (or “by themselves”) when they fail to “see” that it actually is present. Ones attention and gaze can be directed away to such elements as fears, needs, problems, sensations, and wounds. The evidences that you are not alone, and that you continue in the divine presence are bestowed upon believers through baptism and confirmation, and reside within you as the imparted, indwelling Spirit of GOD. This evidence does not “come and go,” however, our awareness of their action and operation may. Thus, believers hold to promises and truths from GOD that serve as anchors that express abiding faith.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.
THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC
