help a brother out...

[BigEd]

Correct me if im wrong ;)
When Jesus was on earth he gave only two commandments. 1-love your neighbor as yourself and 2- love your God with all your heart,strenght and mind. He said that in these 2 commandments all the other laws are fulfilled. that said................
If you have 1 girlfreind for a few years, have sex with her and later down the road end up marrying her, was that sex before marriage still a sin? You didnt commit adultery because you were only with one partner right? what exactly is the sin here if it is one? The only differance is you didnt sign papers in front of a judge right?
help me out becuase im at a scary stage where i can make anything seem right.
Another question. If i do drugs like ecstasy once every few months would that be considered a sin. im not addicted and have been doin the drug for 3 years but very sparringly. i dont need it but every few months ill take a hit and than forget about it for a while....i also drink and only get drunk on rare occations. Im not an alcoholic and drink about twice a week and get drunk about once every 2-3 months. i think im pretty well balanced and understand that in the bible it says... "he that says he stands, let him take heed not to fall" I go to church on sundays and listen to the word and try change for the better...to better my self as a person. I cant logically come to the conclusion that i am sinning becuase nothing i do has control over me.... i am a thinker and think things out before i do them and am very careful. than again in the bible it says "the wisdom of men is foolishness in the eyes of God. but if everything is done in moderation than it doesnt hurt the body so ur not hurting the temple . and if im not addicted to anything than there is no crime right? again i know i sin still and am not saying i am perfect. but what do u have to say about all this. I would like to talk to some elders please for david said something like...the king who surrounds himself with the counsil of wise is well off" i reworded it but u know what i mean...help a brother out ;)

 

[stovebolts]

Hi BigEd,

After reading your post, it occurred to me that you might be viewing scripture as a set of rules in which to maneuver your life and justify your actions.

What if you were to ask yourself if the way you are living is the best possible way to live?

Let me ask you these questions.

1. Does premarital sex bring glory and honor to God?
2. Does ecstasy (a sexual stimulant) bring glory and honor to God?
3. Does "taking a hit" now and then bring glory and honor to God?
4. Does getting drunk now and then bring glory and honor to God?
5. Does going to church on Sunday morning automatically make you a better person?
6. What was / is the purpose of the temple?

It's not always about what you do, but why you do them. The bible is full of examples on how to live, and how not to live. But one shouldn't take these as a set of rules to navigate as obstacles, that's what the Pharisees did.

When we live our lives in accordance with scripture, it draws us closer to how were were intended and created to live in harmony with each other and within the world God also created. In other words, it brings us in closer communion with Christ and true joy and happiness are lived out, even through times of suffering; for the divine is expressed in the daily activities of your life and we were created to reflect God's glory to a world lost in sin and destruction.

God bless.

 

[Blazin Bones]

Here's one question, which will probably be followed by many more questions asked by several more users. If you do not think these actions are wrong, and you are a thinker, then most likely you've already thought about the responses you might get from this post. So, regardless of what all your replies will say, something still had you to the point of asking these questions. If there is a doubt that somthing is not pleasing to God, what harm is there in counting these doubt causing behaviors as a sacrifice to live more sure in your obedience to Christ?

Scripture tells us in Luke 14 that we must hate even our own life to be a discuple of Christ. This isn't saying that we are to hate things that make us smile, or to hate smiling all together, but rather to hate those things which hinder our life from being a life transformed by Christ. I know of a few things which I cannot find anything in scripture saying they are wrong, but I am not sure if they are allowe either. As hard as it is to do sometimes, what is wrong with giving that which causes us to doubt to Christ, in whom we can know that if it is useful to our life, he will provide a right time for such things. If it is not useful in our life, even if it is not forbidden by scripture, which is better, to sin in confusion,semi-ignorance, and doubt, or refrain from the things we are unsure of knowing that we have a clear consience before Christ?

 

[destiny]

You must be born again.. until that time you will continue to struggle with your flesh and find it impossible to just be "good". Maybe your prayer should be that God bring you to surrender; A dangerous prayer.

 

[Carol Lowery]

Well said Vic and Tim.......what else needs to be stated? If God's Truth is not in your mind or heart/spirit then you've opened the possibility of missing the Kingdom by 12 inches, nobody's tomorrows are promised to them, except through Jesus Christ our Lord. Sin is sin, and there's no justification in it.

Kudos HIM,
Carol <><

 

[destiny]

A lot of people will respond to "ask Jesus into you heart" for the express purpose of wanting to be saved from hell. The problem is this bypasses the process of God bringing the person to the end of themselves and to a place of surrender.
They respond to these alter calls because of what is going on in their head instead of God doing a supernatural work in the heart. Then later, because they haven't supernaturally been born again, they realize they cannot change themselves and are still living according to the old nature.

That's why I said.. "pray that God will bring you to surrender".

 

[VaultZero4Me]

Correct me if im wrong ;)
When Jesus was on earth he gave only two commandments. 1-love your neighbor as yourself and 2- love your God with all your heart,strenght and mind. He said that in these 2 commandments all the other laws are fulfilled. that said................
If you have 1 girlfreind for a few years, have sex with her and later down the road end up marrying her, was that sex before marriage still a sin? You didnt commit adultery because you were only with one partner right? what exactly is the sin here if it is one? The only differance is you didnt sign papers in front of a judge right?
help me out becuase im at a scary stage where i can make anything seem right.
Another question. If i do drugs like ecstasy once every few months would that be considered a sin. im not addicted and have been doin the drug for 3 years but very sparringly. i dont need it but every few months ill take a hit and than forget about it for a while....i also drink and only get drunk on rare occations. Im not an alcoholic and drink about twice a week and get drunk about once every 2-3 months. i think im pretty well balanced and understand that in the bible it says... "he that says he stands, let him take heed not to fall" I go to church on sundays and listen to the word and try change for the better...to better my self as a person. I cant logically come to the conclusion that i am sinning becuase nothing i do has control over me.... i am a thinker and think things out before i do them and am very careful. than again in the bible it says "the wisdom of men is foolishness in the eyes of God. but if everything is done in moderation than it doesnt hurt the body so ur not hurting the temple . and if im not addicted to anything than there is no crime right? again i know i sin still and am not saying i am perfect. but what do u have to say about all this. I would like to talk to some elders please for david said something like...the king who surrounds himself with the counsil of wise is well off" i reworded it but u know what i mean...help a brother out ;)

As for XTC, you may not always be taking what you think you are (MDMA).

If you have taken XTC a few times, you are likely to have ingested heroine, meth (ice) etc as well.

Heroine and meth are pressed into the pills often.

Playing with X isn't worth it. First of all there are no general studies that have been done to give an accurate description of what long term usage can do to your body, and second of all, its a narcotic now.

Here is how the courts see it:

In 2001, responding to a mandate from the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, resulted in an increase in the penalties for MDMA by nearly 3,000%,[52] despite scientific protest calling for a decrease in the penalties for MDMA possession and distribution.[53] The increase makes 1 gram of MDMA (four pills at 250mg per pill's total weight regardless of purity, standard for Federal charges) equivalent to 1 gram of heroin (approximately fifty doses) or 2.2 pounds (1 kg) of marijuana for sentencing purposes at the federal level.

4 pills = 1g heroin = 2.2 pounds of marijuana. Federal

The DEA doesn't take it lightly anymore. You will see serious federal time if caught with as little as 4 pills.

From my earlier days of taking X, I know 4 pills isn't too hard to have on yourself. People bringing it over for everyone can have a dozen on them. You may never carry enough or carry it long enough to risk federal time, but how would you feel if your friend that is bringing it over gets pulled over and searched?

Think about the full impact your actions can have. I would not want to have to think about how my so-called fun caused a friend to spend 5 years in federal prison.

Or worse, one of your friends getting in their car and causing a serious accident.

These are things we do not think about when we are younger, but they are still real consequences that DO happen.

 

[arthur56k]

Correct me if im wrong ;)
When Jesus was on earth he gave only two commandments. 1-love your neighbor as yourself and 2- love your God with all your heart,strenght and mind. He said that in these 2 commandments all the other laws are fulfilled. that said................
If you have 1 girlfreind for a few years, have sex with her and later down the road end up marrying her, was that sex before marriage still a sin? You didnt commit adultery because you were only with one partner right? what exactly is the sin here if it is one? The only differance is you didnt sign papers in front of a judge right?
help me out becuase im at a scary stage where i can make anything seem right.
Another question. If i do drugs like ecstasy once every few months would that be considered a sin. im not addicted and have been doin the drug for 3 years but very sparringly. i dont need it but every few months ill take a hit and than forget about it for a while....i also drink and only get drunk on rare occations. Im not an alcoholic and drink about twice a week and get drunk about once every 2-3 months. i think im pretty well balanced and understand that in the bible it says... "he that says he stands, let him take heed not to fall" I go to church on sundays and listen to the word and try change for the better...to better my self as a person. I cant logically come to the conclusion that i am sinning becuase nothing i do has control over me.... i am a thinker and think things out before i do them and am very careful. than again in the bible it says "the wisdom of men is foolishness in the eyes of God. but if everything is done in moderation than it doesnt hurt the body so ur not hurting the temple . and if im not addicted to anything than there is no crime right? again i know i sin still and am not saying i am perfect. but what do u have to say about all this. I would like to talk to some elders please for david said something like...the king who surrounds himself with the counsil of wise is well off" i reworded it but u know what i mean...help a brother out ;)

i think the point he was trying to raise was the fact that all the commandments that had been given could be summed up in the two.

if we did that, and some days i look at myself and truly see something pathetic, the world would be the place the Lord designed it to e. but most of the time we are too busy getting carried away by the pleasure of the flesh, thats why we cheat, lie, steal, kill, covet, have adulterous relationships among other sins, we really dont love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

if we really feared God, and so that all that he wants is what is best for us, then we would stop fighting His will, and we would make Him first in our lives, but its a struggle, and at the current moment in time, i am in a huge personal struggle, trust, faith and hope, and the Lord's deliverance gets me out, although sometimes i fall

 

[whitecloud]

Hi,

Well, Honor is primary I think. Honor the Lord and His word. How else can we say I can take no credit, I can do nothing in God without Him.

Directly God told us, not to fornicate, drink blood, eat things offered to idols and to always remember the poor amongst us. We make it easily through stuff like that for the most part, but it isn't any less true than your salvation itself.

Dr Dobson reminded me a couple months ago on the radio about the statistics of those who practiced marriage before they were married. Besides the higher average of divorce, the life long regret that the particular disobediance creates, simply distracts from the "More Aboundent Life" He wants for His own. What if the couple were not saved yet, it simply makes it harder for them to repent.

"Though a rightious man stumble the Lord will lift him up again". Loving your fiancee may not be one of those sins unto death thinggies, but it does say in the Bible what it says. The word of the Lord will last forever. The coarse of the world emminates from the degenritive nature as much as the enemy of our souls. Picking up all the pieces and living in it, is not for those with shallow ground and narrow roots.

Dig and hoe the garden of our hearts daily. Outside many fowl spirits have gone out into the world, be sure to let Jesus overcome them all in you. Rev. 2 & 3 teach us of very real spirits we must all overcome. Better get a good ungers and or bible teacher to get all those things Jesus asks of us. I don't want to be as Paul said, a castaway after all the years loving God and His people. Jesus is Truth, where shall we go to.

All Hail to our soon coming King of Kings.

 

[Gabe]

Is it just me or does anyone else suspect that the OP by Ed was meant as some sort of joke?

 

[handy]

Might be, but you never know! :wink: I do see that he just came the one time, that tends to be a clue.

 

[Jules C]

I don't know. I read this and thought it looked serious-ish.

 

[christianvideoblog]

The first thing we need to do is go to the Word and see what it says:

"As it is written, there is non righteous, no not one. " (Romans 4:10)

"For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God " (Romans 4:23)

"If we say we have no sin then the truth is not in us. " (I John 1:5-8)

Most believers don't believe that Satan can lead them astray through God's Word. But Satan comes as "an angel of light " (II Corinthians11:14). So he won't come to you quoting from some heathen religious book, but from the Bible. If Satan could try to tempt even Jesus by quoting the Scriptures, we can be certain that he will try that with us too.

Someone has said that truth is like a bird having two wings - "It is written " and "It is also written ". If you have only one wing, you will go around in circles perpetually and probably astray. But when you have both wings you move forward.
Consider the answer to this question: Why did Christ die on the cross? The common answer to that question is: It is written, "Christ died for our sins. " (1 Corinthians15:3). But that is only half the truth. To get the whole truth, we must look at another Scripture. It is also written, "Christ died so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. " (II Corinthians 5:15). Only when we put both these Scriptures together, do we get both wings of truth.
When we read that Christ died for our sins - we need to understand what sin is. This can be understood aright only when we look at the second Scripture. There we see that to sin is to live for ourselves. But that is not the common understanding of sin that most believers have. When you say that you don't want to sin anymore, do you really mean that you don't want to live for yourself anymore?

As we get a better understanding of God and Scripture, we will realize that sin is not just murder, adultery and theft etc., it is living for oneself. If we live for ourselves, whatever bad habits we may have put away, we are still living in sin. Anything that is not of faith is Sin. (Romans 14)

"If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away " (II Corinthians 5:17). This means that the old attitudes, the old way of living has gone away. He is no longer living for himself. He has not reached the goal of Christ likeness. But he has turned around and is seeking to live for the glory of God. This and this alone is true repentance.

Repentance means an "About turn ", so that we turn our backs henceforth to living for ourselves and decide to live for God alone. This does not mean becoming full time Christian workers. No. God calls only 1 in a 1000 of believers to be full time workers. He wants all His other children to work in secular jobs - earning their own living, but not living for themselves but for the glory of God.
Repentance is described in 1 Thessalonians 1:9, as "Turning to God from idols." Many so-called believers have not turned to God from their idols. In India, many of the heathen people are happy to accept Christ as their god - but only as one more god in addition to the many idols that they already worship. We know that this is impossible. One who accepts Christ must give up all other gods and idols.

Remember the Holy Spirit says to believers, "Little children, guard yourselves from idols " (1 John.5:21). There is no difference between a heathen man who wants to accept Christ in addition to his existing gods, and the so-called believer who wants to accept Christ, but still wants to pursue after money (his present god).

We must give our lives to God, our lives must be for Him to order as He pleases. Have you turned toward Him and away from seeking your own? Many believers are going to have a lot of regret when Jesus returns and they discover that all the money that they earned on earth was no better than the play-money that children play with in a MONOPOLY game - worth nothing!! And all the property that they acquired on earth too was just like the hotels and the houses on that MONOPOLY board - worth nothing. The game of life is over then and they never accomplished anything other than accumulating worthless things that have no eternal value. They have lived a useless life. There will be tremendous regret too if all they sought for was honor and they discover that their honor has evaporated in the light of eternity. We are to seek those things, which are above, not the things that are upon the earth. (Colossians 3:1)

But those who have lived to do the will of God and for the glory of God will find that they have tremendous joy in that day. Material things are only for our use on this earth. That is all. As long as we use them, that is all right. But they should never master us. It is one thing to use money. It is another thing to be mastered by it. Money is an excellent servant but a terrible master.
Why are most homes war zones today? Because both husbands and wives want to live for themselves. Even pastors and preachers are divorcing their wives and marrying other women.

The reason for all this is that believers have not seen that sin is living for oneself. They have not seen it because they have not been taught it. The fault is with their leaders and their blood is on the hands of their leaders who are accountable to God.
Jesus said, "very few will find the way of life ". Why?
Because the gate is so narrow. (Matthew 7:14)

A believer, a true believer, LOVES the truth. The truth about themselves, the truth about the Word, the truth about everything. The Bible says that those who love a lie, their father is the devil. It is a great grace that God has given us an ear to hear the truth. God loved us before we were born and wanted the best for us. He did not want us to waste our lives and to wake up in eternity to find ourselves paupers. He wants us to be wise and to live for the things that are eternal.

Kingdom living is not living for money, houses and lands, etc.; they will be shaken and removed one day. Only that which is not created will remain. So we must be wise to spend our time and energies for that which will remain eternally. And let me say again that that does not mean that you should all become full time Christian workers. But it does mean that in whatever work you do; you no longer live for yourself, but only for the glory of God. The Bible says that we can do nothing apart from Him anyway. You can certainly work and earn the best salary possible - to support yourself and the Lord's work. But your goal in life must be the glory of God. Your ambition in life must be to please Him.

I am not saying that we can't go for a picnic or have any form of recreation. Of course we can. As human beings, we need that - whether playing games or listening to music and even visiting with friends and neighbors (which by the way is a way we also visit with God) or whatever. All that is perfectly all right, if it is clean and healthy entertainment. It is when any of these things master us and begin to be a dominant interest in our lives that we cross over the red line into dangerous ground. It is very easy for a job or a sport or some harmless entertainment to become so much a part of a person's life that it becomes the main thing in his life (idol). And then even his wife and children get neglected. And God of course gets neglected first of all. When that happens, then you know that that thing (whatever it is) has become the man's master.

God tested Abraham's devotion that day to check whether Isaac had become an idol in his life. God told him, as it were, that he had to turn from all idolatry if he was to serve the Lord. And so he had to place his son on the altar and give him up. God did not take Isaac away, because God was only detaching Abraham from his unnatural attachment to Isaac that would have hindered his walk with God. God has to do the same with us. We have to give him that which is most precious to us.

In the rich young ruler's case it was his money. Just like God asked Abraham to give up Isaac, God asked the rich young ruler to give up his money. For all you know, if that rich man had only said "Yes, Lord, here it is all ", God may have told him that he could keep his money, just like he told Abraham to keep Isaac. But he had to give it up first.

May we then all have the grace to say, "Lord whatever Isaacs there are in my life, I lay them all on the altar and give them all up to you. I don't want any more idols in my life that come between you and me. I don't want to live for myself. I really want to live for you alone. I want to live for the glory of God. I don't want to waste my life. "

This is the best news in the world: We don't have to be slaves to our own ambitions and desires any more and thus waste our earthly lives, but can be free to live for the glory of God and thus live useful lives. To live for ourselves is to live in bondage and in chains. To live for the glory of God is to be like the eagles that fly in the sky. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus can break every chain and set you free - TODAY!! It is written, "If you lose your life, you shall find it. "

If you have wasted much time in profitless pursuits in the past, you can't do anything about that now. You can confess your sin of selfishness, etc., receive forgiveness now and start the day a-new. The Bible says His mercies are "new " every morning!