Bible Study The Comfort of Sin Rather than the Discipline of Righteousness

[ugmug]

The Comfort of Sin Rather than the Discipline of Righteousness

Many people today are starting to sense that society is beginning to unravel due to its lack of morality. Seemingly we are in a constant deja vu nightmare where we are repeating the events of Adam and Eve over and over again. Which is why God threw everyone out of the Garden of Eden for all a sinful person does is repeat his sin over and over again.

People throughout history, and I include myself, have repeated the events of man's first sin in the Garden of Eden over and over again where we follow the comforting lies of Satan rather than the discipline of God's righteousness. When Adam and Eve followed the lie of Satan, that they could obtain the greatness of God by an act of disobedience, mankind was doomed to not only become a slave to the comfort of sin but to promote that sinful comfort by uttering our own lies to each other.

In today's world man is seeking the comfort of sin ever more earnestly as it forsakes the discipline of God's righteousness. Politicians will utter lie after lie, backed up by a compliant media, eager to scratch the itching ears of all those seeking an easy path towards their own comfort. The bible is replete with story after story of God having to put a halt to our own lusts that comfort us with sin rather than the discipline of seeking God's righteousness.

Whatever the eventual outcome of our current political and economic crisis God has left us with a notice of reclamation, called the bible, that he will eventually put an end to all of our sin seeking folly. We may comfort ourselves with our belief that God doesn't exist but the fact remains that God left a warning to all those who suffer from religious amnesia, including many practicing preachers, that God's final attempt to discipline his creation will not be another appearance (hint: Jesus Christ), but rather a withdrawal via the rapture.

One day God will come for his faithful who do not delude themselves into rationalizing sin as righteousness (hint: homosexuality, economic justice, etc.). On that day many will be forced to snap out of their religious amnesia and face the reality that God truly does exist.

Hopefully many will avoid being left behind when God comes for his faithful at the rapture that will herald man's final judgment as depicted in the Book of Revelation. To secure your place in this rapture all you have to do is believe in Jesus Christ and then lead a life of righteousness that avoids all the pitfalls of relying on sin to comfort our restlessness and instead seek the discipline inherent in God's righteousness.

God Bless
note:

It is interesting that ever since the cruise industry started to promote gay theme ocean cruises there has been no end of trouble in the cruise industry especially the sinking of an entire modern cruise ship. We never fear the absence of God until there is a 'rapture' of his presence leaving everyone to fend for themselves. Many people laugh and scoff at the notion of God coming for his faithful at the rapture but God has already demonstrated the rapture when he withdraws his presence due to sin. This can especially be seen in blighted areas like inner city ghettos (which are now growing out to the suburbs, to whole cities, states, and even nations). I call these areas God's rapture demonstration sites.

Sadly, the comfort of moral corruption is often more appealing than the rigors of righteous discipline.

 

[Danus]

Thanks ugmug
I would suggest that there is no comfort in sin, and that God has not left us at all. He's active in our lives, and He alone guides us.

Interesting to note, all Israel, the Jews, Gods chosen people, all they had to do was follow the law, yet they could not do that; Not one of them could do that accept Jesus Christ, who not only kept the law, but also fulfilled it. He is noted/quoted in Matthew 5:17 as saying; 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

You mentioned that all anyone today has to do, is "To secure your place in this rapture all you have to do is believe in Jesus Christ and then lead a life of righteousness"........ You mention two requirements for salvation, which got me thinking; if all the Jews had to do was follow the law and none of them could do that, who of any man today can live a righteous life?

It seems to me that the bible, the NT especially, emphasis belief in Jesus Christ. This meaning a trust that Christ is God himself, and that He came to us to do something no man could do, which is to live a righteous life and "fulfill the law", and that our trusty in that, and that alone, is actually what saves us. Granted it also turns us from our own will to sin in our daily lives, but does not make us sinless, rather grants us the righteousness of Christ by His imputed nature in place of ourselves.

Can you clarify the righteousness of any man part as it relates to salvation? For example, I'm sure you will agree that there are degrees of righteousness. After all there are degrees of reward in heaven and degrees of punishment in hell; so lets say we have two men. Both believe in Christ and one is 99.9% righteous and the other is 89.5% righteous, which one is saved?

 

[Deborah13]

OR would you say that in this example that both men are 100% righteous in Christ and thus saved?

Also...

One man is 99.9% sanctified (regenerated and holy) by the working of the Holy Spirit in his life.
and
The other man is 89.5% sanctified (regenerated and holy) by the working of the Holy Spirit in his life.

And both men are saved?

 

[farouk]

I can't get my mind round the percentage thing.

I think the analogy is more like ratifying a law. Either it is ratified, or it isn't.

God's justifying act is perfect. Romans 5.1

 

[Danus]

I can't get my mind round the percentage thing.

I think the analogy is more like ratifying a law. Either it is ratified, or it isn't.

God's justifying act is perfect. Romans 5.1

That's the idea behind the % analogy. If salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, then it's not by ones own righteousness, but rather the faith we have in Christ. However, this is contend-able among many Christians. Surely the Christian life is one of certain moral living, but is it righteous? Or, does it add to ones salvation?

If any man can be righteous, to be saved, then he must be 100% righteous, and if he is then what is his need for Christ? or, what value is his faith in Christ when in fact it's placed in his own ability to be something that God has already said he's not, nor can be. However, if mans salvation rest on both his faith in Christ and some level of his own righteousness, then what degree is that? How rightiouse must he be in addition to his faith? 1%, 5%, 10%,,,,,,90%? If it's a 100% then he does not need Christ, he can save himself.

I'm afraid this thread may have to go some place else, unless we can turn it into a bible study. Unfortunately it's more of an age old disagreement in biblical understanding that centers around Man's will to be good, and Gods will to save mankind. At least that's where we are heading, but the OP mentioned two requirements for salvation and some end times thoughts that are not necessarily Orthodox.

we might be talking about the end times, or salvation. Maybe salvation related to end times tribulation theology? Ugmug, can you clarify your main point on this thread? I think it's a good topic, but not sure it will ensure a civil biblical study. Although it's fair to talk about it.

 

[farouk]

That's the idea behind the % analogy. If salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, then it's not by ones own righteousness, but rather the faith we have in Christ. However, this is contend-able among many Christians. Surely the Christian life is one of certain moral living, but is it righteous? Or, does it add to ones salvation?

If any man can be righteous, to be saved, then he must be 100% righteous, and if he is then what is his need for Christ? or, what value is his faith in Christ when in fact it's placed in his own ability to be something that God has already said he's not, nor can be.

I'm afraid this thread may have to go some place else, unless we can turn it into a bible study. Unfortunately it's more of an age old disagreement in biblical understanding that centers around Man's will to be good, and Gods will to save mankind. At least that's where we are heading, but the OP mentioned two requirements for salvation and some end times thoughts that are not necessarily Orthodox.

we might be talking about the end times, or salvation. Maybe salvation related to end times tribulation theology? Ugmug, can you clarify your main point on this thread? I think it's a good topic, but not sure it will ensure a civil biblical study. Although it's fair to talk about it.

It's been so long that I was in school.

But I remember the blue (or was it green?) tube experiment.

There was a test tube of clear water. Then there was a tiny drop of what also looked like clear water, but was a particular chemical substance, and one tiny drop of it caused the color of the water in the test tube to change.

(There's a dim memory of mine from 40-odd years ago...)

This reminds me of justification. If we vainly imagine that it's even slightly to the supposed credit of our own merit, then the whole perspective of whether one is truly justified or not is changed. 'Not of works' (Ephesians 2.9) is a very important consideration.

Blessings.

 

[reba]

Friendly reminder this is the Bible Study forum

 

[Jethro Bodine]

It seems to me that the bible, the NT especially, emphasis belief in Jesus Christ. This meaning a trust that Christ is God himself, and that He came to us to do something no man could do, which is to live a righteous life and "fulfill the law", and that our trusty in that, and that alone, is actually what saves us.

Not only has Christ demonstrated his righteousness--the right standing before God the Father that we gain when we are attached to the holy body of Christ--but Christ is also the fulfillment of the requirements of proper and acceptable worship that God requires. And I think it is more in that vein that Christ has 'fulfilled' the law, allowing a change in law, specifically a release from the laws of sacrifice, temple, and priest. We draw near to God through a new system of Sacrifice, Temple, and Priest, through faith in Christ.

Granted it also turns us from our own will to sin in our daily lives, but does not make us sinless, rather grants us the righteousness of Christ by His imputed nature in place of ourselves.

A legal righteousness now, but the promise of a very literal righteousness we will receive later, at the resurrection (Galatians 5:5).

 

[Jethro Bodine]

To keep this a Bible oriented thread, let's throw in a few verses:

In today's world man is seeking the comfort of sin ever more earnestly as it forsakes the discipline of God's righteousness.

"Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction" (Job 36:21 NIV1984)

This is what growing up into Christ is all about. Learning to discard our old, worldly, harmful ways we made life comfortable for ourselves and trusting God for his comfort in heartfelt repentance instead.

"4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God." (James 4:1-2 NIV1984)

...religious amnesia...

"23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." (James 1:23-24 NIV1984)

Some people hear the word of God and are warned by it but then forget it and end up in sin anyway. Oh the pain of remembering what the Word says after you have fallen.

To secure your place in this rapture all you have to do is believe in Jesus Christ and then lead a life of righteousness that avoids all the pitfalls of relying on sin to comfort our restlessness and instead seek the discipline inherent in God's righteousness.

"24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. " (Hebrews 11:24-26 NIV1984)

 

[vocalyocal]

I was with you until you reverted into your pretrib rapture doctrine, then I lost interest