JohnDB
Member
- Aug 16, 2015
- 9,065
- 5,725
OK
We all are grown ups in the faith that we so desperately cling to.
We all ascribe to the Ephesians passage: "For it is by grace you have been saved-that not of yourselves, not of works so that no man can boast" (if you will excuse my less than perfect recitation by memory of that verse)
But in that Grace we refer to and in it is our hope of salvation we ask for forgiveness of our sins. We name them if we feel penitent (sorry for them) and the others we just broad brush because we feel them not worth mentioning....because we think them so small of a sin to begin with.
Hate to burst your bubble on this but all sins are equal in measure of punishment. They may not be equal in measure of callousness of heart required to commit...but the wages of sin is death. From least to greatest they all deserve death.
and so we all seek to have these sins to be forgiven...even the "small" ones.
But then there is that Luke passage...and it is a doozy.
For by which measure you wish to be used for you do likewise to your fellow man.
IOW...if we seek to have all these "small" sins forgiven of us by means of grace through our faith...then we must grant others grace for the same measure of "small" sins.
Meaning:
That if we expect to have that measure of grace afforded to us we must speak kindly when debating even if we are accused of all kinds of horrible things. We must extend our debating opponent grace even when he/she doesn't ask for it. (usually because they don't they need it...but they really do)
We get so busy correcting the other person and winning the debate that we forget to win the debater...and lose ourselves in the process.
It is a punishment worse than imaginable to know all the theologies and the right ones from the wrong ones and still miss out on the reward we so desperately cling to.
Me? I'm just a moderator...and sure I will edit and delete posts and put people on read only when they become unruly. But for some of you I sincerely fear and pray for you. Somehow in all your debating to prove your theologies you forgot to win souls...and it is more important to be heard than for you to say the things that you feel you want to say if you really love your brother.
People don't care what you know if they don't know that you care.
one of the most difficult lessons to learn....and one we are called to have the best grasp on.
Not asking for public admissions of guilt here. Your posts speak volumes for you all. Some don't need this lesson....others need it desperately. But I would like for those that participate in this forum to read and somehow acknowledge you understand this and agree. Its not mandatory...
I just worry about you guys some times and...care.
We all are grown ups in the faith that we so desperately cling to.
We all ascribe to the Ephesians passage: "For it is by grace you have been saved-that not of yourselves, not of works so that no man can boast" (if you will excuse my less than perfect recitation by memory of that verse)
But in that Grace we refer to and in it is our hope of salvation we ask for forgiveness of our sins. We name them if we feel penitent (sorry for them) and the others we just broad brush because we feel them not worth mentioning....because we think them so small of a sin to begin with.
Hate to burst your bubble on this but all sins are equal in measure of punishment. They may not be equal in measure of callousness of heart required to commit...but the wages of sin is death. From least to greatest they all deserve death.
and so we all seek to have these sins to be forgiven...even the "small" ones.
But then there is that Luke passage...and it is a doozy.
For by which measure you wish to be used for you do likewise to your fellow man.
IOW...if we seek to have all these "small" sins forgiven of us by means of grace through our faith...then we must grant others grace for the same measure of "small" sins.
Meaning:
That if we expect to have that measure of grace afforded to us we must speak kindly when debating even if we are accused of all kinds of horrible things. We must extend our debating opponent grace even when he/she doesn't ask for it. (usually because they don't they need it...but they really do)
We get so busy correcting the other person and winning the debate that we forget to win the debater...and lose ourselves in the process.
It is a punishment worse than imaginable to know all the theologies and the right ones from the wrong ones and still miss out on the reward we so desperately cling to.
Me? I'm just a moderator...and sure I will edit and delete posts and put people on read only when they become unruly. But for some of you I sincerely fear and pray for you. Somehow in all your debating to prove your theologies you forgot to win souls...and it is more important to be heard than for you to say the things that you feel you want to say if you really love your brother.
People don't care what you know if they don't know that you care.
one of the most difficult lessons to learn....and one we are called to have the best grasp on.
Not asking for public admissions of guilt here. Your posts speak volumes for you all. Some don't need this lesson....others need it desperately. But I would like for those that participate in this forum to read and somehow acknowledge you understand this and agree. Its not mandatory...
I just worry about you guys some times and...care.
