Good post H.
I enjoyed reading it.
If you don't mind I would just like to add my thoughts concerning your last sentence.
With regards to sinners staying in the dark.
With regards to a repeated pattern of sin I believe there is a cause.
Like the severe gambling addiction I had.
So I was afraid to discuss it after I spoke to someone once who just said "You are sinning so stop it"
I went underground after that. Felt judged, condemned and useless.
Even doubted my faith and asked God to kill me (and I had a wife and 4 kids).
Alas the church is good at shooting its wounded.
And it's easy not to look at the light because there is a fear of change.
It's not a case of not wanting to change but if one has an ingrained pattern then that's what causes the fear.
The church needs to be an open place for those struggling, the wounded can seek help and not be condemned but nursed back to health.
The cause of effect must be dealt with.
Until that is addressed it won't be dealt with and people will not be healed.
My experience tells me that concerning my severe gambling habit.
What staggers me is how our brains work.
Our behaviour changes its structure.
Musicians get a whole bump in their brain through learning to play.
Pornography has been shown to again change structures.
So it is not possible to say over-night things change. It is a flow from one
state into another. And working with where we are to where we need to get to
is the only way.
And I know we are all in the same place. Change is hard and scary. We only know
where we are and that kind of feels safe. If we started to confess our struggles and
issues people would find no one does not have issues. There is no real made it group,
rather we are all learning and growing. And I think this never ends.
It also keeps us humble. But if we just give up, this is unbelief, and defeat, because
it is saying where we are is ok, when Jesus declares there is so much more just one
step away, and then the next. God bless you.
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