By Grace is CS1? I'm confused...
You aren't the only one.. lol
By Grace is CS1? I'm confused...
I'm not sure a distinction was made in the OP about the person being saved or not. That changes everything. I had a friend who is now passed who had been an alcoholic. He struggled with it till the day he died. I have no doubt he was a born again Christian. I know he is in heaven today.
Many years ago I encountered someone in a chatroom. We were thick as thieves and over time the same was true was of her partner. She was bipolar and when she was on the brink of losing everything I intervened. Striking a bargain with her partner and asking for one year.
I am wondering why this is in this thread. Was the partner a lesbian woman?
I am wondering why this is in this thread. Was the partner a lesbian woman?
Yes, they were gay. As my experience illustrates, love covers a multitude of sins. My friends weren’t Christians and I’d just found my way back to God. Nevertheless, every one of them stood with me. Much like I’d supported them. And I wasn’t Christian at the time either.
I was reared with a sense of place and that was a common message then. One of the reasons people fail in their ministry to others is the absence of place. You can’t address hard truths or difficult subjects without it. You haven’t earned that right and when its missing the message is rebuffed or ignored.
But access doesn’t mean we deliver the message. Oftentimes the closer you are to the person the greater the necessity for love and demonstrating your faith. You impact them best through authenticity not preaching. And you have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s movement.
While I agree you need discernment, not everyone is able to have a long relationship, as you had with your friends. There is nothing wrong with telling the person the truth in love, no matter the sin. I've told a story here before of when I use to travel in ministry with my family. One morning service my father began to preach on how homosexuality was a sin. I thought it was odd that he was preaching that to a church that seemed to be full of saved people. When the service was done and people were asked to come forward for prayer a good looking young man came forward, tears in his eyes. He was saved that morning. He was about to move in with his partner. He said he hadn't known that homosexuality was a sin. The people in that church had been praying for his salvation. It's never a wrong time to share the truth of the Gospel. You don't know when that person could slip into eternity. Speak the truth in love and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.
Oftentimes the truth isn’t the issue. Its communicating it in love that is the problem. I’ve been on the receiving end of Christian exuberance. If it weren’t for the love I encountered in a Jewish synagogue, I’d be an atheist today. That was the difference.
I’m glad your father heeded the Spirit and led the young man to faith.
There are many people who are living in some kind of sin who are capable of showing great kindness and doing other good things. There are adulterers and fornicators who fall into this category.Yes, they were gay. As my experience illustrates, love covers a multitude of sins. My friends weren’t Christians and I’d just found my way back to God. Nevertheless, every one of them stood with me. Much like I’d supported them. And I wasn’t Christian at the time either.
I was reared with a sense of place and that was a common message then. One of the reasons people fail in their ministry to others is the absence of place. You can’t address hard truths or difficult subjects without it. You haven’t earned that right and when its missing the message is rebuffed or ignored.
But access doesn’t mean we deliver the message. Oftentimes the closer you are to the person the greater the necessity for love and demonstrating your faith. You impact them best through authenticity not preaching. And you have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s movement.
There are many people who are living in some kind of sin who are capable of showing great kindness and doing other good things. There are adulterers and fornicators who fall into this category.
Of course that does not justify sin. God is a holy God.
One cannot justify sin by saying "everyone sins" Including those who know God". Living out a sexual preference as a lifestyle while knowing it is sin and justify it as acceptable because God loves one. That is not Biblical Romans 2 speaks clearly of God's Righteous Judgment and You will read there how if one judges another and doing the same thing God is not mocked. He will judge them both.Everyone sins. Including those who know God. But knowing Him doesn’t give us a monopoly on love, kindness or grace.
Sometimes knowledge creates an excited air within the person. They’re eager to share with others and swift to help. They want everyone to know, try, or experience the thing they’re excited about.
There are those whose knowledge creates a different response. It exudes superiority and emphasizes difference. It draws them towards others like themselves. And lends a feeling of specialness because they aren’t like everyone else. The outsiders. The lesser. The clueless.
I’ve encountered both in Christian circles. The thing about love and pride are the peculiarity of their scents. They’re unmistakable and you know them immediately.
It would be pitiable to exude the latter while proclaiming the first.![]()
One cannot justify sin by saying "everyone sins" Including those who know God". Living out a sexual preference as a lifestyle while knowing it is sin and justify it as acceptable because God loves one. That is not Biblical Romans 2 speaks clearly of God's Righteous Judgment and You will read there how if one judges another and doing the same thing God is not mocked. He will judge them both.
God is Holy and His Love does not accept sin because HE is also Holy. Nor does accepting Jesus, excuse the practice of open disobedience because of human reasoning interjected by some false narrative. It is not exuded superiority or the drawing of one to another like themselves is it Sin and lust. No different than the adultery, drunkard. the fornicator who all WHO practice such thing WILL NOT INHERIT the Kingdom of God. And those who teach others to do such things shall give greater judgment, and so will the nation who practice this evil before the Lord.
Perverting the Love of God is to a great Sin because it associates a Holy God with sin, not from sin.
the Bible does not say " just man sins seven times daily" Prov 24:16 saysThere was no justification of sin in my response. The bible says a just man sins seven times daily. Acknowledging the reality of our behavior in light of our beliefs isn’t wrong. We ask for forgiveness for a reason.
the Bible does not say " just man sins seven times daily" Prov 24:16 says
"for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
This is a Contrast between the Righteous and the wicked.
The righteous do not
instinctually, or intentionally fall, however, the wicked direction of walk causes them to stumble and when calamity strikes they are snared because they are not walking correctly before the Lord. That is the meaning.
To ask forgiveness and return to the act of Sin is not true repentance it is what Hebrew chapter 6.
We are not to judge those but encourage them to seek to be liberated BY Christ from the sin which is our reasonable assurance HE will.
Nevertheless, your assumption was wrong. Quoting scripture doesn’t alter that. You could have asked what I meant instead.![]()
I am not needing to ask what you meant I am explaining the idea of a righteous man falling seven times and the association with those who practice sin.
You said:
"Everyone sins. Including those who know God. But knowing Him doesn’t give us a monopoly on love, kindness or grace."
"There are those whose knowledge creates a different response. It exudes superiority and emphasizes differences. It draws them towards others like themselves. And lends a feeling of specialness because they aren’t like everyone else. The outsiders. The lesser. The clueless.
"
"Have Christians become so preoccupied with the major sins of our society that we have lost sight of our need to deal with our own more subtle sins?"
You may not know this but this is really a type of gay apologetics for deflecting to others sines over that of homosexuality. And if me quoting scripture does not alter the context then please tell me how your's does?
I will ask you is there such a thing as a Gay Christian who still practices the sin of Homosexuality? yes or no, please?