Should Christians remain true to God's Word?

Romans 1:26-27 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

In a few short decades, our post-modern culture has changed its mores to the point of accepting as normal behavior things that were once considered abnormal and even illegal. These activities and behaviors have not only become accepted, the affirmation and approval of them is now considered politically correct and taught in many schools. Anyone who does not agree is in great danger of losing their jobs and being labeled with the one sin in our culture today that cannot be tolerated. This is the sin of failing to be tolerant. Tolerant is defined as: (Inclined to tolerate the beliefs, practices, or traits of others; forbearing). However, we now have a new redefined politically correct definition of tolerance. To be tolerant one must add to the above definition an agreement that the beliefs, practices, and traits of others is valid and correct. In short, we are called by the PC police to not only be tolerant, but also give approval if we are going to pass muster.

In the passage above, Paul mentions one sin that our culture today not only considers valid and normal, but it is even celebrated as something to be glorified. The change in opinion took little more than a decade with the entertainment and news media doing an about face and presenting with favor and acceptance what was once presented as a perversion. One only has to observe the way Hollywood has changed the way homosexuality is presented in order to see the difference. I could go on with the way that homosexuality has been favorably presented and promoted by Hollywood and the television industry, but that gets away from my main point.

Considering that calling many things sin that the Bible calls sin is now considered hate speech and could very likely become illegal in the United States, what do you believe should be the position of Christians? Should Christian conform to the world and possibly the law, or should they continue to practice Biblical Christianity? Many mainline protestant churches have already ceased to practice and preach Biblical Christianity. Therefore, there would be the argument from secular society that those who do practice Biblical Christianity are fundamentalist nuts. Actually, I believe that has already happen.

What are your views?

Question to consider?????

Romans 13:1-5 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

I was asked the following question by a liberal:

”What is your feeling on the current administration's refusal to ban the torture of war prisoners? Does that mean that Republicans condone torture? Both are pretty repugnant to me.”

Although I am aware that liberals are more upset over the U.S. military dropping a Koran in a toilet than they are jihadists beheading people and placing it on the internet, I think it would be interesting to open this question up to discussion and wrap it around the following hypothetical scenario:

(1) U.S Intelligence, in spite of all the restrictions that liberals have placed on intelligence gathering, have determined that Jihadists have a nuclear bomb and are planning to detonate it over a major American city with a helicopter or either hidden in a transport truck. They are not sure if it will be across the Mexican border, the Canadian border, or from a ship at sea. They believe that a helicopter will be used to bring it over the border, or from a ship where it will be loaded on to a transport truck or possibly delivered directly from the helicopter.

(2) Our military gets really fortunate and captures the leader of the plan. Time is of the essence and they know that this individual knows everything about the plan.

QUESTION: Knowing that this plan is with days or even hours of being carried out, do you believe that all methods of enhanced interrogation techniques should be used to obtain the particulars of this plan including anything that might be considered torture?

Set free from the bondage of sin

Romans 6:6-23 (6)We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (7) For one who has died has been set free from sin. ……………………………………………………(14) For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. …………………………… (22) But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. (23) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When the redeemed are regenerated and baptized in Christ, they are baptized into his death. Just as Christ was crucified and died as an atonement for the sins of the redeemed, we know that our old self was crucified with him. Through the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit, redeemed sinners are no longer under the power of sin, and are no longer slaves to sin because we have been set free from the bondage of the sin nature. Through the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit, grace sets us free and brings us to willingly become slaves of God. With a new heart there is a new attitude, direction, and focus in life. Just as the attitude of the old sin nature produced fruit that led to death, the new Spirit led nature produces a fruit that leads to sanctification. Sanctification brings a progression toward godliness and holiness that results in eternal life. Verse 22 above does not state that it may happen, should happen, or could happen. No, it states that it will happen. Just as surely as attempted justification by law-keeping, void of the Holy Spirit, leads to death, a fruitless carnal “professing Christian” lifestyle without any influence of the Holy Spirit also leads to death. Just as a successful bowler must keep the ball from going into gutter on either side, a true Holy Spirit led Christian will not fall permanently into the gutter of self-righteousness on the one side or total fruitless carnality on the other side. Grace saves and grace carries the redeemed sinner all the way to glory.

Praise God that redeemed sinners are not only justified with divine power, but are sanctified by the same heavenly power. Divine power is fail safe. This free gift of eternal life is in Christ Jesus or Lord and God provides EVERYTHING needed in receiving this gift and it comes with awesome POWER.

Definitions

While political positions are a normal occurrence at liberal Christian and Emergent Church blogs, here at Jazzycat we refrain from getting into that fray. However, I would like to give a few definitions without comment:

treason……….a person who commits treason by betraying his or her country.
betray…….. To give aid or information to an enemy of; commit treason against: betray one's country.
aid…….. to give help or assistance.

Feel free to connect the dots and come to your own conclusion.

Released from the law!

Romans 7:6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

In the photo above, Moses is holding the written code of bondage. Born again believers have died to the law through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They have been released from the law and are under the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Believers are led by the Spirit and have the law written on their hearts. They are regenerated and through faith in their Lord and savior Jesus Christ are justified and adopted as sons of God. They are in Christ and no longer controlled by the law of sin and death as Jesus has fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law on their behalf. Believers are also given the fruit of the Spirit as they look to grow in grace, sanctification, and Spirit led service. The old way of the written code is no longer applicable to Spirit led believers because Jesus has set them free and when the son sets you free, you are free indeed.

Praise our triune God that he provided everything he requires for those redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Christians should look to grace, the Holy Spirit and the teachings of Jesus in their sanctification and not the law.

New Covenant Glory

2 Corinthians 3:5-11 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

In this passage Paul calls the old covenant a ministry of death and condemnation. By contrast he calls the new covenant a ministry of righteousness that greatly exceeds the old covenant in glory. In fact the new covenant renders the old covenant to having no glory at all by comparison. The old covenant has ended and is finished. It has served its purpose and is over. Does that mean we can kill, commit adultery, etc? Certainly not, but we should not frame God’s righteousness and Christian conduct in the language of the ten commandments of “thou shall not” that suggests and points people toward legalism and works salvation. When we carry people back to the Mosaic Covenant it seems to have the effect of pointing them to works salvation. The new covenant of grace, regeneration, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the ministry of Jesus points believers toward sanctification and the fruit of the Spirit.

Matthew Henry’s commentary says the following about this passage:
v. 6-11…….The law is done away, but the gospel does and shall remain,
2 Corinthians 3:11. Not only did the glory of Moses's face go away,
but the glory of Moses's law is done away also; yea, the law of Moses itself is
now abolished. That dispensation was only to continue for a time, and then to
vanish away; whereas the gospel shall remain to the end of the world, and is
always fresh and flourishing and remains glorious.

The law was a guardian until Christ!

Galatians 3:15-29 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the covenant of promise made with Abraham. The Mosaic covenant, put in 430 years after the covenant of promise, did not add to or annul the covenant of promise (v. 15). The law of the Mosaic Covenant was not contrary to promises of God (v. 21). The law was added to be a guardian until the promised new covenant of faith in Jesus Christ was revealed. The law was given specifically to Israel at Mt. Sinai and ended with the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Now that faith has come a guardian is no longer needed, as all who are in Christ Jesus through faith are sons of God.

Does this mean God’s righteous standards have changed? Absolutely not! It means all the blessings of the New Covenant have been bestowed upon those who are redeemed by the blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Praise God that he perfectly fulfilled the Mosaic Covenant for the redeemed and paid their sin debt on the cross of Calvary. By this redemption, Christ freed believers from the curse of the law, which brings death and not salvation. Redeemed blood bought followers of Christ should not go back to Moses and the law for standards of obedience and sanctification. We should look to Jesus Christ.

VERSE BY VERSE………
v.15 …. The Covenant of promise was a covenant fulfilled in the new covenant of Jesus Christ, and the law of the Mosaic Covenant did not add anything or annul anything.
v. 16…. The promise was the seed of Abraham, Christ
v. 17…. The law did not add to or annul the covenant of promise with Abraham
v. 18…. The promise (Christ) saves, the law doesn’t
v. 19…. Added because of sin until the promised seed should come
v. 20…. God did this
v. 21…. The law does not contradict or nullify the promised seed. If there were any way to salvation through law then, then salvation would be by law.
v. 22…. Scripture showed that sin made salvation impossible except by faith in Jesus.
v. 23…. Before faith (new covenant) came, sinners (everyone) were captive and in prison until salvation would be revealed.
v. 24 …. The law was a guardian until Christ came. The role of the law ended when Christ came. (Guardian- a person who guards, protects, or preserves.)
v. 25 …. Since faith has come we are no longer under law.
v. 26…. The redeemed are in Christ by faith and are sons of God. (Rom. 8)
v. 27…. Those baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
v.28 …. There is one people of God and they are in-Christ.
v. 29 …. Those in Christ are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to the promise. This verse connects the covenant of promise with Abraham to the new covenant of the gospel of Christ. The guardian of v. 25 is no longer needed and is called obsolete in Hebrews.