Ah, Sin.......a vice or a tool to learn?
Submitted by Once a Boy on January 11 2001 18:05:23
In reply to My own thoughts. submitted by hyper173 on January 11 2001 03:42:05
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I would disagree with your statement that the thought is not a sin and acting upon it is a sin. God knows our hearts. These thoughts (just like actions) keep us from God. We sin all the time in many ways. We may not act upon the anger that comes when someone cuts us off on the road, but in our heart the anger exists. Are we not seperated from God at that moment? Is not our hate displeasing to God? God asks us to "Love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul," and He asks us to "Love others as I have loved you." It is an impossible task! However, so many of us seem to want to live this "clean" life, and many believe it is possible. I believe the real thing is to realize we are forgiven for our thoughts as well as our actions. We are to shine on despite our sin. We simply give it over to God and ask God for grace, and although we will never reach God's perfection, we are, in this life, to take more stpes forwards than backwards. We are to listen to God. We are to walk with Him. We are to rise up despite Satan's grip to pull us down. In my view, to believe that one's thought is different than one's action is incorrect. Granted, actuallly acting on a desire can be harmful to people involved, but the thought is still preventing us from living up to God's two greatest commands to love Him and love others as Christ loved us. Thus, both the act and thought are sins. It matter not, for everyone who walks the face of the earth is imperfect! By our thoughts, we all sin many times a day, and although we may sin less frequently through our actions, we all fail in this way also. We keep our thoughts hidden from others and somehow think is okay! Yet God knows our hearts! He sees what others do not see. All I know is that I refuse to be pulled down into the gut of sin. God wants us to live, to shine on. There is no need to feel bad because we have sin. Sin helps us see God's grace, and it helps correct us for the future. There are many who believe we must be perfect, and strive to be perfect. Many try to be perfect (not for God) but for the world. I used to. It is silly. There is no way to be perfect! I just try to do things pleasing to God realizing that indeed I will fail Him from time to time...actually I'll fail Him my whole life! Does God not still love us despite our actions and thoughts? Clearly, He does. We're His clay, and each day He teaches us something new about ourselves and about Him. Thank God I sin! ~Once A Boy |
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