Update
Submitted by John Guard on April 12 1999 at 10:09:34
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Hello all. I have been having some technical and personal difficulties lately so I havent been keeping myself up-to-date to whats happening here. Also, my ISP right now is acting up quite...undesirably, thus I can only view a few threads at a time. Combine that with my busy life..and you get the picture. However, I would like to briefly touch on some of the issues brought up lately and add my two cents to them. Also, I would also like to expound a little bit on my own life so people will have a better idea of where I am coming from. I have been a "Christian" all my life. That is, I was born a Christian and attended a Catholic elementary school, then switched to a secular high school. I always believed in GOD, at least in a superficial sense but even as a child, I felt that all the religions that I was exposed to (Catholism, Protestantism, Muslim, Buddhism, et al) were superficial. That is, GOD seems so..far away and impersonal. I guess I wanted to know GOD personally. Thus, from a kid onwards (I am now 26), I have devoted my life in finding GOD. I thought I found GOD a few years ago by joining a ultra-big "evangelical" church in Southern California as well as joining a couple of Bible Studies and this and that. However, most of what I found were just bigotry, paranoia, self-righteousness, duplicity, hypocrisy and worldliness. Now, the fact that I am also a BL complicated matters even further, because I was expecting to find some level of understanding and love from the church, but found only ostracism and scorn (and they dont even know me being a BL to start, just that I ...didn't want to comform to their ideas.) I made it known to them that first, I believe GOD loves gays no different than anyone else. Secondly, I expressed my stand that kids need to be respected equally as adults, at least their feelings should be considered. Lastly, I made it known to them that they are sometimes confusing middle-class traditions with Biblical teachings. Of course, they didnt want to hear that ...thus, my unceremonious departure from the church. For a year or two, I felt bitter and betrayed but GOD set everything right since...In the process, I found the GOD I was looking for. The true GOD of the BIBLE...the LIVING ONE...and HE has since been transforming my life...slowly but surely. I accept the sad fact that not everyone who calls GOD LORD is favoured in HIS eyes...but I also know that there are many people out there who truly love GOD with all their hearts. Its just most unfortunate that it is often difficult to distinguish the goats from the sheep. One of the issues raised here recently is the presence of original sin, that is, because of one man, Adam, everyone fell. How I view it is that there are different dimensions of sin. First, there is the legal aspect, which is primarily but not exclusively what Adam's Original Sin is all about. I compare it best with a man signing a contract with an employer that he and his family will be the person's servant through all generations. Now, from a modern point of view, one would find the idea absurd...but remember, for thousands of years, that kind of contract was valid (and in some places, still is). When Adam disobeyed GOD, he signed Satan's contract...That is why Satan said that "all these has been given to me". Therefore, all Adam's descendants are bond-slaves of Satan, thus the definition of original sin. However, there are other dimensions of sin. There is also the hereditary aspects. Scientifically , it has been proven that children inherit a significant proportion of their parents' behavioral traits. Children of alchoholics tend to be alcoholic themselves, children of parents who are aggressive tend to become aggressive, etc. This is what is known as generational or hereditary sin. The third dimension of sin involves the Will/Spirit Sin. This is the sin of putting self or other things before GOD as LORD of ones life. This is something that is difficult to explain but it overlaps with hereditary sin. Sex would be a good example. Remember that sin is anything that isn't in accordance with GOD's Will. Sex outside of GOD's WILL (like rape, fornication, adultery, etc) would be a good example of personal sin. When the LAMB died on the cross for our sins, HE abolished the legal aspects of sin. Thus, we who believe in HIM is no longer legally under Satan's contract. HE doesnt have any power over us anymore unless we give him that power. That is what is known as Justification. Now, we are also freed to an extent from hereditary sin. I bet that many of you , after you have become born-again, become more introspective of your behavior. For example, before, you would get angry just automatically..most of the time without even thinking about it, before or afterwards. After one has become saved, these kind of behavior becomes more...felt and analysed. We are filled with greater understanding of our behavior and what is the right thing to do. Of course, whether we listen to the Holy Spirit or not is another story. Lastly, the personal dimension of sin (the FLESH) still exists. That is why John said that if we say we have no sin, we are rendering ourselves as liars. The FLESH will always exists (in life that is). We will always have the feelings...the drive...the inclinations..the selfish feelings and ambitions... For many, we will always mastubate... That is where grace comes in. Grace is unconditional favor from GOD. No matter how many times we slip, HE will always forgive and forget. That doesnt give us the right to keep on sinning, however, or worse, to enjoy and live in sin. That would be insulting GOD's work through HIS SON. GOD wants us to grow and become the best we can be. Its like if you have a kid who has a bad habit. You know that he/she sincerely is trying to stop the habit but seems struck in doing it? Do we throw him/her out of the house for it? Of course not (unless something is wrong with you). If we can forgive and tolerate and understand our children's flaws...what more the PERFECT LOVING GOD? That is why personal sin is something I feel is between the person and GOD..and no one else (unless other people are also affected). God knows the heart of the person...we cannot. Many so-called Christians look down on people who mastubate..well, thats their problem. They are told not to judge..lest they be judged. Have you accepted Christ as your savior and LORD ...not superficially but personally? If you have, thats all that basically matters..nothing else matters. I dont care if you are the worse person on earth..because CHRIST died for the pedophile as much as he did for the evangelist. Better yet, Christ's ministry leaned towards the outcast and poor and miserable...not to the self-righteous and hypocrites. In response to TYGYR's question. No, I dont suscribe to anyone's teachings...not even the "interpretations" of the Bible. What I follow is the Spirit of the Bible..which is something that cannot be explained in words, to be quite honest. All I believe in, I learned directly from GOD and weren't taught to me by anyone. I can honestly say that no one influenced me. First of all, 90% of the interpretations of the BIBLE is erroneous..or simply misunderstood and most often taken out of context. Usually, I study the original language involved (Hebrew/Aramaic/Hellenic). Also, I have to make sure that the interpretation is consistent with everything else. The latter is usually difficult in our modern era of "everything in one phrase". (For example, how often do we hear or see news report describing a person just by a phrase he said, instead of his/her whole character/life?) Secondly, more often than not, people tend to substitute their own agenda and tradition to the original spirit of what the Bible means. In Catholism, for example, they have integrated old Roman/Germanic traditions with Christianity (thus, the Mary-Worship, mass, rosary, etc). For common American Christianity, they have integrated white, middle-class tradition (thus the hierachy of churches, paranoia, "bet ter than you attitude", emphasis on material prosperity, subtle racism (how many churches are integrated racially for example?), etc). I still remember the time that I lambasted the "followers" of Pat Roberson because he actually approved (indirectly of course) the slaughter of people just because they are Communists during the Cold War. No, Satan comes to steal and destroy. He wants to confuse and to distort. At the very least, he wants to neutralize the Christian's effectiveness. The HOLY SPIRIT is in us; HE is the SPIRIT behind the BIBLE and thus, HE guides us in the right interpretation of the BIBLE, but only if we allow HIM to. We have to discard false impressions and traditions in the process or else they will be a stumbling blocks. That is what separates the true Christian from the false. The former is honestly seeking GOD's WILL through the HOLY SPIRIT, while the latter abides by lies..whether they accept this or not. The former results in a transformed, honest life..while the latter invariably ends up with a hypocritical, better-than-you attitude lifestyle. The former lives by personal responsibility and personal relationship with GOD, while the latter likes to criticize others sins but not their own, and feed off each other's "righteouness". The more I get closer to GOD, the less the feel my "BLness" , for example. Where there was only lust, now there is true love, for example. The time is coming, and it is coming soon that everyone will be accountable. It will be most ironic...and gratifying if I may be a little selfish, that the line to hell will be led by those who think they are GOD's "Chosen", while those who are received into GOD's bosom will be the outcasts and "undesirables". Just my two sheckels :) John Guard jonguard@hotmail.com |