“Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for.”  Proverbs 16:6

This is so much better than having to kill an animal, or even the innocent Son of God.  It’s in the Bible, right?  So, doesn’t it have to be true?  Am I picking and choosing verses I like?  Maybe.  But, let me be clear.  I am choosing based upon rational thought and understanding.  I believe the Holy Spirit is leading me in that.

Am I rejecting verses that don’t make sense?  No.  I’m merely holding them up in question, in the hope that one day they will make sense.  By not choosing the obscure verses, am I rejecting Christ? Absolutely not.  I am open to His leading.  I am not prepared to accept any teaching that doesn’t make sense. Perhaps that is based upon my sinful condition, because of my lack of “faith,” but I don’t think so.

Again, I have asked God to show me the way.  I honestly don’t think that I will get the Vacation to Hell prize for wrong answers.  Discipline?  Yes.  Hell?  No, at least not the burning torture for ever and ever thing, with no hope.

Love and faithfulness.  Now that makes sense.

A lot of people lay claim to the fact that they are saved; that is, they are born-again believers in Jesus Christ.  What are they saved from?  ”The penalty of sin” would be the usual answer.  What’s the penalty? Death.  But we all die.  Yes, but we need to be saved from eternal death in Hell.

How do we get saved?  By being born again.  How are we born again?  By believing that Jesus died to save us from our sins.  And on it goes.

Jesus died to save me from me.  You see, I love myself too much.  You might not know it if you meet me.  But I’m sure you can think of someone who appears to love themselves too much.  They’re not the dangerous ones; they wear it on their sleeves, so to speak.  No, it’s those of us who seem to lead a pious life, but, in fact, are as fickle as a mood ring — we are the ones who bring confusion to those who really know us.

I love things that God doesn’t love, like always being right, comparing my Christian walk to others who don’t seem to quite measure up or priding myself in my accomplishments and possessions, while not always admitting to it (or realizing that it is so).  God doesn’t want these things for me.  Neither does Jesus, who was, and is, my mentor.  I’m called to recognize things that are not worth loving.

Jesus died because he knew it was in God’s plan, the culmination of his perfect justice.  God loved me so much that he was willing when the Son said, “Let me go talk to them Father, that they might truly know you.” (I know.  It’s not in the Bible, but it could happen.)

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The two terms are tossed around quite freely by both preacher and teacher in modern-day Christianity.  But what do they really mean?  And how do they affect us? Let’s first look at the definitions given by Dictionary.com:

grace – favor or good will     (NOTE:  Dictionary.com also defines grace as mercy.)

mercy – compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender or enemy.

From teen-hood I was taught that grace was God giving us good things we don’t deserve, and mercy was God not giving us the punishment that we do deserve.  In the gospel scenario God shows us “mercy” by allowing his son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins.  We are told that our disobedience to God (our sin) separates us from Him, condemning us to eternal torture in Hell.  Because he loves us, he gives us his “grace” by letting Christ take our place (not in Hell) as a once-and-for-all sacrifice that will, in the Old Testament tradition, turn away God’s wrath.  With this marvelous (?) method of salvation, God will remember our sins no more — even those we are yet to commit.  Sweet deal, right?

The only redeeming ticket that will get you this grace is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and make him Lord of your life.  And you have to really, really mean it, or many will assume that your salvation wasn’t genuine or, as my dad used to say, “It didn’t take the first time.”  There are some believers (actually more than we might think) who, after many years, begin to live like the Devil again, and you would never know that they were “saved.”  They are either backsliders (salvation still good; they just need to be disciplined and brought back into the fold) or “it didn’t take the first time.”

Well, here I go.  Newsflash!  Jesus never spoke the word “grace,” and he never specifically addressed the accepted plan of salvation that would bring us God’s grace.

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When things just don’t add up.  When total agreement seems unachievable.  When being of one mind is a fleeting fancy.  These are the times that try men’s souls.

But Thomas Paine wasn’t looking for reconciliation when he penned those words.  Five months after the Declaration of Independence, facing the onslaught of British forces at Baltimore, Paine refused to believe that God would abandon their cause and give them over to those who would enslave them.  Two days later, on Christmas Day, George Washington would take his troops back across the Delaware to certain victory.  But this was not reconciliation.

Reconciliation tops the news these days as Congress attempts to force vote the passage of healthcare reform in order to avoid gridlock.  However, this only results in half of the country being happy (?); political partisanship will still keep unrest stirred up.

The word reconciliation comes from Latin, meaning “to make good again.”  For something to be reconciled, it must have first to have gone wrong.  True reconciliation doesn’t just require agreement. Even acknowledged forgiveness is not enough.  Hurts can’t just be forgiven; they must be healed.

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Another snow day.  I live in the foothills of northeast Tennessee.  Unlike the snow-slammed northeastern states and parts of the country that are used to big winters, we practically close down when a handful of flakes team up and stick to the road.  So I’m not complaining.  I don’t have to go to work, and the snow is beautiful.

There’s something about the white, clean-looking appearance of snow.  When it falls gently and begins to muffle the sounds of city life, a peaceful scene soon emerges.  One of my daughters used to live in a state that had a lot of litter and a lot of snow.  (I won’t name the state; I don’t want to make Sarah Palin mad.)  The great thing about the snow was that it covered up the litter, making the landscape look clean.

Religious preachers and teachers throughout the ages have used the snow analogy to address man’s sin and the promise of cleansing.  “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7)  “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18)  They add in the paradox of Jesus’ blood being the cleansing agent.

I suspect that the teaching is much like the snow in real life.  It covers, giving the appearance of clean, but underneath remains the mud, dirt and litter.  Even though we’re “washed in the blood,” we continue to sin.  We don’t need our sins covered; we need to be rid of them.

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I can’t take credit for the title; it was on a church sign.  You gotta love those church signs!  It made me chuckle. Then it made me think.

Usually that type of phrase is associated with negativity.  Like new day, same old stuff. We have a new year, but we’re stuck with the same old God.  I know that’s not how the church meant it.

They anticipate the New Year to bring change, both good and bad.  They foresee trouble on a global scale.  Unrest, hatred, ugliness.  But, thank God, he never changes.  His promises are sure.  He never goes back on his word. When he makes a resolution, he keeps it.

I do find comfort in the fact that God is somewhat predictable, as best as we can determine.  I mean, nobody wants God to go postal on us.  When those around us become untrustworthy, he remains faithful and true.

But may I be so bold as to say that I might just advocate a new year, different God?

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I believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, my elder brother, my lord and master.

I believe that he has a right to my absolute obedience whenever I know or shall come to know his will; that to obey him is to ascend to the highest point of my being; that not to obey him would be to deny him.

I believe that he died that I might die like him — die to any ruling power in me but the will of God — live ready to be nailed to the cross as he was, if God wills it.

I believe that he is my Savior from myself, and from all that comes of loving myself, from all that God does not love, and would not have me love — from all that is not worth loving; that he died that the justice, the mercy of God, might have its way with me, making me just as God is just, merciful as he is merciful, perfect as my father in heaven is perfect.

I believe and pray that he will give whatever punishment needed to set me right, or to keep me from going wrong.

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For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
I Corinthians 2:16

Viruses of all sorts can be annoying. When what seems like a short-term bacterial infection doesn’t go away, it can turn out to be a virus. It’s a nasty bug that hangs on forever and must finish its course until the body’s natural immune system gets rid of it.

A computer virus is equally annoying. I write from recent experience. What was particularly frustrating was that I was paying for a service that provided firewalls and security devices to protect from just such an invasion. In the process of getting my computer functional again, I had to wipe my hard drive — that is, erase all of my files and reinstall the basic operating system. If you don’t have a backup of your files, then you have lost everything. I did recently back up my files, but, thankfully, most of my thoughts and scribblings are safe on the worldwide web (?).

I’ve read that our minds are like super-powerful computers. That we record and catalog virtually everything over the course of our lives. Every thought, printed word, spoken word, sound, image and smell. I believe it because some of the oddest rememberings from my distant past can pop into my active thinking at any time.

The good memories are a blessing to relive. The bad ones? Well, you just wish they would go away. They can consist of hurt or ugliness that you have received or witnessed, or they can be reminders of ugly things that you have said or done. I believe that our mind is the seat of our soul and is the area in which God and his enemies do battle.

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William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, took to the streets of London preaching to the drunks, prostitutes and downtrodden that Jesus Christ was their only hope to escape from the grip of sin. Now, 142 years later, people still are downtrodden and in the grip of sin.

When I read this quote, another quote came to mind, that of Charles Dickens: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Many years before and after Mr. Booth’s experience Christianity has been packaged and re-packaged, only to find the harvest still ripe and the world still hungering for truth.

Billy Graham was recently honored with the opening of a grand library in his name. In his “acceptance” speech, he remarked that it’s “not about the building.” And it wasn’t. It was about him, God’s Evangelist. I must admit that among the many notable advocates of the faith, Mr. Graham stands out as the symbol of Christian purity, humility and dedication. He spent over 60 years leading people “to Christ.” But the weeds seem to be thriving right along with the wheat, and the wheat is looking less genuine.

Many who are called Christian often behave in a non-Christian manner. Truly devout Chrisitans tend to be judgemental and unapproachable. Others lead lives that indicate, aside from regular church attendance, that they are really no different than their unsaved brethren. Like the bumper sticker says: Christians aren’t perfect — just forgiven.

William Booth’s “good news” (gospel) also has remained unchanged over the years. It is founded on the statement that everyone deserves to die and burn forever because they have rejected God. Even those who follow “God” are rejected if they deny Christ, his son. Booth’s premise that only Christ can bring folks out of the grip of sin is right on. But it is only a small part of a cumbersome formula (plan of salvation), when it really should be foremost.

God would have us be perfect. He will not give us a pass, no matter how many times we recite the Sinner’s Prayer. The perfection process spans eternity and is necessary to make us good and obedient children. The perfect plan of salvation is the following of his own perfect and obedient son, Jesus. Jesus communicated the love of the Father, as well as the will of the Father. And Jesus, knowing our weaknesses and desires, accepts nothing less than our complete reconciliation with our Creator. He gave his life to that end.

I was on my way to work and listening to the radio.  I like to spin the dial, give each station a few minutes, regardless of whether it’s music, news or talk radio.  Or preaching.  If something in my variety show keeps my attention, I’ll stay with it until a station break, or until my attention dwindles.  Today it was preaching.

I don’t remember the speaker’s name, but he was one of the more popular ones, like Swindoll or Stanley.  I also noted that he was one of the more educated ones, a proven Biblical scholar, it seemed.  He was outlining the afterlife, heaven or hell, based upon one’s decision for Christ.  From my church background I know this means accepting God’s son as your personal savior, realizing that he died for our sins, and has gone before us to heaven to prepare a place for us.  Non-believers are destined for an eternity in hell.

That’s when it hit me.  How could intelligent men accept such statements, let alone teach them!

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