Sanctified by Grace

Homosexuality: Violation of Natural Law

2008-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Let us consider for a moment the simple basic natural function of sexual intercourse according to nature, procreation. The very nature of sex is to multiply a species which requires a male and a female. This is what is referred to simply as a natural law. Taken that way then anything outside the bounds of reproduction/procreation would be unnatural and therefore a violation of natural law i.e. homosexuality.

To be clear as Christians this does not give us the right to hate or be abusive towards the people that choose this lifestyle, to do so would also be a sin in the eyes of God. Mark 12:30-31;

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

This does not mean that we are to be tolerant either. Tolerance is turning a blind eye and not addressing the problem. God is clear on how he judges and deals with the immoral and depraved; one only has to look at how God dealt with Sodom and Gomorrah. Romans 1:22-32;

22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 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. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Yes I get that sex is also fun, my wife and I rather enjoy it but it goes much deeper than the moment and is only appropriate within the bounds that God set for us. It is about a NATURAL relationship of two (MALE and FEMALE) becoming one flesh. This relationship is so important that an entire book of the Bible (Song of Solomon) was devoted to the subject.

Grace and peace to you,

Maury

Silly Evolutionists!

2008-10-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

14. History is too short.
According to evolutionists, Stone Age Homo sapiens existed for 190,000 years before beginning to make written records about 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. Prehistoric man built megalithic monuments, made beautiful cave paintings, and kept records of lunar phases. Why would he wait two thousand centuries before using the same skills to record history? The Biblical time scale is much more likely.

From Evidence for a Young World; D. Russell Humphreys, Ph.D.

So simple, so sensible...

Cheers,

Maury

A Question to Doug Pagitt and All Emergent...

2008-10-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

The world view of the “emergent” church is nothing more than relativism pure and simple. They don’t want to deal with absolutes, because with absolutes comes ACCOUNTABILITY!

The emergent’ want to skip merrily through life saying that they are Christian but not feel guilty about their chosen life styles which are clearly un-biblical.

Tell me Doug, if you feel so confident that your emergent world view is correct, what would be your reaction if Osama bin Laden and his crew strolled into your circle of couches and said we would like to be a part of your cohort? Would you accept them or turn them over to the authorities? Your view states that there are many ways to God right? Osama bin Laden and his crew fully believe that Allah justifies what they did at the World Trade center and according to your view you would welcome them. Am I wrong?

What the emergent’ tend to leave out when discussing the attributes of God is that God is just. God owes us nothing and we owe Him everything; the simple fact that God allows us to draw breath is a testament of His grace. God established His law and Christ came to fulfill the law; Matt 5:17. God’s laws are absolute and we can do nothing apart from accepting God’s gracious gift of Christ’s death and resurrection for our salvation period.

Accountability Doug. By the emergent account we are beholden to nothing but ourselves and how we choose to manifest Christ in this world which is plain and simple blasphemy and denies the very being of the Trinity. Glory be to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now and shall forever be.

ACCOUNTABILITY!

Emergent Church: Works based salvation???

2008-10-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

As I watched and listened to a video interview with Tony Jones and a pastor from what I assume to be a protestant church, I found it interesting that Tony was stating that there are other ways to salvation. Basically that all one needs to do is to do something in Jesus name, i.e. give a drink to the thirsty, visit someone in prison generally quoting Matt 25:31-46. Tony interprets this passage a saying that doing ANYTHING in Jesus name will get you into Heaven. The Bible passages below I feel shed some light on what can happen to those who try to do works in Jesus name but have not truly repented and surrendered to Christ.

Acts 19:13-20
13 But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches." 14 Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said to them, "I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" 16 And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. 18 Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.

In Jesus’ own words:

Matthew 7:21-29
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 "Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' 24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall." 28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

John 14:6 says “I am the way the truth and the and the life; NO ONE comes to the Father but THROUGH ME”. I’m sorry Tony but all of the works that you do while wonderful kindness can be seen in all of them they are but filth unless, you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, Rom 10:9.

Washington DC...?

2008-10-02T05:54:00.000-07:00

Wow!

That’s about all I can say about the bail out with it’s special tax extension for manufacturers of “WOODEN ARROWS”!!! Are you kidding me?!?!?!? All of the highly educated lawmakers in DC and the best plan they can come up with is a corporate welfare package bail out people for making bad business decisions. I did find it interesting that they included a golden parachute clause aimed at CEO’s however I’m sure they will find a way around that also.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. Psalm 118:8

Response to emergent church and Doug Paggit

2008-09-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

Most gracious God and Holy Father, I pray for forgiveness for my sin and short comings and ask that Your Holy Spirit would speak through me to bring praise and glory to You! I crucify my flesh, deny myself and take up my cross to follow you! Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall forever be, Kingdom without end! Amen!

shelley pagitt Says:
September 24th, 2008 at 10:15 pm

"God is so much bigger than the Bible and our limited minds that end up limiting God..."

What I find interesting about this post altogether, becomes clear in the above quote. Consider John 1:1-5.

John 1:1-5 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (NAS)

To say that the Bible restricts God is an indictment of a fallible human mind. The Holy Bible, the “Word” of God is…

John 14:23-26 23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me. 25 "These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. (NAS)

God is eternal! The Word is eternal!

Matthew 5:17-18 17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. (NAS)

Praise God, the Alpha and Omega! Some would say that “indictment” is a harsh word to use but I use it because I believe that guilt and conviction of sin are at the root of the “emergent” church belief that the Bible is restricting God. The Bible is not restricting God it is restricting the “emergent” church.

Lastly I unashamedly stand upon the solid rock of the “Word” and the salvation it delivers through my Lord Jesus the Christ and end with this for those who so dangerously believe the Bible restricts God and because I too have a fallible mind and therefore must rely on scripture and the Holy Spirit to speak.

Revelation 22:9-21 I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God." 10 And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 "Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy." 12 "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. 13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. 16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." 17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. 18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. 20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. (NAS)