This I Believe: I Have a Need
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There are some professing Christians who can speak of themselves in terms of admiration; but, from my inmost heart, I loathe such speeches more and more every day that I live. Those who talk in such a boastful fashion must be constituted very differently from me.
While they are congratulating themselves, I have to lie humbly at the foot of Christ’s Cross, and marvel that I am saved at all, for I know that I am saved.
While they are congratulating themselves, I have to lie humbly at the foot of Christ’s Cross, and marvel that I am saved at all, for I know that I am saved.
While some may complain that God has provided only one way of salvation, I find it amazing that God has provided any way of salvation.
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God:(16)
Why is that? Simply because the older I get, the more I reflect back on my life, the more I see the ability I have to not only run from God and hurt those around me but to outright deny him at times and to deliberately seek to hurt or withhold forgiveness or to not really care at all about the deep, genuine pain of others.
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God:(16)
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God:(16)
he fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature,(17)
are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ.(18)
The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment;(19)
and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss.(20)
[16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20]
By Rev Billy Graham:
A: Yes, both are destructive, and it would be hard to say if one is more destructive than the other. In fact, they often go hand-in-hand: hatred almost always leads to anger, and anger almost always leads to hatred.
Q: Some of us have been having a discussion about our emotions, and how they can damage us. In your opinion which emotion is more harmful -- anger or hatred? We couldn't agree, although I know both can be destructive. -- D.D.
A: Yes, both are destructive, and it would be hard to say if one is more destructive than the other. In fact, they often go hand-in-hand: hatred almost always leads to anger, and anger almost always leads to hatred.
The real problem, however, is that both anger and hatred are seldom just inner feelings or emotions that we keep bottled up inside us. Instead, they almost always spill over into actions -- and those actions are always destructive, both to us and to others. Even if we don't lash out and hurt someone physically, angry or hateful words can destroy a relationship. The Bible rightly says, "Hatred stirs up conflict" ().
Does God ever get angry, or does He ever hate? The answer may surprise you -- because the answer is "yes." But God's attitude is far different from ours, because it comes from His hatred of sin. God loves us, and He knows the terrible things sin does to us -- and that makes Him angry. Perhaps you've heard the old saying that "God hates the sin, but He loves the sinner."
The real question, however, is this: Have you allowed the sin of hatred or anger to take root in your soul? The only lasting cure is to allow Christ to rule you, and to let His love fill your heart and mind every day. Make sure of your commitment to Christ, and then ask Him to give you a new love for others -- even your enemies. The Bible says, "Be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble" ().
The real problem, however, is that both anger and hatred are seldom just inner feelings or emotions that we keep bottled up inside us. Instead, they almost always spill over into actions -- and those actions are always destructive, both to us and to others. Even if we don't lash out and hurt someone physically, angry or hateful words can destroy a relationship. The Bible rightly says, "Hatred stirs up conflict" ().
Does God ever get angry, or does He ever hate? The answer may surprise you -- because the answer is "yes." But God's attitude is far different from ours, because it comes from His hatred of sin. God loves us, and He knows the terrible things sin does to us -- and that makes Him angry. Perhaps you've heard the old saying that "God hates the sin, but He loves the sinner."
The real question, however, is this: Have you allowed the sin of hatred or anger to take root in your soul? The only lasting cure is to allow Christ to rule you, and to let His love fill your heart and mind every day. Make sure of your commitment to Christ, and then ask Him to give you a new love for others -- even your enemies. The Bible says, "Be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble" ().
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
We are created in the image of God. We have a moral awareness, a self consciousness. We know perfectly well what we are doing and we not only know it’s wrong, we’re willing to justify it. Better yet, we’re willing to blame others for our actions. And we’re willing to do it again and again and again.
How does this make us different from animals? The story of the cat, the mouse, and the gift.
Now any self reflecting person has to see some cracks in this statement. Are all people capable of kindness and goodness? and the answer is yes, of course. But if you reflect even more you realize that even though you are quite capable of being good and kind, there is something dark, something evil, something despicable lurking deep within yourself. And when it gets out, it’s not good, it’s not kind. And that awareness of our goodness, our kindness, and especially of our ability to do evil is what we’ll call moral awareness or self consciousness. And when you have it you realize that you could have easily been part of the crowd that praised Jesus on the Monday and 4 days later yelled crucify him on the Friday.
Tragedy and evil. Life has tragedy. Cancer, sudden illness, death of a loved one, unemployment, financial hardship. Hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, fires. But evil is different. As Jordan Peterson states, “evil is the conscious attempt to make the conditions of life more pathological than they have to be.” It’s like someone saying, I’m going to make your life a living hell, and then they do everything they can to make that happen. It’s the death camps of Nazi Germany. It’s the labor camps of Communist Russia. It’s the capture and torture of the Chines city of Nan King. It’s the killing fields of Cambodia. It goes on and on in human history. It’s saying words you know cut to the heart, hurt, humiliate, and shame someone you claim to love.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And such were some of you
\
And such were some of you
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:11
For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will silence in this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Jeremeiah 16:9
I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.”
Only God can truly know what’s in a person’s heart. That’s why, when he was choosing a king, he said that men look on the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
What - you are made in the image of God but you are capable of the most vile, evil, and despicable things.
I have a personal need - There’s something deep within you that’s not good. Maybe it’s not so deep anymore. Maybe you’ve been seeing more of it. Maybe others are seeing more of it. You know it’s there and it scares you. Or worse yet, maybe you know it’s there and you don’t care.
I have a personal responsibility - something needs to be done. You need to deal with that very deep and very dark part of you. It will eventually destroy you, it will destroy those around you. Most important, what you do will determine your eternal destiny.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Why
How
Tis grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.
