Something Greater

Under the Dominion of Grace "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." Romans 6:11-14 (ESV) CONSIDER: logizomai (to take an inventory, estimate); from logos (something said or thought); from lego (to lay forth or relate or mean, rather than individual speech or simply breaking silence or an extended harangue) DEAD: nekros (dead); from nekus (a corpse) ALIVE: zao (to live) A Christian is responsible for careful consideration and logical reasoning regarding circumstances in which faith in Christ places them. A Christian is dead to sin and alive to God. This m

Oh! How He Loves Us! "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind." Philippians 2:1-2 (ESV) Paul describes the reward, or the conseqence, of being in Christ : ENCOURAGEMENT: paraklesis (imploration, hortation, solace); from parakaleo (to call near, invite, invoke); from para (near) and kaleo (to call aloud) COMFORT: paramythion (concrete consolation); from paramythia (abstract consolation); from paramytheomai (to relate near, encourage, console); from para (near) and mythos (a tale, a story of fiction, "myth") PARTICIPATION: koinonia (partnership, participation, intercourse, benefaction); from koinonos (a sharer, an associate); from koinos (common, shared by all or several, profane) AFFECTION: splanchnon (the intestine, figurative for pity or sympathy); from splen (the

What Is Sin? How did the Jews define "unrighteousness" or sin? How does society define sin? How would you define sin? How does God define sin? Paul charged the Jews with knowing precisely what defines sin: Dishonoring God (Romans 1:21) Idol worship (Romans 1:23-25) Sexual perversion (Romans 1:26-27) Unrighteousness: evil, covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, gossip, slander, hate, insolence, haughtiness, boasting, disobedience, foolishness, faithlessness, heartlessness, and ruthlessness. (Romans 1:29-32) The Jews knew that the Word of God included Laws: "All who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law." Romans 2:12 (ESV) Our society defines "sin" similarly, although it is not called "sin". We create laws to protect people from each other and to maintain social stability. Our human government is woefully inadequate and without integrity, but the definition of sin remains the same for o

Repent and Turn Again "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you." Acts 3:19-20 (ESV) Paul reaches the climax of his message to the Jews. He has rebuked them for their sin: they had denied, abused and murdered Jesus, the holy, righteous Ruler of all creation. He revealed the root cause of their sin: ignorance of God's message given through prophets. Now, Paul urges them to make a radical change : REPENT: metanoeo (to think differently, reconsider); from meta (accompaniment, "amid", association, succession) and noeo (to exercise the mind, observe, comprehend, heed); from nous (the intellect, the mind); from ginosko (to know absolutely) TURN AGAIN: epistrepho (to revert); from epi (superimposition, over, upon) and strepho (to twist, turn quite around, to reverse); from trope (a turn or revolution); from trepo (to

Religious Rites and Happy Habits I was asked a couple of simple questions , for which I have no firm answer yet: What is God saying to you about your heart right now? What adjustments do you need to make to be more real with God and others about your faith? Here's my response: There are a few simple habits which I treasure, toward which I look forward, and for which I plan and allot time: Daily, I clean my body and arrange my hair and dress to be comfortable and acceptable to others. Daily, I grind flavored coffee beans and press them through hot water to make a beverage that refreshes me and pleases my senses. Daily, I listen to a wide variety of music, played on a pocket-sized electronic device. The music relaxes, enlivens, encourages and intrigues my mind. Daily, I read and reply to messages and news from friends, my community and my circle of interests and passions. I do these things daily, without fail, without complaint, and with great enjoyment. I treas