December 4, 2012

A New Creature

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

When Paul spoke of Christians (those “in Christ”) as being new creatures, he did not mean that we are no longer human as if we had become a new species. We remain human beings made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). But there are significant changes that come when one becomes a disciple of Christ. Let us notice a few of the “new things” that come when one becomes a “new creature” in Christ.
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November 25, 2012

“Whatever a Man Sows, This He Will Also Reap” (11/25)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Galatians 4-6.

Paul warned the saints in the churches of Galatia of the importance of sowing the proper seed in order to be able to reap the desired harvest.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

When he told them not to be deceived and that God was not mocked, he warned them not to think that they would prove to be the exception to the rule. If we wish to reap spiritual rewards, we must sow “to the Spirit” (Galatians 6:8).

In the first ten verses of this chapter, Paul mentioned three examples of how to sow in order to receive a reward.
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November 22, 2012

“He Who Turns a Sinner from the Error of His Way” (11/22)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from James 1-5.

“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).

James closed his letter with a reminder of the concern that fellow Christians were to have for one another. In these verses we learn a few lessons about sin.
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November 16, 2012

“You Acted in Ignorance” (11/16)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Acts 1-3.

After healing a lame man at the gate of the temple, Peter had the opportunity to preach the second gospel sermon recorded in the book of Acts. As he did with the first, he condemned his audience for their part in the death of Christ (Acts 3:14-15). However, he acknowledged that they acted in ignorance.

“And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:17-19).

Jesus’ mission was part of God’s “predetermined plan” (Acts 2:23). The Old Law, which the Jews had access to, told them about the coming Christ (John 5:46; Galatians 3:24). Yet they missed the point of these prophecies. Therefore, because they were in ignorance about what God revealed, they rejected Christ.
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November 2, 2012

“The Son of Man Has Come to Seek and to Save That Which Was Lost” (11/2)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Luke 18:15-19:48.

There were many who did not understand why Jesus would associate with tax collectors and sinners. Yet the reason why He did was because of the mission He had in coming to earth. Notice the example of Jesus with the tax collector Zaccheus who climbed a tree in order to see the Lord as He passed by.

“When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’

“Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost’” (Luke 19:5-10).

Those who grumbled about Jesus meeting with Zaccheus may have been right that the tax collector was a sinner. But this was the type of person Jesus came to save. When others grumbled earlier on a similar occasion, Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).
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October 24, 2012

Higher Percentage of Homosexuals Among Young Adults Than Seniors: What Does This Mean?

Rainbow flags

As time goes on, homosexuality is increasingly becoming more accepted in our society. As it becomes more accepted, it will become more common. A recent Gallup survey found that 3.4% of adults in the United States identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

The survey also found an interesting statistic regarding the percentage of homosexuals among various age groups. The numbers are very difficult for those who wish to argue that homosexuality is a matter of inherent sexual orientation, rather than choice.

Younger Americans are more likely to identify as LGBT: Adults ages 18-29 (6.4 percent) were more than three times as likely as seniors ages 65 and older (1.9 percent) to identify as LGBT. Gallup found that LGBT identity declines with age – at 3.2 percent for ages 30-49; and 2.6 percent for ages 50-64.

How do we explain the number of homosexuals being more than three times higher among young adults as it is among seniors? How do we account for the percentage of homosexuals declining with age? There are two possibilities:
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September 27, 2012

Adulterous Marriages

Wedding Rings

One of the consequences of the high divorce rate in our society is the number of adulterous marriages. These are unlawful unions in which at least one person is still bound to their original mate. Of course, when we discuss adulterous marriages, we must have the law of God in mind. To the state, there is no such thing as an adulterous marriage – only marriage. Once a couple is legally divorced, subsequent marriages are unconditionally legitimate in the eyes of the state. In this study, we will not be discussing civil laws about marriage and divorce. Instead, we will be looking at what the Scriptures teach about adulterous marriages.
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