Generally speaking, are some sins worse than others? Do you think God rates them on a “curve”? Do you?
Paying Back Old Loans
From: Angela:
I stole money from my employers, paid it back and still did not learn the lesson. I stole again and am now paying back slowly what the court tells me to pay and am on probation. This has been for 10 years now (it was a huge amount of money). I am now on Social Security Disability. Also, the man I was living with gave me money to help with the restitution and I told him I would pay it back. The ex-live in has not asked for the money. So after my honest seeking of what Jesus wants me to do and praying about this issue I continue to get peace, but am puzzled about paying this money back.
If for the first time in my adult life I am peaceful, am dedicated and committed to reading scripture daily, pray for the world, churches, government, my church, homeless, abused people, sick people and my family and friends and I thank God daily for what He is doing in my life…how can this be if I am still in sin by not paying the money back to my ex-boyfriend to this date. When God tells us He remembers our sin no more then how can my not making restitution on that loan keep me either out of heaven or be judged on a sin already forgiven when I am in front of God on judgement day?
How is that sin any different from any other such as one having filthy thoughts about a person in their heart even though they don’t act on it and ask forgiveness…doesn’t God forgive all sin when we truly repent and turn away. In my heart I want to pay this money back but at this time can not. Please help clear this up for me. I read a story from someone else on your site and it perplexed me with the answer given even though I understood…does that make sense?
All are Sins the Same?
Romans 3:23 says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” But are all our sins the same? Are all sins equal to God?
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Your Sinful Nature
Thje bible says that we all have a sinful nature. Romans 7:18 says “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” So, when did you first become painfully aware of your sinful nature?
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Letters To 7 Churches?
Q: What are the "Letters To 7 Churches." I heard someone preaching about them on the radio the other day and was not familiar with them. The guy on the radio said they're in the Bible?
A: John, the author of the book of Revelation (the last book in the Christian Bible) included in that book letters to seven different churches that were all located in what was then known as the province of Asia. They were in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These were simply cities in that province and the letters were simply addressing the Christian church located in each city.
The significance of the letters - or perhaps their relevance in our modern day culture - is that each church displayed a certain set of behaviors. Some were godly and some were not. Each letter addressed the strength of the church to which it was written. But each letter also addressed the weakness of the church to which each particular letter was written.
If you read the letters (Revelation 2 & 3) you'll see that the nature and character of those church congregations was very common to what we might find in American churches today. So the challenge is then to look at my own church and see what it has in common with any or all of those seven (7) churches. Would Jesus have any different perspective or point to make with my church than He did with those churches? Definitely not!
The letters to those seven churches back then were meant to motivate those churches to make changes. They're there for us to read today for exactly the same reason. We should read them and be motivated to make changes!
A: John, the author of the book of Revelation (the last book in the Christian Bible) included in that book letters to seven different churches that were all located in what was then known as the province of Asia. They were in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These were simply cities in that province and the letters were simply addressing the Christian church located in each city.
The significance of the letters - or perhaps their relevance in our modern day culture - is that each church displayed a certain set of behaviors. Some were godly and some were not. Each letter addressed the strength of the church to which it was written. But each letter also addressed the weakness of the church to which each particular letter was written.
If you read the letters (Revelation 2 & 3) you'll see that the nature and character of those church congregations was very common to what we might find in American churches today. So the challenge is then to look at my own church and see what it has in common with any or all of those seven (7) churches. Would Jesus have any different perspective or point to make with my church than He did with those churches? Definitely not!
The letters to those seven churches back then were meant to motivate those churches to make changes. They're there for us to read today for exactly the same reason. We should read them and be motivated to make changes!