Living Life God's Way Or The World's

Discussion in 'Faith & Religion' started by Babs Hunt, Jun 3, 2016.

  1. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    http://nyti.ms/1TLGAbm

    The above link is about a "Christian" singer who is admitting to the World that he is a homosexual and that he has left his wife and two children so that he can live his life as the person he "was always meant to be". He isn't the first "Christian" to admit that he is choosing to live a life of homosexuality and he won't be the last. My question is... does Trey or any other Christian who deliberately chooses to live a life of what God calls sin...have the right to still call themselves Christians?

    It is my belief that they don't have the right to call themselves Christians anymore. Why? Because Christians don't get to define the meaning of Christianity. God and Jesus Christ defined the meaning of a Christian as a person who repented (turned away from) their sins, confessed them to Christ, choose Christ as their Lord and Savior and received redemption (a washing away of their sins) and salvation... as well as becoming God's beloved sons and daughters. As beloved sons and daughters we received the gift of the Holy Spirit to live within each of us and teach us God's ways of righteousness and truth as well as to lead and guide us away from sin and towards the holiness and purity that is God.

    When a Christian falls into any sin, the Holy Spirit is there to convict (show them the sin) and lead them to repentance and confession of that sin so that Christ can wash them clean once again. Christians know what sin is because God's Word through the Bible tells them what it is, and the Holy Spirit living within them, reminds them of that truth they have learned. So for a Christian to know what sin is and then to deliberately choose to continue in sin and call it good, not evil...is to basically call God and His truth a lie, and to announce that they have no need of a Savior for they have no sin. You cannot call yourself a Christian if you don't believe what God has said is true, and if you do not know you are a sinner in need of a Savior.

    Because satan rules this World and is out to steal, kill, and destroy everything that God has pronounced "Good"...it is no surprise to a Christian that satan is the one telling people that what God says is not true or that there is no such thing as sin. The Bible calls satan the "father of lies" and there is nothing satan loves more than being able to deceive you into believing him instead of God. For those who are not Christians, satan has a very easy time of lying and deceiving people. But why does it seem that satan is having such an easy time of deceiving many Christians into believing his lies now days too? In my opinion it is because Christians are not reading the Bible which tells them what God says is right and wrong, tells them all about satan and his evil, and gives them all they need to know to stand firm and win the battle against evil. God has given us armor in the truth of His Word, and in the wisdom and discernment of the Holy Spirit so we can recognize God's truth and satan's lies. But if we don't read the Bible to know God's truth then we also won't discern it when the Holy Spirit shares it with us either...when we don't have that knowledge and wisdom...satan can deceive us as easily as he can those who are not Christians. And this is exactly what is happening in today's World.

    If you call yourself a Christian, but then turn around and announce to the World that you are deliberately choosing to live a life of what God calls sin, if you deliberately choose to call sin good and what you were always meant to be...or do. Then in my opinion you do not have the right to call yourself a Christian anymore...not until or if you choose to repent of that sin, confess it to Christ, and let Him bring you redemption that only Christians have through the washing of the blood of Christ. Trey Pearson of the above link will no longer call himself a husband to his wife...or married...and neither should he call himself a Christian as long as he will not be living the life of one.
     
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  2. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    UHUH....and are you asking us a question..or ...or just bringing it to our attention for some kind of discussion on ...what, exactly? ?
     
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  3. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    Actually @Holly Saunders when I went to post what I first wrote...every word of it except the link just disappeared...so I had to rewrite the whole post. Sorry for any inconvenience.
     
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  4. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Well, there's one thing for sure, there are a lot of Christians, or people who say they're Christians, that do a lot of sinful things all week long and then attend church on Sundays.

    My step-dad was like that. He would swear (including, using the Lord's name in vain) all week long and then, on Sunday, take my step-mom and me to church. My step-mom would always get on him about this and nudge him to wake him up during the Sermon. Thing is, he never listened to her and would keep on doing what she hated seeing/hearing him do.
     
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  5. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    Yup that's for sure...as Patsy Cline sang about many moons ago...

     
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  6. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    Thanks Babs...
     
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  7. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    Seven Things I Wish My Pastor Knew About My Homosexuality

    http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2014/12/14149/

    What an excellent article. There is no wonder even Christians are confused about sin now days...when even Christian Ministers, etc. are not teaching God's Truth from the Bible about what is right and what is wrong.
     
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  8. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I guess people can call themselves whatever they want. It's not my place to decide whether they are or are not Christians, but there are a lot of people who call themselves Christians who I'd be surprised to see in heaven.
     
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  9. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    I certainly don't agree with you on this one Ken. It is not our place as Christians to judge what the World does, but the Bible says we are to "judge" those who say they are Christians and yet are deliberately sinning and calling it not sin. If Christians don't have to live as God teaches us in His Word...then we are no different from the World. Christians should always stand up for God's Truth...but it is even more important to do so when someone who says they are a Christians is basically calling God's truth a lie!
     
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  10. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    That's the point. Regardless of what they call themselves, they are not Christians. That's not by my judgment because it's not for me to decide, but the Bible is pretty clear about what is unacceptable.
     
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  11. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    Thanks for that clarification Ken. :) Even though I hate the thought of it, I do think that a Christian can decide that living the Christian life is to hard...and they can walk away from it and God. If or when they choose to do this as Trey Pearson is choosing to do in my Tread link...he also has given up the right to call himself a Christian in my opinion.
     
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  12. What kinda creeps me out: people who call themselves Christians but say that since they'd been 'saved' it doesn't matter what they do or what their behavior is.
    Doesn't the Bible say if a person is or becomes a Christian they have the responsibility of living their lives according to Jesus' teachings- or at least trying to?
     
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  13. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I'm pretty sure that will be God's opinion too. That's why I don't believe in the assurance of salvation. I'm pretty sure that God isn't going to withdraw His offer of salvation because someone gives in to temptation or a moment of weakness, but when someone consciously decides to walk another path, then he's on another path and it isn't likely to lead to heaven.
     
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  14. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    Okay, I see where you are coming from now. I do believe in the assurance of salvation...but I also believe (pretty much like you do) since we have been given the gift of free will, we can choose to walk away from that salvation too. If we have asked Jesus to be Lord of our lives and His Holy Spirit lives within us then we can be assured that when we fall into temptation and sin...we will be given Christ's strength to overcome that temptation and sin. If we are overcome in a moment of weakness by that temptation and sin we still have the Holy Spirit to convict us of that sin and to lead us to repentance and confession of it so we can be cleansed of that sin. Yet, even with all this...our free will can choose to sin and not repent.... Darn that free will! And yet I understand that God gave us that free will because He did not want to force anyone to choose Him unless they really wanted to do this out of faith and love.
     
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  15. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    Somewhere along the path of Chrisitanity "false teachers" started teaching this false doctrine Janice. And that's exactly what it is...false doctrine. One of the signs of a true Christian is that they turn away from the sinful life they once chose to live and the Holy Spirit living within them helps them to start living the way God teaches His children to live in the Bible. He clearly says what He considers right and wrong, good and evil, etc., in other words what is sin and what is not. A true Christian life should bear good fruit, not rotten fruit and if you see only rotten fruit in a so called Christian's life, you can be pretty sure they are a "false Christian". Having said that, I also want to say that when a person is first saved by the blood of Jesus Christ...they are baby Christians and are not "perfect" as a lot of people think Christians should be. In fact, even those who are "mature" in their Christianity are still not perfect and will have times of weakness when they may fall into sin, the difference being they quickly (in most cases) repent and confess that sin and are cleansed to walk again in the redemption of Christ. A Christian's life should always be one of growing more Christ like, not more worldly or more sinful. And yes we do have the responsibility of living our lives according to Biblical authority, we are to bring God's light into this sinful world...not more of satan's darkness and sin.
     
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