I recently finished reading Pride and Prejudice this week and in the end there is a single sentence concerning Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy that caught me so off guard I had to read it over about five times, read it aloud to my husband, write it down, than type it here! :) It probably won't make much sense to any one but us two, but it hit such a personal string I had to post it. :) Just to think that a novel character from the early 19th century could have thoguhts and feelings so much like my own... :) Enjoy.
Elizabeth did all she could to shield him from the frequent notice of them, and was ever anxious to keep him to herself, and to those of her family with whom he might converse without mortification; and though the uncomfortable feelings arising from all this took from the season of courtship much of its pleasure, it added to the hope of the future; and she looked forward with delight to the time when they should be removed from the society so little pleasing to either, and tall the comfort and elegance of their family party at Pemberley. - Jane Austin "Pride & Prejudice".
~Libby~
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Power of a Praying Woman #3
Chapter 3. Lord, Help Me to be a Forgiving Person
"We who have received Christ have been forgiven a large debt. We have no right to be unforgiving to others." - Stormie Omartian. Power of Praying Woman.
"Those who can't forgive have forgotten what they have been forgiven of." - John Bevere. Bait of Satan
I've recently encountered various questions concerning the idea that salvation through faith in Christ is non-revocable and guaranteed with no chance of becoming void due to our actions. And after reading this chapter on forgiveness from The Power of a Praying... these questions began to haunt me and beg for answers.
The two sides are these: The "once-saved-always-saved" idea against the belief that when Christ says in Matthew 6, "If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins," He is talking about entering the Kingdom of Heaven and not entering. I believe the debate between these two perspectives are of huge importance, for they dictate the way we see the "lost" of the world. Is the man who said the sinner's prayer in high school, though says he no longer wants to follow God's ways still "saved through grace"? Or is the pastor who has walked the Christian walk his entire life yet holds un-forgiveness towards his parents doomed to hell?
First, the Bible clearly states that only God the Father can see the heart of a man or woman, and we can only see the outside. (1 Samuel 16:7) Therefore, I would never judge the authenticity of a person's faith. However, God's Word also tells us that we will know a false prophet by the fruit of their actions. (Matt. 7:15-20) So, without judging a person's heart- which only God can see, we are to judge a person's actions as the basis for believing or following their lead.
In Matthew 18:15 we are told to go to a brother or sister if we see sin in their lives and to lovingly correct them in private. I believe the "lovingly" part has a lot to do with no judging their heart but simply revealing the sin to them so they have a chance to correct it and become right with God again.
The first question I'll refer to was posed about one year ago at a small group in my parent's home. After studying verses like Matt. 18:32-35; Mark 11:25; 1 John 2:9-11; and Matt 6:14,15, which all state something to the effect of, "If you don't forgive others, God can't forgive you," we had the discussion of rather un-forgiveness could actually keep you from spending eternity with God the Father. Many people seemed to think, that if that is the case, than our salvation is not wholly based on grace alone as Ephesians 2:8 states, ("For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God".) Here we find that we are not saved by works but through faith by the grace of God.
How than, can James tell us that our faith is dead and worthless without works: 2:17, "So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless."
http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/doctrine/JamesPau.htm explains how James and Paul do not contradict each other, rather they compliment the words of the other. Paul explains in Ephesians how an unsaved person may receive salvation - it is not achieved by good works, but by faith in Jesus Christ and by the grace of God alone. To the believing Christian, James tells us that a person can show that he is saved and that his faith is indeed genuine by his works, which echo the words of Christ in John 14:15, "If you love me, you will obey my commandments."
So, through these verses we see that although our salvation is not given us based on our works, rather by the grace and goodness of God through our faith in Jesus Christ, and it is by our works that we prove that our faith in God and acceptance of His free gift of Salvation is authentic. May we not be one of those Jesus warns against in Matt. 7:21-23, "Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in Heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and preformed many miracles in Your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.' "
The second question raised on the finality of our salvation was in a CORE small group only a few weeks ago concerning the friend of one of the girls in the group who was in church, confessed to love and believe in Christ and the Bible, and yet she believe it was acceptable for her to sleep with her boyfriend because the laws of the Old Testament, in her mind, were out of date and no long relevant to us in present day. I was disturbed by the consensus of the group which was reached without any Biblical foundation or authority.
I do not want to add an opinion to the myriad of thoughts out there, preferably I'd like to again go to the Word of God for the answers, for 1 Tim 3:16 tells us, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness".
Similar to the first question raised above, this subject is also a matter of the heart of a person - which only God can see. Therefore, I try never to take the command to judge a person by the fruit of their actions as license to believe I know their heart as well, but I wish to keep a humble mind and to only use the findings of my examination of a person's actions to dictate how I follow that person, and never for the reason of exposing, ridiculing, or condemning them.
The question raised in this instance was rather the friend had compromised her salvation by living in sin and believing it to be acceptable in God's eyes, through still confessing to love the Lord. The answer to this question is actually quite simple and easily found in scripture.
Parallel to the context of the first subject, we find through those verses that many people will believe on the day of Judgment that they have a spot in God's Kingdom, yet to find out Christ never knew them - (Matt. 7:21-23). Also, as Christ said (John 14:15), "If you love Me, you will obey my commandments", we see that truly the love of Christ is not genuine in a person who decides to live in a way which opposes the laws of God.
In the argument of the irrelevancy of the laws, I would suggest reading Romans 7 and 8 where Paul teaches that we are no longer captive to the law - meaning having to live according to the letter of the law only because it was commanded us - but we now can serve God in the new way of living in the Spirit - which overcomes our sinful natures, so that we do not have to continue to sacrifice animals, but we can rest in the assurance that we are saved through the blood of Christ which covers all and any sins we commit. And instead of obeying God's commands because we must, we can obey God's commands because we desire to do so when the Spirit of God is living in us.
Jesus Himself repeated the commandment not to commit adultery in Matt. 17-19; Matt. 15:19; Mark 7:21, and many more in the New Testament - which if not considered relevant to us today, what is the Word of God at all to us?
"Lord, make me to understand the depth of Your forgiveness towards me so that I won't hold back forgiveness from others. Remind me to pray for those who hurt or offend me so that my heart will be soft towards them. I don't want anything to come between You and me, Lord, and I don't want my prayer to be hindered because I have entertained sin in my heart." - Stormie Omartian
"If you love Me, you will obey my commandments" - Jesus Christ.
"We who have received Christ have been forgiven a large debt. We have no right to be unforgiving to others." - Stormie Omartian. Power of Praying Woman.
"Those who can't forgive have forgotten what they have been forgiven of." - John Bevere. Bait of Satan
I've recently encountered various questions concerning the idea that salvation through faith in Christ is non-revocable and guaranteed with no chance of becoming void due to our actions. And after reading this chapter on forgiveness from The Power of a Praying... these questions began to haunt me and beg for answers.
The two sides are these: The "once-saved-always-saved" idea against the belief that when Christ says in Matthew 6, "If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins," He is talking about entering the Kingdom of Heaven and not entering. I believe the debate between these two perspectives are of huge importance, for they dictate the way we see the "lost" of the world. Is the man who said the sinner's prayer in high school, though says he no longer wants to follow God's ways still "saved through grace"? Or is the pastor who has walked the Christian walk his entire life yet holds un-forgiveness towards his parents doomed to hell?
First, the Bible clearly states that only God the Father can see the heart of a man or woman, and we can only see the outside. (1 Samuel 16:7) Therefore, I would never judge the authenticity of a person's faith. However, God's Word also tells us that we will know a false prophet by the fruit of their actions. (Matt. 7:15-20) So, without judging a person's heart- which only God can see, we are to judge a person's actions as the basis for believing or following their lead.
In Matthew 18:15 we are told to go to a brother or sister if we see sin in their lives and to lovingly correct them in private. I believe the "lovingly" part has a lot to do with no judging their heart but simply revealing the sin to them so they have a chance to correct it and become right with God again.
The first question I'll refer to was posed about one year ago at a small group in my parent's home. After studying verses like Matt. 18:32-35; Mark 11:25; 1 John 2:9-11; and Matt 6:14,15, which all state something to the effect of, "If you don't forgive others, God can't forgive you," we had the discussion of rather un-forgiveness could actually keep you from spending eternity with God the Father. Many people seemed to think, that if that is the case, than our salvation is not wholly based on grace alone as Ephesians 2:8 states, ("For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God".) Here we find that we are not saved by works but through faith by the grace of God.
How than, can James tell us that our faith is dead and worthless without works: 2:17, "So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless."
http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/doctrine/JamesPau.htm explains how James and Paul do not contradict each other, rather they compliment the words of the other. Paul explains in Ephesians how an unsaved person may receive salvation - it is not achieved by good works, but by faith in Jesus Christ and by the grace of God alone. To the believing Christian, James tells us that a person can show that he is saved and that his faith is indeed genuine by his works, which echo the words of Christ in John 14:15, "If you love me, you will obey my commandments."
So, through these verses we see that although our salvation is not given us based on our works, rather by the grace and goodness of God through our faith in Jesus Christ, and it is by our works that we prove that our faith in God and acceptance of His free gift of Salvation is authentic. May we not be one of those Jesus warns against in Matt. 7:21-23, "Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in Heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and preformed many miracles in Your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.' "
The second question raised on the finality of our salvation was in a CORE small group only a few weeks ago concerning the friend of one of the girls in the group who was in church, confessed to love and believe in Christ and the Bible, and yet she believe it was acceptable for her to sleep with her boyfriend because the laws of the Old Testament, in her mind, were out of date and no long relevant to us in present day. I was disturbed by the consensus of the group which was reached without any Biblical foundation or authority.
I do not want to add an opinion to the myriad of thoughts out there, preferably I'd like to again go to the Word of God for the answers, for 1 Tim 3:16 tells us, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness".
Similar to the first question raised above, this subject is also a matter of the heart of a person - which only God can see. Therefore, I try never to take the command to judge a person by the fruit of their actions as license to believe I know their heart as well, but I wish to keep a humble mind and to only use the findings of my examination of a person's actions to dictate how I follow that person, and never for the reason of exposing, ridiculing, or condemning them.
The question raised in this instance was rather the friend had compromised her salvation by living in sin and believing it to be acceptable in God's eyes, through still confessing to love the Lord. The answer to this question is actually quite simple and easily found in scripture.
Parallel to the context of the first subject, we find through those verses that many people will believe on the day of Judgment that they have a spot in God's Kingdom, yet to find out Christ never knew them - (Matt. 7:21-23). Also, as Christ said (John 14:15), "If you love Me, you will obey my commandments", we see that truly the love of Christ is not genuine in a person who decides to live in a way which opposes the laws of God.
In the argument of the irrelevancy of the laws, I would suggest reading Romans 7 and 8 where Paul teaches that we are no longer captive to the law - meaning having to live according to the letter of the law only because it was commanded us - but we now can serve God in the new way of living in the Spirit - which overcomes our sinful natures, so that we do not have to continue to sacrifice animals, but we can rest in the assurance that we are saved through the blood of Christ which covers all and any sins we commit. And instead of obeying God's commands because we must, we can obey God's commands because we desire to do so when the Spirit of God is living in us.
Jesus Himself repeated the commandment not to commit adultery in Matt. 17-19; Matt. 15:19; Mark 7:21, and many more in the New Testament - which if not considered relevant to us today, what is the Word of God at all to us?
"Lord, make me to understand the depth of Your forgiveness towards me so that I won't hold back forgiveness from others. Remind me to pray for those who hurt or offend me so that my heart will be soft towards them. I don't want anything to come between You and me, Lord, and I don't want my prayer to be hindered because I have entertained sin in my heart." - Stormie Omartian
"If you love Me, you will obey my commandments" - Jesus Christ.
God Bless,
Libby
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