According to the Copyright 1958 by G.&C. Merrian Co. Webster's New Collegiate dictionary; Religion is defined as:
1. The service and adoration of God or a god as expressed in forms of worship.
2. One of the systems of faith and worship.
3. The profession or practice of religious beliefs; religious observances collectively; rites.
4. Devotion or fidelity; conscientiousness.
5. An awareness or conviction of the existence of a supreme being, arousing reverence, love, gratitude, the will to obey and serve, and the like; as , man only is capable of religion.
The word 'religion' appears five (5) times in the King James Version:
Acts 26: 5 .... (2356 threskeia, thrace-kee-ah, ceremonial observance, worshipping)
Gal. 1: 13 .... (2454 loudaismos, ee-oo-dah-is-mos, Jewish faith, religion)
James 1: 26, 27 .... (2356 see above)
The word 'religious' appears two (2) times:
Acts 13: 43 .... (4576 sebomai, seb-om-ahee, to revere, i.e. adore, devout worship)
James 1: 26 .... (2357 threskos, thrace-kos, ceremonious in worship 'demonstrative' i.e. pious)
The numbers in parentheses are references to definitions of the original Greek word used in, The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Copyright 1995, 1996 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Neither 'religion' or 'religious' appears anywhere in the Tora (the first five books also none as the Pentateuch) or anywhere in the "Old Testament".
Focusing on James 1: 27 of the King James Version which we read:
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this; To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
What we do for God is our Religion. It is practicing our faith. Or celebrating what He has done for us in giving us eternal life through His Grace. What some call "unmerited favor". Going to church to worship Him. Studying His Word to know what He wants from us. Helping the less fortunate in His name. Keeping ourselves from various sin. Testifying, sharing with others the Praises of God, for what He has done for us personally, and sharing the good news of salvation, as His first and most important gift to us. These things make us religious, we are being religious by doing them. But doing things for God, does not achieve merit toward salvation. Receiving salvation and working for God or, being religious, are two separate things. Being religious should not be considered earning merit points to gain access to eternal salvation. In Ephesians 2: 4-10 we read:
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive, together with Christ. And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through faith; it is not by your good works: It is the Gift of God: Not of works, so no man can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has ordained before time began, that we should perform them.
We are supposed to do good works, but the benefits of doing them are the rewards we receive once we get to glory (the next life, in His presence). As we see in the scriptures above, getting into glory (his presence in the next life) is a free gift we can only receive through faith in the work performed by Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. By calling on His name to be saved. Calling on His name to be saved as in Romans 10: 9, 10 is how we receive the free gift of salvation. Here in Romans 10: 9,10 and 13 we read:
vs 9 If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart, that God raised him from death, you will be saved. vs 10 For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. vs 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary Copyright 1958 by G.&C. Merrian Co. Solifidian is defined as:
One who holds that faith alone, without achievement of personal merit, is sufficient to insure salvation.
Our religion celebrates what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us in the days of His Death and Resurrection. And God's great love, mercy and grace toward us. We are saved from an eternity of separation from God the Father, in an eternally existing form that would suffer from this separation in a grievous manner. It was our sin, our disobedience that separated us in the first place. Our religion is not what brings us back into the grace of God. If it did, then salvation would not be a gift of grace at all. Salvation would be an achievement of our own merits.
All Denominational religions are man made. Mankind's attempt to enter into the grace of God.
'Solifidian' is not a religion, it is a noun. What someone is called who holds to the belief as stated above, that only faith in what Christ did, by God's grace, can obtain salvation for us. But when asked, "What religion are you?" I will reply, in humor, "I'm Solifidian".
Now may the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it. (First Thessalonians 5: 23, 24)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Confide in someone you can trust .. James 5: 16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5: 16)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, "A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no longer alone with himself; he experiences the presence of God in the reality of the other person. As long as I am by myself in the confession of my sins everything remains in the dark; but in the presence of a brother the sin has to be brought into the light."
There is deliverance from the power sin has over us, to keep us locked in a repetitive cycle of sin. In the open confession made into the ears of someone we can trust, who will keep those sins covered (secretly) in love, charity shall cover the multitude of sins, 1 Peter 4: 8. Only by open confession to someone who will keep this information in confidence, can we experience the release of guilt and the deliverance of the bondage from the power of sin, through the grace of God, we are released from the powerful bondage to the repetitive cycle of the sin confessed.
Then we can openly testify, without shame or guilt, and can praise God for the freedom we have from the power sin had, to hold us in servitude, and bondage. Now is come SALVATION, AND STRENGTH, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of HIS Christ... Rev. 12: 10a. and ...they shall defeat the enemy of their souls, by the Blood of the Lamb, and by THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY... verses 12a.
GRACE: The divine influence in the heart, and its reflection in the life, 5485, charis, khar'-ece. Strong's Concordance.
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace ( Romans 6: 14)
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen. (Jude 24, 25)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, "A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no longer alone with himself; he experiences the presence of God in the reality of the other person. As long as I am by myself in the confession of my sins everything remains in the dark; but in the presence of a brother the sin has to be brought into the light."
There is deliverance from the power sin has over us, to keep us locked in a repetitive cycle of sin. In the open confession made into the ears of someone we can trust, who will keep those sins covered (secretly) in love, charity shall cover the multitude of sins, 1 Peter 4: 8. Only by open confession to someone who will keep this information in confidence, can we experience the release of guilt and the deliverance of the bondage from the power of sin, through the grace of God, we are released from the powerful bondage to the repetitive cycle of the sin confessed.
Then we can openly testify, without shame or guilt, and can praise God for the freedom we have from the power sin had, to hold us in servitude, and bondage. Now is come SALVATION, AND STRENGTH, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of HIS Christ... Rev. 12: 10a. and ...they shall defeat the enemy of their souls, by the Blood of the Lamb, and by THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY... verses 12a.
GRACE: The divine influence in the heart, and its reflection in the life, 5485, charis, khar'-ece. Strong's Concordance.
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace ( Romans 6: 14)
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen. (Jude 24, 25)
Monday, June 20, 2011
SIN vs ADDICTION
Christ centered groups for people struggling with addictions, realize that their addiction is not the problem, it is only a symptom. The problem is sin.
Secular groups like AA or NA, where people are coached by a sponsor, to give their will over to a "Higher Power" or god as they "understand" him/her/it, but not to the One and only God who created all things, do struggle with their addiction (s). They even admit or confess they do. They always confess they are addicts, who have to vigilantly guard against "lapsing" back into the addiction.
Their refusal to except a God who will not only forgive them of all sin, but will also deliver them from the power of sin, which keeps them in a continuous cycle of repetitive behavior, is the reason why they continue to struggle.
In Luke 4: 18 Jesus says, "...to preach deliverance to the captives...to set at liberty them that are bruised."
Here the word 'bruised' is a primary verb, 2352 thrauo (throw-o), which means, To crush. These people are crushed under the weight of guilt from their sin.
Jesus said, in Matthew 11: 28 "Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy burden, and I will give you rest." He offers to remove their burden, of "heavy laden" vs 29. The guilt that sin causes.
He was saying, he would relieve them from their sin, and their guilt. REST, 372 anapauo (an-ap-ow'o) be exempt, to refresh, take ease (give, take) rest.
People who will not take this burden of sin to the cross of Christ, and leave it there, are going to continue to struggle with their burden; their addiction.
When people except Christ's offer to help them via confession, their burden of guilt is lifted (Romans 8: 1-2). But he takes it a step further.
Through proper confession of sin, he not only removes the sin and its guilt, he also removes sin's power to hold them in the repetitive cycle of behavior. Romans 6: 14a. says, For sin shall not have dominion over you... And Romans 8: 21 ...shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption. They are relieved from the bondage of the sin; which is the power of sin.
Testifying to the Glory of God, the sin forgiven, brings deliverance. By positive confession, we overcome the enemy and all his devices that tempt us to sin. Notice what Revelation 12: 11 says about, "the word of our testimony". And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony...
As we confess Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, we are continuously washed and regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God (Titus 3: 5)
Testifying what God is doing in us through Christ, praying in the spirit to build up our spirit person (Jude 20; 1 Cor. 14: 2; Rom. 8: 26, 27) literally empowers us to defeat the will of the soul man in favor of the spirit man.
Getting Over the Bondage of Sin
Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? (Mat. 12: 29)
Not enough attention is given during confession, to binding the Strongman of sin.
If we want to be delivered of a particular sin/addiction, we must first bind it in Jesus name (confess it, and cast it out). This is not always done at the altar for someone saying the "Sinner's Prayer" for the first time.
A lot of the power of sin, its bondage over our soul, is in the Commander Demon (the Strongman) who has laid hold of the sinner's soul, through the various lust they gave them selves to. Name him, bind him in Jesus name, and cast him out, at confession. To just ask the Father to forgive us of every wrong does not address the "Power of Sin".
In churches today, at the end of a sermon, or message, a pastor will say, "All heads bowed, every eye closed..." like this is going to give added courage to the person who wants to except Christ as their savior.
I think (and this is just my opinion) that this is a pathetic, weak, mealy mouth, excuse on the part of a pastor, who does not feel his message or sermon was anointed by the Holy Spirit, to convict the sinner, and drive them to the altar in repentance. For one thing, if the message was truly anointed, there would be no problem getting these people to the altar. Neither the unsaved, seeking salvation for the first time. Or the saved seeking forgiveness for backsliding.
Plus, Jesus said, be ashamed of me before man, and I will be ashamed of you before the Father. Then, even though the Holy Spirit may pick up the slack on the account of the "not so prayed up" pastor giving the altar call, and may convict people to go up for prayer anyway, once they are there, the newly repentant individual is not properly guided through the "Sinner's Prayer". This is not a position for a novice. It requires people who are trained, and prayed up. Someone receiving Christ for the first time should never be left to chance, and more importantly, to a novice not well trained in the scriptures, or in the act of prayer.
The most important requirement of any Christian is that they pray. To many church workers think they can just read the scriptures, or do good works, and this is sufficient, with only a minimal amount of time devoted to prayer, and then that, only when around other Christians in service or meeting settings. If a Christian's personal prayer life is small, or worse, non existent, they have no business being down at the altar on prayer teams trying to usher in new converts to the kingdom of God, or helping backslider Christians repent.
...God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray...(exegesis 1 Sam. 12: 23)
How often, and for how long should we pray? In Luke 9: 23 Jesus says, "If any will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily..." And in Mat. 26: 40 and Mark 14: 37 Jesus asks, "...can't you watch with me one hour...
Then through out the day praying in the spirit by the power of the Holy Spirit .. see Rom. 8: 26, 27; 1 Cor. 14: 2; Jude 20; 1 Thes. 5: 17)
One hour of personal devoted prayer everyday. And that's not while reading the Bible, or washing the car.
Now Lord, I laid all these words on this poor reader who has just suffered through my long winded blog. Strengthen me to practice what I have preached AMEN
Secular groups like AA or NA, where people are coached by a sponsor, to give their will over to a "Higher Power" or god as they "understand" him/her/it, but not to the One and only God who created all things, do struggle with their addiction (s). They even admit or confess they do. They always confess they are addicts, who have to vigilantly guard against "lapsing" back into the addiction.
Their refusal to except a God who will not only forgive them of all sin, but will also deliver them from the power of sin, which keeps them in a continuous cycle of repetitive behavior, is the reason why they continue to struggle.
In Luke 4: 18 Jesus says, "...to preach deliverance to the captives...to set at liberty them that are bruised."
Here the word 'bruised' is a primary verb, 2352 thrauo (throw-o), which means, To crush. These people are crushed under the weight of guilt from their sin.
Jesus said, in Matthew 11: 28 "Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy burden, and I will give you rest." He offers to remove their burden, of "heavy laden" vs 29. The guilt that sin causes.
He was saying, he would relieve them from their sin, and their guilt. REST, 372 anapauo (an-ap-ow'o) be exempt, to refresh, take ease (give, take) rest.
People who will not take this burden of sin to the cross of Christ, and leave it there, are going to continue to struggle with their burden; their addiction.
When people except Christ's offer to help them via confession, their burden of guilt is lifted (Romans 8: 1-2). But he takes it a step further.
Through proper confession of sin, he not only removes the sin and its guilt, he also removes sin's power to hold them in the repetitive cycle of behavior. Romans 6: 14a. says, For sin shall not have dominion over you... And Romans 8: 21 ...shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption. They are relieved from the bondage of the sin; which is the power of sin.
Testifying to the Glory of God, the sin forgiven, brings deliverance. By positive confession, we overcome the enemy and all his devices that tempt us to sin. Notice what Revelation 12: 11 says about, "the word of our testimony". And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony...
As we confess Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, we are continuously washed and regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God (Titus 3: 5)
Testifying what God is doing in us through Christ, praying in the spirit to build up our spirit person (Jude 20; 1 Cor. 14: 2; Rom. 8: 26, 27) literally empowers us to defeat the will of the soul man in favor of the spirit man.
Getting Over the Bondage of Sin
Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? (Mat. 12: 29)
Not enough attention is given during confession, to binding the Strongman of sin.
If we want to be delivered of a particular sin/addiction, we must first bind it in Jesus name (confess it, and cast it out). This is not always done at the altar for someone saying the "Sinner's Prayer" for the first time.
A lot of the power of sin, its bondage over our soul, is in the Commander Demon (the Strongman) who has laid hold of the sinner's soul, through the various lust they gave them selves to. Name him, bind him in Jesus name, and cast him out, at confession. To just ask the Father to forgive us of every wrong does not address the "Power of Sin".
In churches today, at the end of a sermon, or message, a pastor will say, "All heads bowed, every eye closed..." like this is going to give added courage to the person who wants to except Christ as their savior.
I think (and this is just my opinion) that this is a pathetic, weak, mealy mouth, excuse on the part of a pastor, who does not feel his message or sermon was anointed by the Holy Spirit, to convict the sinner, and drive them to the altar in repentance. For one thing, if the message was truly anointed, there would be no problem getting these people to the altar. Neither the unsaved, seeking salvation for the first time. Or the saved seeking forgiveness for backsliding.
Plus, Jesus said, be ashamed of me before man, and I will be ashamed of you before the Father. Then, even though the Holy Spirit may pick up the slack on the account of the "not so prayed up" pastor giving the altar call, and may convict people to go up for prayer anyway, once they are there, the newly repentant individual is not properly guided through the "Sinner's Prayer". This is not a position for a novice. It requires people who are trained, and prayed up. Someone receiving Christ for the first time should never be left to chance, and more importantly, to a novice not well trained in the scriptures, or in the act of prayer.
The most important requirement of any Christian is that they pray. To many church workers think they can just read the scriptures, or do good works, and this is sufficient, with only a minimal amount of time devoted to prayer, and then that, only when around other Christians in service or meeting settings. If a Christian's personal prayer life is small, or worse, non existent, they have no business being down at the altar on prayer teams trying to usher in new converts to the kingdom of God, or helping backslider Christians repent.
...God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray...(exegesis 1 Sam. 12: 23)
How often, and for how long should we pray? In Luke 9: 23 Jesus says, "If any will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily..." And in Mat. 26: 40 and Mark 14: 37 Jesus asks, "...can't you watch with me one hour...
Then through out the day praying in the spirit by the power of the Holy Spirit .. see Rom. 8: 26, 27; 1 Cor. 14: 2; Jude 20; 1 Thes. 5: 17)
One hour of personal devoted prayer everyday. And that's not while reading the Bible, or washing the car.
Now Lord, I laid all these words on this poor reader who has just suffered through my long winded blog. Strengthen me to practice what I have preached AMEN
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