THE APOSTLE PAUL TELLS us that the Law is binding only on those who are yet alive. Paul chose a simple illustration for this: a married woman is bound to her husband by the Law so long as he is alive. Accordingly, if her husband dies, she is released from him by the law of …
First Principles: Part Three
TO UNDERSTAND TEMPTATION is to understand our tendency to sin; what Christian theology calls our "sin nature." Detractors often argue that it is possible to go through your entire life without committing murder, adultery, rape, theft; without cheating on your taxes or watching porn. I agree. However, to suggest that we have the human capacity …
The Gluttony of Our Appetites Part One: Origin
Written by Steven Barto, B.S. Psy., M.A. Theology ALCOHOL. POWER. MONEY. FOOD. SEX. All of these are capable normal appetites which can morph into full-blown addictions. From a personal perspective, my desires were out of hand, and were causing ruin in my life. As hard as I struggled, getting my problem appetites under control had …
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Overcoming Temptation (The Jesus Way)
"Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God;' for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one; but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it …
Why Do Christians Still Sin?
If we really knew God, our behavior would change radically and instantly. Many Christians are living under half a Gospel. Christ died for our sins. When we pray to receive Him, believing in our heart that He is the Messiah, we die with Him, and are buried with Him. If we leave it there, where …
Where Did We Get Our Sinful Nature?
Stop! Just stop it right now! Why do you do these things? Why can't you behave? Of course I had no answer. I never knew why. I just did whatever came to mind. My biggest problem was self-centeredness. Throw in a pinch of poor impulse control and you have the ingredients for the making of …
A New Nature
God's word teaches us that when we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior, He gives us a new nature. (See 2 Cor. 5:17) He gives us His nature. He also gives us a spirit of discipline and self-control, which helps us to choose the ways of our new nature. We are given a sound …
Confession is Good For the Soul
We've all heard the saying “confession is good for the soul.” We know the word confession has several meanings. It is an acknowledgment of guilt. The act of admitting or disclosing one's misdeed, fault or sin. Psalm 119 is a long chapter. It begins at verse 1 with “Happy are people with integrity, who follow …
Free Will
Any discussion about free will has to include the origin of sin in mankind. As we know, Eve was deceived by the serpent and basically talked in to eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve then convinced Adam to eat the same fruit. Shame and conviction and separateness from …