The Empowerment Of Sin

My mother, was a passionate bible reader who often voiced her concern about the changing landscape of Christianity.  In her later years, during many of our conversations there were moments when we both questioned the validity of our religion, because of the many changes taking place place in and out of the organized church. The scripture states that God does not change, but the rules and requirements of salvation were changing all around us.  Even the attributes of sin were changing. What was once considered a sin, were becoming acceptable after a period of time?

It is for these reasons that I often describe Christianity as a failed religion, because as my mother would say, “Christianity has failed to live up to the standards that it has set.  It has begun a process of back peddling from the values it once held true as it adopt the rules of the ungodly in its attempt to redefine the sins that beset us. The definition of sin has always been a factor in living a Christian lifestyle.  In today’s political correct society, the definition of sin is evolving, that which once was considered a sin is no longer considered a sin, it is justified.  More and more preachers are refraining from preaching about sin.  A beautiful Sunday message is filled with God’s promises which creates a spirit of euphoria and profound expressions of his love.

A few questions to ask yourself, then we will proceed.  How can Christian remain true to God and itself when it adopts a position of humbleness and the acceptance of difference cultures.  Why has it become taboo to reverence God or the Bible?  Why did hate laws define Christianity as a hate group?  Has America declared war on Christian values? 

In a recent posting, I discussed the justification of sin in detail.  The Justification of sin is the process by which that which once was considered a sin evolves and become an acceptable way of life.  The first step to the justification of sin is to acknowledge that one sin is no greater than another.  The Bible is often used to support this thesis.  Yet, under the Law, God set forth stricter punishments for certain sins.  Therefore, to justify sin, God and sin needed to be redefined.

 Once a sin is justified it is the empowerment of that sin that enable it to spread and this poses the greatest threat to Christianity.  Justification of sin affects the individual, the empowerment of sin gives it the means necessary to spread and corrupt humanity on a larger scale.  To empower sin, the status of sin must be upgraded. It must be glamorized and made appealing to those who look upon its unholy attributes.  Empowerment takes place when  a church, ruling body or even the government set their approval and enacts laws to protect the rights of the participators.  

The justification of sin allows a minister or pastor to commit the sin of adultery or fornication in spite of biblical condemnation.  How is this possible?  It began with, “Lord, I am weak, but you are strong”, and it ends with salvation being described as a, “work in progress.”  A conclusion is drawn in that we are free to sin until God prefects our salvation.  Sad, but the empowerment of sin is achieved through the process of hermeneutics.  Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation of the Scriptures by isolating verses of Scripture, often out of context, to prove a vanity point of doctrine.  This is a common practice, but it is not a valid approach to understanding God's word. 

Hebrew 13:4 ESV, Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.  A famed movie producer who was living a sexually immoral life, laid hands on the esteemed television  pastor and Bishop and entreated  the blessing of God.  An act that empowered the sin of fornication in the eyes of millions, devalued the marriage bed as he later rejoiced and thanked God for his child that was born out of wedlock. 

The justification of sin under the guidelines of the government has already taken place, and one by one the organized church are being drawn in.  In a society based upon subjective morality, the people not God, represented by the government reserve the right to define such things as, when does life began, the definition of marriage and what is sin and how one is separated from sin.   The trump card is every person reserves the right to make his own descision, this in itself is the polluted stock of mass confusion.

Humanity has denied the power of God in the things of God, and claim that power for themselves.  In exchange for funds churches are organized and are required to issue human rights statements that adhere to the standards set forth by the government. While the church and many minority groups danced in the street and proclaim it to be the works of God, The Human rights act of 1964 sets the stage for a direct attack on God's authority and the church said, "Amen". 

The founding fathers of this nation had the foresight to acknowledge that human right was endowed by God and that these rights were unalienable rights, meaning  that man can neither create, grant, nor could he destroy these God given rights of humanity.  Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,-'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;' and to 'secure,' not grant or create, these rights, governments are instituted. Humanity often creates laws that infringe upon the rights of one group in favor of another, the act in itself declares that all rights are  inalienable and a type of hatred is released that cannot be eradicated.  You can surrender, sell or transfer inalienable rights if you consent either actually or constructively. Inalienable rights are not inherent in man and can be alienated by government. Persons have inalienable rights. Most state constitutions recognize only inalienable rights. 

What does this have to do with sin?  The definition and separation of ‘unalienable rights’  and ‘inalienable rights’ are what gives humanity the authority to overstep his bounds and declare the God that brought us incompetent.  “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)  Hence man began to disregard the authority of God and take upon himself the task of deciding what is good and what is evil.  Humanities infringement upon the lines of separation of good and evil produced a foul stench through the land, a new type of hatred was born.

Let's examine the sin of murder as compared to the sin of lying. One can argue for the sakes of argument that one sin in the sight of God is no greater that an other.  Yet, as we stated earlier under the Law there were different punishment for different transgressions.  Murder is a sin that is so ingrained in the human physic that we can discuss it without incurring the wrath of a permissive society.  The fact that God said, “thou shall not kill”,  or properly interpreted as  "thou shall not commit murder", is no longer a detrimental factor, nor is the application of the death penalty.  In a modern society murder is glorified in struggling communities, gang membership and in the media.  Laws are enacted to protect the rights of the murderer.  Now, a person who commits murder is able to say with conviction, my sin is no greater than the person who bear false witness.

Listening carefully to the message of the Bishop as he chooses his words carefully in his attempt  to justify the position of the church and  reconcile  the difference in opinions among his constituents.  A church that once was noted for its message of, "It's Holiness or Hell", dumbed down its rhetoric in the face of adversaries and now proclaim, "God loves all of us."  A deviant interpretation of John 3:16.  This occurs when we surgically remove one verse from the supporting conversation or scripture and present it as a complete thought. From that same verse many teach that we are not to condemn those who walk in darkness.  John 3:18-19  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

There was a time when we said, “If the Word of God condemn you, you are condemned”.  Today it is neither fashionable to condemn or judge, even though the Bible is a Book of Judgement and condemnation.   As in the movie, "Left Behind", those who follow the Words of the Holy Scripture are declared to be, “Haters". 

A Discussion Of Biblical Proportions

Revelation 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

For I am the LORD, I change not. (Malachi 3:6)

There are many of us who hold the opinion that the future of humanity as we know it is at risk because our system of values has become corrupt and the world as we know it is suffering from moral bankruptcy.  Even America, that nation that was founded upon the concept of, “God shed his grace on thee”, seems to have lost its way and become adrift in a sea of deliberate confusion and blasphemy. America, that proud nation that once chooses to challenge the status quo and had the audacity to proclaim itself, “one nation under God”, has ripped apart the moral fibers of its collective consciousness and now proclaims itself a nation of many gods, cultures and beliefs.   The only consensus is the indoctrination of "In God we trust" has failed.

Nations once derived their value system from their culture and their culture derives their values from religion or the lack of religion.  The ancient values of a Christian society are now being cast aside and our culture is becoming self defining entity.  The battle between Christianity and atheism is now being fought and Christianity is loosing.  This does not set well with the professional pundits of Christian lore for they proclaim to be a part of a group that the gates of Hell will not be able to stand against.   Jesus made this population to Peter, but in the Book of Revelation Jesus condemn the church.

In a battle a bullet will kill, yet if the bullet is defective, it may fail to do what was intended or expected it.  Paul used an analogy of putting on the whole armor of God, that you might be able to withstand the Devil.  Failure to do so will allow will allow for premature destruction of the soldier.  Proper use of armor requires we understand the instruction that comes with  the package.   Proper use of the armor of God requires that we understand the instructions that is contained within the scripture.  The uses of hermeneutics is the science of interpretation of the Scriptures. Isolating verses of Scripture to prove a point of doctrine is common practice, but it is not a valid approach to understanding God's word. 

The Bible tells us that, “every way of a man is right in his own eyes”. (Proverbs 21:2)  This is human nature, but God also tells us that only He can reveal the true motives of the heart, the nature of the human mind.  But, in today’s politically correct society are we really concerned about what God has to say?  Humanity has always been determined to live its life, its own way, the way that feels good, and as humanity follows its own path, it considers itself to be right in its decisions.  But this is a lie, because the very core and inner working of human nature is based on pride and selfishness, the self being first.  Whether we admit it or not, this basic nature is the cause of conflicts, arguments, dissension, envy, competition, hatred, wars, stress, and all of this makes for an unhappy lifestyle.   The battle between Christianity and that way that seems right to man is in its final stage, and the Bible is being used to justify the sin nature of humanity. 

 

The concept of sin has become entangled in a legalistic argument of what is right and what is wrong.  The true concept of God can no longer be injected into an argument because the burden of proof cannot be met from a legalistic point of view.  Christianity is struggling in the hands of the devious in a fatal attempt to prove its relevancy.  In order to remain a relevant force, Christianity and society must come to an agreement on what is right and what is wrong based upon subjective (man) morality rather than objective (God) morality.  In a political correct society it is necessary to remove God from the equation and redefine sin as it applies to all of mankind.   

 

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)  The objective morals that once were promoted by the Western societies are being replaced by a subjective morality.  Christian values have become toxic and are being replaced with politically correct values.  The churches are adopting a message of peaceful coexistence rather than confrontation.  It is conceivable that if Jesus or Paul were to preach a message in today's modern church they would be harshly chastised.  Imagine John the Baptist standing in the pulpit of a marvelous and richly endowed church screaming, "Oh ye generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath of God."   The use of the words, “The use of the words wrath of God disturbs many.

Revelation 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

The events of Revelation are upon us, despite the fact that our great vast knowledge has allowed us to explain away many of the events, yet we cannot deny the facts, the world is suffering.  There is confusion abounding, and there are those whose mission is to create confusion.  Daniel and John foresaw a new nation rising up out of a sea of confusion, a nation filled with blasphemy.  

It is my belief and hope that the events portrayed in Revelation 13:1 take place after the Holy Spirit and the church has been removed from the earth.  These events are proposed to take place during the tribulation.   The reason for my belief is that in Revelation 4:1 John is invited to “… Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.”  What follows in chapter four and the rest of the Book of Revelation is John’s view from Heaven.  When John was invited to “come up hither”, the church is no longer mentioned as being here on earth.

Revelation 13:1 contains a wealth of information presented in symbolic form.  To understand this verse we need to refer to the symbology of Revelation.  John is standing in a place where he can view the event taking place  without being affected by them.  This is John’s view from Heaven.  He is standing among the chosen of God, the “sand” of the sea.  The sea is multitudes of people existing in a state of confusion.  A teeming mass of confused souls.   Religious confusion, racial confusion, land disputes all together forms a sea of confusion from which a new ruler emerges.    

 

Now if you were to reread read Revelation 13:1 and replace the word “sea” with  “multitude of people”  a sense of deeper understanding should begin to emerge.  In the symbology of the scripture a beast refers to a ruler nation.  John saw a “beast”, or a nation rising up out of the confusion that had prevailed over the world, and he goes on to define the power structure of this new form of government.  One world government is a reality and men of power are leading us toward that destination.

This is nothing new, it is a concept that has been promoted by the devil from the beginning.  Out of desperation he tried to set Jesus Christ up as his ruler of the world.  Matthew 4:8-9  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

What the Devil offered Jesus the organize church accepted.  The voice of the true church is being silenced as more and more churches accept government funding and agree to bound by the rule and regulations set forth by the government.   Remember Jesus last word to the church, Revelation 3:18-19  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.