Answer:
Before this question is answered, the term “Christian” must be defined. A
“Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer, or walked down an
aisle, or been raised in a Christian family. While each of these things
can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what “makes” a
Christian. A Christian is a person who has, by faith, received and fully
trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9).
So, with this definition in mind, can a Christian lose salvation?
Perhaps the best way to answer this crucially important question is to
examine what the Bible says occurs at salvation, and to study what
losing salvation would therefore entail. Here are a few examples:
A Christian is a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
This verse speaks of a person becoming an entirely new creature as a
result of being “in Christ.” For a Christian to lose salvation, the new
creation would have to be canceled and reversed.
A Christian is redeemed. “For you know that it was not with perishable
things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way
of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious
blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
The word “redeemed” refers to a purchase being made, a price being
paid. For a Christian to lose salvation, God Himself would have to
revoke His purchase that He paid for with the precious blood of Christ.
A Christian is justified. “Therefore, since we have been justified
through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
To “justify” means to “declare righteous.” All those who receive Jesus
as Savior are “declared righteous” by God. For a Christian to lose
salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and “un-declare” what
He had previously declared.
A Christian is promised eternal life. “For God so loved the world that
he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Eternal life is a promise of eternity (forever) in heaven with God. God
promises, “Believe and you will have eternal life.” For a Christian to
lose salvation, eternal life would have to be taken away. If a Christian
is promised to live forever, how then can God break this promise by
taking away eternal life?
A Christian is guaranteed glorification. “And those he predestined, he
also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he
also glorified” (Romans 8:30). As we learned in Romans 5:1, justification is declared at the moment of faith. According to Romans 8:30,
glorification is guaranteed for all those whom God justifies.
Glorification refers to a Christian receiving a perfect resurrection
body in heaven. If a Christian can lose salvation, then Romans 8:30 is in error, because God could not guarantee glorification for all those whom He predestines, calls, and justifies.
Many more illustrations of what occurs at salvation could be shared.
Even these few make it abundantly clear that a Christian cannot lose
salvation. Most, if not all, of what the Bible says happens to us when
we receive Jesus Christ as Savior would be invalidated if salvation
could be lost. Salvation cannot be reversed. A Christian cannot be
un-newly created. Redemption cannot be undone. Eternal life cannot be
lost and still be considered eternal. If a Christian can lose salvation,
God would have to go back on His Word and change His mind—two things
that Scripture tells us God never does.
The most frequent objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose
salvation are 1) What about those who are Christians and continually
live an immoral lifestyle? 2) What about those who are Christians but
later reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these two
objections is the phrase “who are Christians.” The Bible declares that a
true Christian will not live a continually immoral lifestyle (1 John 3:6). The Bible declares that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he never truly was a Christian (1 John 2:19).
Therefore, neither objection is valid. Christians do not continually
live immoral lifestyles, nor do they reject the faith and deny Christ.
Such actions are proof that they were never redeemed.
No, a Christian cannot lose salvation. Nothing can separate a Christian from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). Nothing can remove a Christian from God’s hand (John 10:28-29). God is both willing and able to guarantee and maintain the salvation He has given us. Jude 24-25,
“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before
his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God
our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ
our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Answer:
The cosmological argument attempts to prove God’s existence by observing
the world around us (the cosmos). It begins with what is most obvious
in reality: things exist. It is then argued that the cause of those
things’ existence had to be a "God-type" thing. These types of arguments
go all the way back to Plato and have been used by notable philosophers
and theologians ever since. Science finally caught up with theologians
in the 20th century, when it was confirmed that the universe must have
had a beginning. So, today, the cosmological arguments are even powerful
for non-philosophers. There are two basic forms of these arguments, and
the easiest way to think of them might be the "vertical" and the
"horizontal." These names indicate the direction from which the causes
come. In the vertical form, it is argued that every created thing is
being caused right now (imagine a timeline with an arrow pointing up
from the universe to God). The horizontal version shows that creation
had to have a cause in the beginning (imagine that same timeline only
with an arrow pointing backward to a beginning point in time).
The horizontal is a little easier to understand because it does not
require much philosophizing. The basic argument is that all things that
have beginnings had to have causes. The universe had a beginning;
therefore, the universe had a cause. That cause, being outside the whole
universe, is God. Someone might say that some things are caused by
other things, but this does not solve the problem. This is because those
other things had to have causes, too, and this cannot go on forever.
Let's take a simple example: trees. All trees began to exist at some
point (for they have not always existed). Each tree had its beginning in
a seed (the "cause" of the tree). But every seed had its beginning
("cause") in another tree. There cannot be an infinite series of
tree-seed-tree-seed, because no series is infinite—it cannot go on
forever. All series are finite (limited) by definition. There is no such
thing as an infinite number, because even the number series is limited
(although you can always add one more, you are always at a finite
number). If there is an end, it is not infinite. All series have two
endings, actually—at the end and at the beginning (try to imagine a
one-ended stick!). But if there were no first cause, the chain of causes
never would have started. Therefore, there is, at the beginning at
least, a first cause—one that had no beginning. This first cause is God.
The vertical form is a bit more difficult to understand, but it is more
powerful because not only does it show that God had to cause the "chain
of causes" in the beginning, He must still be causing things to exist
right now. Again, we begin by noting that things exist. Next, while we
often tend to think of existence as a property that things sort of
"own"—that once something is created, existence is just part of what it
is—this is not the case. Consider the triangle. We can define the nature
of a triangle as "the plane figure formed by connecting three points
not in a straight line by straight line segments." Notice what is not
part of this definition: existence.
This definition of a triangle would hold true even if no triangles
existed at all. Therefore, a triangle's nature—what it is—does not
guarantee that one exists (like unicorns—we know what they are, but that
does not make them exist). Because it is not part of a triangle's
nature to exist, triangles must be made to exist by something else that
already exists (someone must draw one on a piece of paper). The triangle
is caused by something else—which also must have a cause. This cannot
go on forever (no infinite series). Therefore, something that does not
need to be given existence must exist to give everything else existence.
Now, apply this example to everything in the universe. Does any of it
exist on its own? No. So, not only did the universe have to have a first
cause to get started; it needs something to give it existence right
now. The only thing that would not have to be given existence is a thing
that exists as its very nature. It is existence. This something would
always exist, have no cause, have no beginning, have no limit, be
outside of time, and be infinite. That something is God! "The heavens
declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day
to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge" (Psalm 19:1-2).
Answer:
There is a great deal of confusion in regards to this question. This
concept comes primarily from the Apostles' Creed, which states, “He
descended into hell.” There are also a few Scriptures which, depending
on how they are translated, describe Jesus going to “hell.” In studying
this issue, it is important to first understand what the Bible teaches
about the realm of the dead.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word used to describe the realm of the dead is sheol. It simply means the “place of the dead” or the “place of departed souls/spirits.” The New Testament Greek equivalent of sheol is hades
which also refers to “the place of the dead.” Other Scriptures in the
New Testament indicate that sheol/hades is a temporary place, where
souls are kept as they await the final resurrection and judgment. Revelation 20:11-15
gives a clear distinction between the two. Hell (the lake of fire) is
the permanent and final place of judgment for the lost. Hades is a
temporary place. So, no, Jesus did not go to hell because hell is a
future realm, only put into effect after the Great White Throne Judgment
(Revelation 20:11-15).
Sheol/hades was a realm with two divisions—a place of blessing and a place of judgment (Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27–31), the abodes of the saved and the lost. The abode of the saved is called “Abraham's bosom” (KJV) and “Abraham’s side” (NIV) in Luke 16:22. The abode of the unsaved is called “hell” (KJV) or “Hades” (NIV) in Luke 16:23. The abodes of the saved and the lost are separated by a “great chasm” (Luke 16:26). When Jesus died, He went to the blessed side of sheol and, from there, took the believers with Him to heaven/paradise (Ephesians 4:8–10).
The judgment side of sheol/hades has remained unchanged. All
unbelieving dead go there awaiting their final judgment in the future.
Did Jesus go to sheol/hades? Yes, according to Ephesians 4:8–10 and 1 Peter 3:18–20.
Some of the confusion has arisen from such passages as Psalm 16:10–11
as translated in the King James Version, “For thou wilt not leave my
soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
. . . Thou wilt show me the path of life.” “Hell” is not a correct
translation in this verse. A correct reading would be “the grave” or
“sheol.” Jesus said to the thief beside Him, “Today you will be with me
in paradise” (Luke 23:43);
He did not say, “I will be with you in hell.” Jesus’ body was in the
tomb; His soul/spirit went to be with the blessed in sheol/hades.
Unfortunately, in many versions of the Bible, translators are not
consistent, or correct, in how they translate the Hebrew and Greek words
for “sheol,” “hades,” and “hell.”
Some have the viewpoint that Jesus went to “hell” or the suffering side
of sheol/hades in order to further be punished for our sins. This idea
is completely unbiblical. It was the death of Jesus on the cross and His
suffering in our place that sufficiently provided for our redemption.
It was His shed blood that effected our own cleansing from sin (1 John 1:7-9).
As He hung there on the cross, He took the sin burden of the whole
human race upon Himself. He became sin for us: “God made him who had no
sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness
of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
This imputation of sin helps us understand Christ's struggle in the
garden of Gethsemane with the cup of sin which would be poured out upon
Him on the cross.
When Jesus cried upon the cross, “Oh, Father, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46),
it was then that He was separated from the Father because of the sin
poured out upon Him. As He gave up His spirit, He said, “Father, into
your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
His suffering in our place was completed. His soul/spirit went to hades
(the place of the dead). Jesus did not go to “hell” or the suffering
side of hades; He went to “Abraham’s side” or the blessed side of hades.
Jesus’ suffering ended the moment He died. The payment for sin was
paid. He then awaited the resurrection of His body and His return to
glory in His ascension. Did Jesus go to hell? No. Did Jesus go to
sheol/hades? Yes.
Answer:
How many Christians have prayed for someone, only to see their prayers
go unanswered? How many have prayed and perhaps have “given up” because
either they have become discouraged through a weakness of faith or have
come to the conclusion that whatever they have been praying for isn’t
God’s will? Nevertheless, how we deal with unanswered prayer is not just
for our own benefit but for the benefit of others as well. When we
pray, we are engaging in the most precious and God-given act of
communication with the One to whom we are accountable in all our
affairs. We have been truly bought at a steep price—the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ—and therefore we belong to God.
Our privilege of prayer is from God, and it is as much ours now as when it was given to Israel (Deuteronomy 4:7).
Yet, when we pray or speak to the One in Heaven, there are times when
He seems not to answer. There can be many reasons for this, and the
Scriptures suggest why and how our prayers are being dealt with by the
One who is so tender and loving, who Himself loves our communing with
God the Father, for He, Himself, is our representative (Hebrews 4:15).
A primary reason why prayer is unanswered is sin. God cannot be mocked
or deceived, and He who sits enthroned above knows us intimately, down
to our every thought (Psalm 139:1-4).
If we are not walking in the Way or we harbor enmity in our hearts
toward our brother or we ask for things with the wrong motives (such as
from selfish desires), then we can expect God not to answer our prayer
because He does not hear (2 Chronicles 7:14; Deuteronomy 28:23; Psalm 66:18; James 4:3).
Sin is the “stopper” to all the potential blessings that we would
receive from the infinite “bottle” of God’s mercy! Indeed, there are
times when our prayers are heinous in the Lord’s sight, most notably
when we clearly do not belong to the Lord either because of unbelief (Proverbs 15:8) or because we are practicing hypocrisy (Mark 12:40).
Another reason why prayer seems to go unanswered is that the Lord is
drawing out of our faith a deeper reliance and trust in Him, which
should bring out of us a deeper sense of gratitude, love and humility.
In turn, this causes us to benefit spiritually, for He gives grace to
the humble (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34).
Oh, how one feels for that poor Canaanite woman, who cried out
incessantly to our Lord for mercy when He was visiting the region of
Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 15:21-28)!
She was hardly the person a Jewish rabbi would pay attention to. She
was not a Jew and she was a woman, two reasons that Jews ignored her.
The Lord doesn’t seem to answer her petitions, but He knew all about her
situation. He may not have answered her stated needs immediately, but
still He heard and granted her request.
God may often seem silent to us, but He never sends us away
empty-handed. Even if prayer has not been answered, we must rely upon
God to do so in His own time. Even the exercise of prayer is a blessing
to us; it is because of our faith that we are stirred to persist in
prayer. It is faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6),
and if our prayer life is wanting, does that not reflect our spiritual
standing also? God hears our impoverished cries for mercy, and His
silence inflames us with a sense of persistence in prayer. He loves us
to reason with Him. Let us hunger for the things that are after God’s
heart and let us walk in His ways and not our own. If we are faithful to
pray without ceasing, then we are living in the will of God, and that
can never be wrong (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).
Answer:
Gluttony seems to be a sin that Christians like to ignore. We are often
quick to label smoking and drinking as sins, but for some reason
gluttony is accepted or at least tolerated. Many of the arguments used
against smoking and drinking, such as health and addiction, apply
equally to overeating. Many believers would not even consider having a
glass of wine or smoking a cigarette but have no qualms about gorging
themselves at the dinner table. This should not be!
Proverbs 23:20-21
warns us, “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge
themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and
drowsiness clothes them in rags.” Proverbs 28:7 declares, “He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.” Proverbs 23:2 proclaims, “Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.”
Physical appetites are an analogy of our ability to control ourselves.
If we are unable to control our eating habits, we are probably also
unable to control other habits, such as those of the mind (lust,
covetousness, anger) and unable to keep our mouths from gossip or
strife. We are not to let our appetites control us, but we are to have
control over our appetites. (See Deuteronomy 21:20, Proverbs 23:2, 2 Peter 1:5-7, 2 Timothy 3:1-9, and 2 Corinthians 10:5.) The ability to say “no” to anything in excess—self-control—is one of the fruits of the Spirit common to all believers (Galatians 5:22).
God has blessed us by filling the earth with foods that are delicious,
nutritious, and pleasurable. We should honor God's creation by enjoying
these foods and by eating them in appropriate quantities. God calls us
to control our appetites, rather than allowing them to control us.
Answer:
The Bible does not specifically answer this question. Will babies and
children who die still be babies / children in Heaven? What about
elderly people who die--do they remain elderly in heaven? Some have
guessed that babies are given a resurrection body (1 Corinthians 15:35-49)
that is “fast-forwarded” to the “ideal age,” just as those who die at
an old age are "re-wound" to the ideal age. This would indicate that
there won’t be any children or elderly people in heaven.
What is the ideal age? Again, this concept is not specifically biblical.
Some believe it to be around 30. Some guess 33 since that is
approximately the age Jesus was when He died. First John 3:2
declares, "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will
be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we
shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."
One thing is for certain. Whatever age we appear to be, we will be
gloriously perfect. Our entire person will be remade flawless, wholly
and completely Christ-like. We will lose all trace of human fallenness,
wearing the white robes of purity, holiness and absolute perfection. So
whatever age we are, it will be the age of complete and total
perfection.
Answer:
The biblical doctrine of the sovereignty of God states that God is
almighty over all. He is in complete control of all things—past, present
and future—and nothing happens that is out of His jurisdiction. Either
He directly causes—or He passively allows—everything that happens. But
allowing something to happen and causing something to happen are two
different things. For example, God caused the creation of the perfect,
sinless Adam and Eve; then He allowed them to rebel against Him. He did
not cause them to sin, and He certainly could have stopped them, but He
chose not to for His own purposes and to bring about His perfect plan.
That rebellion brought about all manner of evil, evil that was not
caused by God but which was allowed by Him to exist.
Sickness is one manifestation of the two broad types of evil—moral and
natural. Moral evil is man's inhumanity to man. Natural evil is composed
of things like natural disasters and physical sickness. Evil itself is a
perversion or corruption of something that was originally good, but is
now missing something. In the case of sickness, illness is a state where
good health is missing. The Greek word for evil, ponerous, actually
implies a malignancy, something that is corrupting a good and healthy
state of being.
When Adam sinned, he condemned all of humanity to suffer the consequences of that sin, one of which is sickness. Romans 8:20-22
says, “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own
choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the
creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought
into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole
creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to
the present time.” God—the “one who subjected” the creation to
frustration following the Fall—has a plan to eventually liberate
creation from its bondage to sin, just as He liberates us from that
bondage through Christ.
Until that day, God uses sickness and other evils to bring about His
sovereign purpose, to glorify Himself, and to exalt His holy name. At
times, He miraculously heals sickness. Jesus went through Israel healing
all manner of sickness and disease (Matthew 4:23)
and even raised Lazurus from the dead after illness killed him. At
other times, God uses sickness as a method of discipline or as a
judgment against sin. King Uzziah in the Old Testament was struck with
leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:19-20). Nebuchadnezzar was driven to madness by God until he came to understand that “the Most High rules in the affairs of men” (Daniel 4). Herod was struck down and eaten by worms because he took God’s glory upon himself (Acts 12:21-23).
There is even at least one case where God allowed disease—blindness—not
as punishment for sin, but to reveal Himself and His mighty works
through that blindness (John 9:1-3).
When illness does come, it may not be the result of God’s direct
intervention in our lives, but is rather the result of the fallen world,
fallen bodies, and poor health and lifestyle choices. And although
there are scriptural indicators that God wants us to be in good health, (3 John 2), all sickness and disease are allowed by Him for His purposes, whether we understand them or not.
Sickness is certainly the result of the fall of man into sin, but God is
very much in control, and He does indeed determine how far evil can go
(just as He did with Satan and Job's trials—Satan was not allowed to
exceed those boundaries). He tells us He is all-powerful over fifty
times in the Bible, and it is amazing to see how His sovereignty unites
with the choices we make (both bad and good) to work out His perfect
plan (Romans 8:28).
For those who are believers and suffering with sickness, illness, and/or
disease in this life, the knowledge that they can glorify God through
their suffering tempers the uncertainty as to why He has allowed it,
something they may not truly understand until they stand in His presence
in eternity. At that time, all questions will be answered, or perhaps
more accurately, we will no longer care about the questions themselves.
nswer:
The recent Ebola outbreak has prompted many to ask why God allows—or
even causes—pandemic diseases and whether such pandemic diseases are a
sign of the end times. The Bible, particularly the Old Testament,
describes numerous occasions when God brought plagues and diseases on
both His people and His enemies “to make you see my power” (Exodus 9:14, 16).
He used plagues on Egypt to force Pharaoh to free the Israelites from
bondage, while sparing His people from being affected by them (Exodus 12:13; 15:26), thus indicating His sovereign control over diseases and other afflictions.
God also warned His people of the consequences of disobedience, including plagues (Leviticus 26:21, 25). Numbers 16:49 and 25:9
describe God destroying 14,700 people and 24,000 people, respectively,
for various acts of disobedience. After giving the Mosaic Law, God
commanded the people to obey it or suffer many evils, including
something that sounds like Ebola: “The Lord will strike you with wasting
disease, with fever and inflammation…which will plague you until you
perish” (Deuteronomy 28:22). These are just a few examples of many plagues and diseases God caused.
It’s sometimes hard to imagine our loving and merciful God displaying
such wrath and anger toward His people. But God’s punishments always
have the goal of repentance and restoration. In 2 Chronicles 7:13-14,
God said to Solomon: “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no
rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my
people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves
and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I
hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Here we see God using disaster to draw us to Himself, to cause us to
repent of sin and come to Him as children to their heavenly Father.
In the New Testament, Jesus healed “every disease and every sickness,” as well as plagues in the areas He visited (Matthew 9:35; 10:1; Mark 3:10).
Just as God chose to use plagues and disease to show His power to the
Israelites, Jesus healed as an exhibition of the same power to verify
that He was truly the Son of God. He gave the same healing power to the
disciples to verify their ministry (Luke 9:1).
God still allows sickness for His own purposes, but sometimes disease,
even worldwide pandemics, are simply the result of living in a fallen
world. There is no way to determine which, although we do know that God
has sovereign control over all things (Romans 11:36), and He will work all things together for the good of those who know and love Him (Romans 8:28).
The current Ebola epidemic is not the last we will see of plagues and
pandemic diseases. Jesus referred to future plagues that will be part of
the end-times scenario (Luke 21:11). The two witnesses of Revelation 11 will have power “to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want” (Revelation 11:6). Revelation 15 speaks of seven plagues wielded by seven angels as the final, most severe judgments, described in Revelation 16.
Whether the current outbreak of Ebola and other pandemic diseases are
part of God’s judgment or the result of living in a fallen, sinful
world, and whether or not it is a signal that the end time is beginning,
our response should be the same. For those who do not know Jesus Christ
as Savior, disease is a reminder that life on this earth is tenuous and
can be lost at any moment. Without the saving blood of Christ shed for
us, we will pay for our sins for all eternity in a hell that will make
the worst pandemic seem mild. For the Christian, however, we have the
assurance of salvation and the hope of eternity because of what Christ
suffered on the cross for us (Isaiah 53:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:28).
Answer:
Is there such a thing as ghosts? The answer to this question depends on
what precisely is meant by the term “ghosts.” If the term means “spirit
beings,” the answer is a qualified “yes.” If the term means “spirits of
people who have died,” the answer is “no.” The Bible makes it abundantly
clear that there are spirit beings, both good and evil. But the Bible
negates the idea that the spirits of deceased human beings can remain on
earth and “haunt” the living.
Hebrews 9:27
declares, “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face
judgment.” That is what happens to a person’s soul-spirit after
death—judgment. The result of this judgment is heaven for the believer (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23) and hell for the unbeliever (Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:22-24).
There is no in-between. There is no possibility of remaining on earth
in spirit form as a “ghost.” If there are such things as ghosts,
according to the Bible, they absolutely cannot be the disembodied
spirits of deceased human beings.
The Bible teaches very clearly that there are indeed spirit beings who
can connect with and appear in our physical world. The Bible identifies
these beings as angels and demons. Angels are spirit beings who are
faithful in serving God. Angels are righteous, good, and holy. Demons
are fallen angels, angels who rebelled against God. Demons are evil,
deceptive, and destructive. According to 2 Corinthians 11:14-15,
demons masquerade as “angels of light” and as “servants of
righteousness.” Appearing as a “ghost” and impersonating a deceased
human being definitely seem to be within the power and abilities that
demons possess.
The closest biblical example of a “haunting” is found in Mark 5:1-20.
A legion of demons possessed a man and used the man to haunt a
graveyard. There were no ghosts involved. It was a case of a normal
person being controlled by demons to terrorize the people of that area.
Demons only seek to “kill, steal, and destroy” (John 10:10).
They will do anything within their power to deceive people, to lead
people away from God. This is very likely the explanation of “ghostly”
activity today. Whether it is called a ghost, a ghoul, or a poltergeist,
if there is genuine evil spiritual activity occurring, it is the work
of demons.
What about instances in which “ghosts” act in “positive” ways? What
about psychics who claim to summon the deceased and gain true and useful
information from them? Again, it is crucial to remember that the goal
of demons is to deceive. If the result is that people trust in a psychic
instead of God, a demon will be more than willing to reveal true
information. Even good and true information, if from a source with evil
motives, can be used to mislead, corrupt, and destroy.
Interest in the paranormal is becoming increasingly common. There are
individuals and businesses that claim to be “ghost-hunters,” who for a
price will rid your home of ghosts. Psychics, séances, tarot cards, and
mediums are increasingly considered normal. Human beings are innately
aware of the spiritual world. Sadly, instead of seeking the truth about
the spirit world by communing with God and studying His Word, many
people allow themselves to be led astray by the spirit world. The demons
surely laugh at the spiritual mass-deception that exists in the world
today.
Answer:
Spousal or marital rape is a form of domestic violence
and sexual abuse. In spousal rape, sex is forced on one spouse by the
other. While the Bible does not specifically deal with spousal rape, it
has plenty to say about the husband-wife relationship and its
representation of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:32).
First of all, rape is not about sex.
Sex has little to do with it, in fact. Sex becomes the weapon, the
vehicle to accomplish the desired result, which is to overwhelm,
overpower, embarrass, and humiliate another person. All nonconsensual
sex is rape, whether it takes place within a marriage or any other
relationship. Most of the time, spousal rape occurs within a physically
abusive relationship. In the U.S., marital rape is illegal in all 50
states.
Some people believe that a wife must be agreeable to sexual relations with her husband at any time and that she has no say in the matter. They often misuse 1 Corinthians 7:3–5
to support the erroneous view that a wife can never tell her husband
that she would like to defer having sex for a time. Some men believe
that the husband has a God-given right to just “take it,” in spite of
his wife’s objections. Of course, “taking it” without her consent is
spousal rape, and God never condones rape. The truth is that sexual
expression was designed by God to be an act of love within a marriage,
and violence or coercion should never be a part of it. Forced sex is not
love; it is the opposite. The Bible is clear: “Husbands, love your
wives and do not be harsh with them” (Colossians 3:19).
Unfortunately, marital rape victims are sometimes advised to “put up
with it.” Too often, these women hear that they should be grateful that
the rapist is a good father or a good provider or the like, and that it
is their duty to “submit” in the bedroom. However, such thinking can
inadvertently promote rape and an unbiblical concept of sex. Sex should
be more than a “duty,” and “submission” in the bedroom cannot be seen as
the complement of compulsion.
It is clear from the Bible that mutuality reigns in the bedroom. According to 1 Corinthians 7:1–5,
a husband should provide sexual satisfaction to his wife, and a wife
should provide sexual satisfaction to her husband. A wife does not have
authority over her own body, and a husband does not have authority over
his own body. They belong to each other. Does this mean that a husband
can force himself on his wife anytime he so desires? Definitely not.
What the passage teaches is that each spouse is to willingly, freely,
lovingly submit to the other. The passage is about giving
satisfaction, not demanding it. The focus is on pleasing one’s spouse.
There is no selfishness involved. Forcibly taking what has not been
offered is wrong and plainly against the Bible’s commands on love and
marriage.
If someone has ever made sexual contact with you without your consent,
please seek help. If you are presently in danger of being forced to have
sex, or if nonconsensual sex is an established pattern between you and
another person, call the police and get out of the situation as soon as
it is safe to do so. There is absolutely nothing wrong with calling the
police against a spouse or partner—rape is illegal as well as immoral,
and it should be dealt with by law enforcement.
To the victims of spousal rape, God’s Word offers care and compassion.
The Bible often speaks about God’s helping the needy and vulnerable.
Jesus invites victims of crime and other burden-bearers to approach Him
and find support: “Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and
carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest’” (Matthew 11:28, NLT).
To those who have committed spousal rape, first, repent of your sin
before God. Second, seek the forgiveness of your spouse for the great
wrong you have done. Third, seek out a godly counsellor who can guide
you into a biblical view of marriage and sex. You need God’s grace, and,
thankfully, God is willing to extend it (1 John 1:9).
Answer:
The closest the Bible comes to describing what Satan and the demons look like is in 2 Corinthians 11:14,
“Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” The surrounding verses
refer to Satan’s human servants disguising themselves as “apostles of
Christ” and “servants of righteousness.” In context, these descriptions
are referring to false teachers. But the principle surely applies to
demons as well.
One problem—and it’s a big one—with trying to describe what Satan and demons look like is that they are spirits.
Spirits are, by definition, non-physical, and it is impossible to
assign physical features to a non-physical entity. As spirit beings,
demons do not have noses, eyes, hands, feet, tails, or anything else
that we might look for in drafting a description. That’s one reason why
the Bible never describes Satan’s appearance. Even the “angel of light”
description in 2 Corinthians 11:14
is not meant as a sketch of his appearance; rather, it means to
emphasize the deceitful nature of Satan. The devil wants us to believe
he is truth when in reality he is falsehood.
Now that we’ve established that Satan is an angel, a spirit being,
having no physical likeness that can be grasped by our senses, we can do
some surmising. Should Satan decide to make a physical appearance—if he
manifested himself to us visibly—he would do so in a deceptive manner.
The common, pop culture portrayal of Satan as a scary-looking, goat-like
beast with horns is not found in the Bible. Prior to his rebellion
against God, Satan was a beautiful, glorious being (see Ezekiel 28:12–15). What Satan “looks like” now is a mystery. Based on 2 Corinthians 11:14, though, we can know one thing for certain: Satan deceives people into thinking he is an angel of light.
For Satan to reveal himself as the evil, murderous being that he is
would be counterproductive. Most people would not follow the hateful,
malicious maniac of conventional portrayals. Just as sin often looks
attractive at first—only later revealing that it leads to death—so Satan
would seek to deceive us by appearing as something other than evil.
The same is likely true of the demons. What do demons look like? No one
in the Bible ever saw one outside of Micaiah’s and John’s divine
visions; Micaiah did not provide visual details, and John, using
apocalyptic symbolism, wrote of spirits “like frogs” (see 1 Kings 22:21–22 and Revelation 16:13). If demons were to take visible form, they would choose whatever would further their deception. As fallen angels, the demons are intelligent and powerful beings. And they are led by perhaps the most powerful created being (Jude 9),
Satan, whose example they follow. The demons appearing as the evil
beings they really are would hinder their mission of deception and
temptation.
What does Satan look like? What do demons look like? There is no way to
know for certain. If they did appear, they would put on a masquerade.
Deception always wears a mask. Satan and the demons attempt to portray
themselves as servants, guides, and “light” for people. But, make no
mistake, “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).
No matter what Satan would like us to think about himself, we know the
truth: “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
And we know his end: “And the great dragon was thrown down, that
ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the
whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown
down with him” (Revelation 12:9).
Answer:
The Bible says that God created all things—including us—for Himself. He
is glorified in His creation. “From him and through him and for him are
all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen” (Romans 11:36).
It may be hard to see how Adam and Eve’s falling into sin could bring
glory to God. In fact, some might even wonder why, if God knew ahead of
time all the trouble they would cause, He made them in the first place.
God is omniscient (Psalm 139:1–6), and He knows the future (Isaiah 46:10).
So He definitely knew that Adam and Eve would sin. But He created them
anyway and gave them a free will with which they chose to sin.
We must carefully note that Adam and Eve’s falling into sin does not
mean that God is the author of sin or that He tempted them to sin (James 1:13). But the fall does serve the purpose of God’s overall plan for creation and mankind.
If we consider what some theologians call the “meta-narrative” (or
overarching storyline) of Scripture, we see that biblical history can be
roughly divided into three main sections: 1) paradise (Genesis 1—2); 2) paradise lost (Genesis 3—Revelation 20); and 3) paradise regained (Revelation 21—22).
By far the largest part of the narrative is devoted to the transition
from paradise lost to paradise regained. At the center of this
meta-narrative is the cross, which was planned from the very beginning (Acts 2:23). “The Lamb . . . was slain from the creation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).
Reading Scripture carefully, we are led to the following conclusions:
1. The fall of mankind was foreknown by God.
2. The crucifixion of Christ, the atonement for God’s elect, was foreordained by God.
3. All people will one day glorify God (Psalm 86:9), and God purposes “to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (Ephesians 1:10).
God’s purpose was to create a world in which His glory could be manifest in all
its fullness. The glory of God is the overarching goal of creation. In
fact, it is the overarching goal of everything He does. The universe was
created to display God’s glory (Psalm 19:1), and the wrath of God is revealed against those who fail to glorify God (Romans 1:23).
The world that best displays the glory of God is the world we have—a
world that was allowed to fall, a world that was redeemed, a world that
will be restored to its original perfection.
God’s wrath and God’s mercy display the riches of His glory, but we
cannot see either without the fall of mankind. We would never know grace
if we had never needed grace. Therefore, all of God’s plan—including
the fall, election, redemption, and atonement of mankind—serves the
purpose of glorifying God. When man fell into sin, God’s mercy was
immediately displayed in God’s not killing him on the spot. God’s grace
was immediately evident in the covering He provided for their shame (Genesis 3:21).
God’s patience and forbearance were later on display as mankind fell
deeper and deeper into sin. God’s justice and wrath were on display when
He sent the flood, and God’s mercy and grace were again demonstrated
when He saved Noah and his family. God’s holy wrath and perfect justice
will be seen in the future when He deals with Satan once and for all (Revelation 20:7–10).
God’s glory is also revealed in His love (1 John 4:16).
Our knowledge of God’s love comes from the Person and saving work of
Jesus Christ in this fallen world. “This is how God showed his love
among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live
through him” (1 John 4:9).
Had God decided not to create Adam and Eve, based on His knowledge of
their fall—or had He made them automatons with no volition—we would
never have truly known what love is.
The ultimate exhibition of God’s glory was at the cross where His wrath,
justice, and mercy met. The righteous judgment of all sin was executed
at the cross, and God’s grace was on display in His Son’s words,
“Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). God’s love and grace are manifest in those whom He has saved (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8–9).
In the end, God will be glorified as His chosen people worship Him for
all eternity with the angels, and the wicked will also glorify God as
His righteousness results in the eternal punishment of unrepentant
sinners (Philippians 2:11). Without the fall of Adam and Eve, we would never know God’s justice, grace, mercy, or love.
Some raise the objection that God’s foreknowledge and foreordination of
the fall damages man’s freedom. In other words, if God created mankind
with full knowledge of the impending fall into sin, how can man be
responsible for his sin? The best answer to that question can be found
in the Westminster Confession of Faith:
“God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his
own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet
so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered
to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of
second causes taken away, but rather established” (WFC, III.1)
In other words, God ordains future events in such a way that our freedom
and the working of secondary causes (e.g., laws of nature) are
preserved. Theologians call this “concurrence.” God’s sovereign will
flows concurrently with our free choices in such a way that our free
choices always result in the carrying out of God’s will (by “free” we
mean that our choices are not coerced by outside influences). It’s a
complex interaction of wills and choices, but the Creator God can handle
any amount of complexity.
God foresaw Adam and Eve’s fall. He created them anyway, in His own
image, to bring glory to Himself. They were given freedom to make
choices. Even though they chose to disobey, their choice became the
means by which God’s ultimate will was carried out and by which His full
glory will be seen.
Answer:
“Mercy killing” is simply another word for “euthanasia” in most
English-language dictionaries. Euthanasia and, therefore, mercy killing
is “the act of putting a person or animal to death painlessly or
allowing them to die by withholding medical services, usually because of
a painful and incurable disease.”
The Greek word euthanasia translates to “good death,” making it and mercy killing
terms that can be comforting in the face of difficult medical
situations. When any person, especially a family member or close friend,
is experiencing pain, mental degeneration, or other adverse condition,
our instinct is to relieve the person in any way possible. Sometimes,
this desire to alleviate pain can become so strong in the caregiver or
patient that it overrides our deeper impulse to preserve life and
survive.
This struggle is not new to humanity. In fact, one of the oldest stories
in the Bible tells of Job’s desire for death in the midst of his
suffering. Job laments his life, even requesting God to kill him rather
than allow his pain—emotional, physical and spiritual—to continue (Job 6:8-11).
Most pertinently, Job declares, “I prefer strangling and death, rather
than this body of mine. I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let
me alone; my days have no meaning” (Job 7:15-16).
Does the Bible endorse Job’s feelings? It certainly recognizes that such
feelings exist. Other characters in Scripture have, in desperation,
asked for an early end to their lives, including Elijah (1 Kings 19:4) and Saul (1 Chronicles 10:4).
Scripture acknowledges that emotion and even logic can support the idea
of a “mercy killing.” However, we do not live by emotion or logic but
by faith (Romans 1:17). God has plans and an understanding we can never grasp. He is the Giver and Sustainer of life (Nehemiah 9:6),
and we do not have the right to usurp His authority. Near the end of
Job’s story, his friend Elihu warns him, “Beware of turning to evil,
which you seem to prefer to affliction” (Job 36:21). It is not our place to decide the time or manner of our death. Mercy killing is a sin against God’s plan and power.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian who had great personal
experience with suffering. He was imprisoned and eventually executed by
the Third Reich during World War II. While in prison, he wrote this in
his Ethics, published posthumously: “The right to the end of life
is reserved for God, because only God knows the goal toward which a
life is being directed. God alone wishes to be the one who justifies or
rejects a life.”
Answer:
Euthanasia, sometimes called “mercy killing,” can be a difficult issue.
On one hand, we do not want to take a person’s life into our own hands
and end it prematurely. On the other hand, we do not want to prolong the
process of dying more than necessary—that is, we want to
preserve life, but not prolong death. At what point do we simply allow a
person to die and take no further action to extend his or her life?
A related issue is that of assisted suicide. Essentially, a person
seeking assisted suicide is seeking to euthanize himself, with the aid
of another person to ensure that death is quick and painless. The person
assisting the suicide facilitates death by making preparations and
furnishing the needed equipment; but the person seeking death is the one
who actually initiates the process. By taking a “hands-off” approach to
the death itself, the facilitator seeks to avoid charges of murder.
Proponents of assisted suicide try for a positive spin by using terms
like “death with dignity.” But “death with dignity” is still death,
“assisted suicide” is still suicide, and suicide is wrong.
We live in what is sometimes described as a “culture of death.” Abortion
on demand has been practiced for decades. Now some are seriously
proposing infanticide. And euthanasia is promoted as a viable means of
solving various social and financial problems. This focus on death as an
answer to the world’s problems is a total reversal of the biblical
model. Death is an enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26). Life is a sacred gift from God (Genesis 2:7). When given the choice between life and death, God told Israel to “choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Euthanasia spurns the gift and embraces the curse.
The overriding truth that God is sovereign drives us to the conclusion
that euthanasia and assisted suicide are wrong. We know that physical
death is inevitable for us mortals (Psalm 89:48; Hebrews 9:27). However, God alone is sovereign over when and how a person’s death occurs. Job testifies in Job 30:23, “I know you will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.” Ecclesiastes 8:8
declares, “No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has
power over the day of his death.” God has the final say over death (see 1 Corinthians 15:26, 54–56; Hebrews 2:9, 14–15; Revelation 21:4). Euthanasia and assisted suicide are man’s attempts to usurp that authority from God.
Death is a natural occurrence. Sometimes God allows a person to suffer
for a long time before death occurs; other times, a person’s suffering
is cut short. No one enjoys suffering, but that does not make it right
to determine that a person should die. Often, God’s purposes are made
known through suffering. “When times are good, be happy; but when times
are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14). Romans 5:3
teaches that tribulations bring about perseverance. God cares about
those who cry out for death and wish to end their suffering. God gives
purpose in life even to the end. Only God knows what is best, and His
timing, even in the matter of one’s death, is perfect.
We should never seek to prematurely end a life, but neither must we go
to extraordinary means to preserve a life. To actively hasten death is
wrong; to passively withhold treatment can also be wrong; but to allow
death to occur naturally in a terminally ill person is not necessarily
wrong. Anyone facing this issue should pray to God for wisdom (James 1:5).
And we should all remember the words of former Surgeon General C.
Everett Koop, who warned that the practice of medicine “cannot be both
our healer and our killer” (from KOOP, The Memoirs of America’s Family Doctor by C. Everett Koop, M.D., Random House, 1991).
To best answer this question, we’re going to look at two powerful
passages of Scripture. The first is found in the book of Psalms: “As far
as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions
from us” (Psalm 103:12).
One of the most effective tricks Satan plays on Christians is to
convince us that our sins aren't really forgiven, despite the promise of
God's Word. If we've truly received Jesus as Savior by faith, and still
have that uneasy feeling wondering whether or not there is true
forgiveness, that may be coming from demonic influences. Demons hate it
when people are delivered from their grasp, and they try to plant seeds
of doubt in our minds about the reality of our salvation. In his vast
arsenal of tricks, one of Satan’s biggest tools is to constantly remind
us of our past transgressions, and he uses those to prove that God
couldn't possibly forgive or restore us. The devil's attacks make it a
real challenge for us to simply rest in the promises of God and trust
His love.
But this psalm also tells us that God not only forgives our sins, but
removes them completely from His presence. This is a profound thing!
Without question, this is a difficult concept for humans to grasp, which
is why it's so easy for us to worry and wonder about forgiveness
instead of just accepting it. The key lies in simply giving up our
doubts and our feelings of guilt and resting in His promises of
forgiveness.
Another passage is 1 John 1:9,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us
our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” What an incredible
promise! God forgives His children when they sin if only they come to
Him and in an attitude of repentance and ask to be forgiven. God’s grace
is so great that it can cleanse the sinner from his sin so that he
becomes a child of God. Even when we stumble, we can be forgiven still.
In Matthew 18:21-22,
we read, "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times
shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’
Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’”
Peter was probably thinking that he was being generous. Rather than
repay a person who had committed a sin against him with equal
retribution, Peter suggested giving the brother some leeway, say, up to
seven times. But the eighth time, forgiveness and grace would run out.
But Christ challenged the rules of Peter’s suggested economy of grace by
saying that forgiveness is infinite for those who are truly seeking it.
This is only possible because of the infinite grace of God which is
made possible through the shed blood of Christ on the cross. Because of
Christ’s forgiving power, we can always be made clean after we sin if we
humbly seek it.
At the same time, it must be noted that it is not biblical for a person
to sin habitually and continually as a lifestyle and still be a believer
(1 John 3:8-9).
This is why Paul admonishes us to “examine yourselves to see whether
you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ
Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
As Christians, we do stumble, but we do not live a lifestyle of
continual, unrepentant sin. All of us have weaknesses and can fall into
sin, even if we don’t want to. Even the apostle Paul did what he didn’t
want to do because of the sin at work in his body (Romans 7:15). Like Paul, the response of the believer is to hate the sin, repent of it and ask for divine grace to overcome it (Romans 7:24-25).
Although we need not fall because of God’s sufficient grace, sometimes
we do because we rely upon our insufficient strength. When our faith
grows weak and, like Peter, we deny our Lord in word or in life, even
then there is still a chance to repent and be forgiven of our sin.
Another one of Satan’s tricks is to get us to think that there is no
hope, that there is no possibility that we can be forgiven, healed, and
restored. He will try to get us to feel consumed and trapped by guilt so
that we do not feel worthy of God’s forgiveness any longer. But since
when were we ever worthy of God’s grace? God loved us, forgave us and
chose us to be in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-6),
not because of anything we did, but “in order that we, who were the
first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12).
We must always keep in mind that there is no place we can go that God’s
grace cannot reach, and there is no depth to which we can sink that God
is no longer able to pull us out. His grace is greater than all of our
sin. Whether we are just starting to wander off course or we are already
sinking and drowning in our sin, grace can be received.
Grace is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8). When we sin, the Spirit will convict us of sin such that a godly sorrow will result (2 Corinthians 7:10-11).
He will not condemn our souls as if there is no hope, for there is no
longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). The Spirit’s conviction within us is a movement of love and grace. Grace is not an excuse to sin (Romans 6:1-2),
and it dare not be abused, meaning that sin must be called “sin,” and
it cannot be treated as if it is harmless or inoffensive. Unrepentant
believers need to be lovingly confronted and guided to freedom, and
unbelievers need to be told that they need to repent. Yet let us also
emphasize the remedy, for we have been given grace upon grace (John 1:16).
Grace is how we live, how we are saved, how we are sanctified, and how
we will be kept and glorified. Let us receive grace when we sin by
repenting and confessing our sin to God. Why live a sinful life when
Christ offers to make us whole and right in the eyes of God?
Before exploring whether or not Christians sin, let’s define a couple of terms. Regardless of how tattered the word Christian has become throughout history, the biblical definition of a “Christian” is one who is a Christ-follower, a disciple of Jesus (Acts 11:26).
A Christian is NOT someone who has ascribed to a particular set of
religious beliefs or practices, joined a church, prayed a prayer, or
participated in certain sacraments or rituals. A Christian is a person
who has responded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 6:44) by putting his or her whole faith in the finished work of Christ for salvation (Ephesians 2:8–9; John 3:15–18). Christians are those who have repented of their sin and have made Jesus Lord of their lives (Romans 10:9–10; Acts 2:38). They are born again by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:6–7).
“Sin” is any thought, word, or action that is contrary to the character or law of God. We all sin (Romans 3:23), and even what we consider good deeds are often tainted by selfish motives or pride (Isaiah 64:6). Left to ourselves, it is impossible to please God or to be completely free from sin (Romans 3:10; Ecclesiastes 7:10).
When we come to Christ by faith and trust Him to forgive and cleanse us of all our sin, we are in that moment born again (John 3:3). That new birth of the spirit results in a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). God gives the repentant sinner a new heart that is now turned toward obeying and pleasing Him rather than self (2 Corinthians 5:9; Romans 8:5–6). Whereas we were formerly slaves to sin, we are now “slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:16). Sin’s control has been broken by the power of Jesus (Romans 6:6; Titus 2:14).
However, we still live in the flesh, and the flesh is prone to want what it wants. In Romans 7:21–23,
Paul admits the battle between flesh and spirit in his own life: “So I
find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there
with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another
law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a
prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.” Each battle with
temptation is won or lost based upon how fully we are surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16–17).
The book of 1 John was written to Christians. The apostle says, “If we
claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in
us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us
our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8–9).
It is clear from this passage that even those who have been born again
and redeemed by the blood of Jesus will still sin. Through thought,
attitude, or action, we will “grieve” (Ephesians 4:30) and “quench” (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
the Holy Spirit at times. But this passage also reassures us that God
offers continual, ongoing grace whenever we agree with Him about our sin
and ask for His cleansing.
However, other passages clarify the boundaries of this ocean of grace. First John 3:6
says, “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues
to sin has either seen him or known him.” Verse 9 says that those who
have been “born of God” will not continue to live sinfully. The
implication is that this is not a matter of trying harder. Rather, it is
the equivalent of saying, “A fish cannot remain on land for long
because its nature is to seek water.” A fish could flop onto the shore
and survive for a short time. But it was not made for land and cannot
continue there. When we are born again, our natures change, and we
cannot continue in sin. Christ not only erases our past sin; He also
transforms our hearts so that we no longer desire it (Colossians 2:13–14).
Paul asked, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that
grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how
can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1–2).
Although Christians will still sin after being saved, the heart change
that the Holy Spirit brings will result in a new attitude toward sin.
Sin cannot continue being a lifestyle choice if we have surrendered our
lives to Jesus. That’s what it means to say that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9; Colossians 2:6).
We have a new boss. We cannot be followers of Christ and followers of
sin at the same time. They are going in opposite directions (Luke 9:23; 14:33). Romans 12:2 instructs, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Renewal can take some time, but it is a process that produces a change of behavior.
When a true child of God goes astray, our Father administers discipline to bring him back into obedience. Hebrews 12:7–8
says, “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating
you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then
you are illegitimate children and not sons.” If a professing Christian
can choose a lifestyle of sin without experiencing enough discipline to
bring them to repentance, then according to this Scripture, it is highly
unlikely that that person is a child of God.
Do Christians sin? Yes. Do they willfully continue in sin? No. Scripture
indicates that, while we will always “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23),
we have the hope that the power of God is at work in us to “make us
more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT).
