Feb 26 2010

Is Restoration Limited?

Category: Debate/DiscussionPolycarp @ 11:59 am

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. (Gal 6:1-3 NLT)

This excludes apostasy. Why? Because apostasy is a knowledgeable turning and rejecting of God once you have met other qualifications. This is talking about being overcome by a sin. The person has grown weak, and somehow fell into sin.

While you are pondering if there is a sin that cannot be restored, ask yourself where you want these people who are in need of restoration. Do you want them excluded from the community? Ridiculed for their sins?

Paul says that he turned some away and out of the congregation not based on sin, but based on doctrinal errors which were disrupting the congregation. Here, he writes about someone needing to be restored.

For those of us who believe that lying is a sin, and we catch someone? Or for those of us who believe that cohabitation? Smoking? Drugs? Alcohol? Homosexuality? Arrogance?

Is restoration limited?

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Feb 17 2010

Listening to the Voice – Sin

Category: Book Review, The VoicePolycarp @ 11:59 am

Click to Order

Part of the historical Christian concern with new translations is the ability to retain the sins lists – I haven’t seen the same worry applied to the virtue lists. Both lists are found throughout the New Testament, as would be excepted:

Virtue Lists Sin Lists
Galatians 5:22-23
Ephesians 4:32
Ephesians 6:14-20
Philippians 4:8
Colossians 3:12
1 Thessalonians 5:12-22
1 Timothy 3:2-13
Titus 1:6-9
Hebrews 7:26
James 3:17
Mark 7:21-22
Romans 12:9-21
Romans 13:8-14
Galatians 5:19-21
1 Corinthians 5:9-11
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Ephesians 4:25-31
Ephesians 5:3-5
Colossians 3:5-9
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Revelation 9:20-21
Revelation 21:8
Revelation 21:27

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Dec 04 2009

Teen Kills His 10-Year-Old Brother, Blames TV Show “Dexter”

Category: Other PostsPolycarp @ 8:44 pm

It was not a tv show that caused him to kill. Other stories are floating around, much worse than this…

17-year-old Andrew Conley showed no remorse when he confessed to Police that he killed his 10-year-old brother Connor. While also telling police that he  took his cues from the serial killer TV show Dexter.

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Nov 13 2009

Revival!

Category: False ProphetsPolycarp @ 12:59 pm

Sometime after Solomon’s death, the kingdom split. The king of the north, who was rightfully sitting on the throne, decided that a revival was needed:

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Nov 10 2009

The New Science of Temptation

Category: TechnologyPolycarp @ 9:01 pm

The power to resist temptation has been extolled by philosophers, psychologists, teachers, coaches, and mothers. Anyone with advice on how you should live your life has surely spoken to you of its benefits. It is the path to the good life, professional and personal satisfaction, social adjustment and success, performance under pressure, and the best way for any child to avoid a penetrating stare and a cold dinner. Of course, this assumes that our natural urges are a thing to be resisted – that there is a devil inside, luring you to cheat, offend, err, and annoy. New research has begun to question this assumption.

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Sep 29 2009

AIDS for Leprosy in Bible Translation

Category: Bible TranslationPolycarp @ 4:02 pm

Bible Translations and philosophies of those translations run the gambit, from very literal to very dynamic. Each has it’s merits and each has it’s supporters. While the point of Dr. Gayle’s posts was not AIDS for Leprosy, I am taking it as a starting point.

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Sep 22 2009

Sin according to the New Living Translation

Category: Bible Translation, NLTPolycarp @ 4:59 am
New Living Translaton Study Bible

New Living Translaton Study Bible

We are continuing our dissection of the NLT, in hopes that it will sway some open-minded KJVO’ers towards two things:

  • That the modern versions do not detract from God’s word
  • The NLT is more than ready to spread the gospel to today’s English speakers

One of the charges that KJVO’ers throw at us is that the modern versions, including the the NLT, dilute the word of God, especially when it comes to sin. In order to counter this charge for those that wish to read, let us look at what I call the ‘Sin Lists.’

I will post the KJV first and then the NLT:

Galatians:

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 KJVA)

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and others sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 NLT)

1st Corinthians:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 KJVA)

Don’t you know that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves , or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people –none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NLT)

There are the great sin lists in the New Testament, prohibitions issued by the Apostle Paul for the Saints. I don’t have much else to say, except to say, judge for yourselves and see if the NLT let’s down here. See if the gospel cannot be preached, and sin railed against in the same way.

For another post on the NLT, found this blog today via Tweeter, whose author has a wonderful choice in names. I would just like to remind you that while I like the NLT, and have come to appreciate it, I by no means hold to it a perfect, but like all honest bible translations, the NLT contains the perfect word of God.

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Aug 09 2009

Sunday Thoughts 8/9

Category: DevotionalPolycarp @ 12:50 pm

We were attacked by geese this morning.

As most of you know, we are having a family devotional in the local park on Sunday mornings until we find God’s direction for a new congregational home, feeding the ducks and playing on the playgound.

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Aug 03 2009

Does God Still Love the Wayward Christian?

Category: DevotionalPolycarp @ 7:59 pm

This post in response to a comment on another post. It is directed towards me as anyone, but I hope someone can get something out of it.

I am convinced that only the sin of apostasy – when we abandon and rebel against Christ – can separate us from Christ.

But what if we become wayward in our walk with God – what if we stumble and fall and begin to drift away? What if we are abandoned by the ministry, by the congregation, by others?

More than a few years ago now, I had recently been unceremoniously dumped by my fiancee. It tore me apart. Deeply. Wounded. I became angry with God, distrustful, separated from the holiness in God – by my hand – and gave up trying to serve God. I sought someone who was opposite of anyone that I had dated before. So, I found her. Well, long story short, we found ourselves pregnant – before marriage. In love, no less.

Continue reading “Does God Still Love the Wayward Christian?”

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Aug 02 2009

Sunday Thoughts 8/2

Category: DevotionalPolycarp @ 4:24 pm

Wow – it’s already into August. Is it me, or is this year flying by?

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