Habitual Sin and Turkey.... hmmmm...
Well... Turkey Day is fast approaching, and we are starting the festivities a little early this year.
One of the parents *finally* relented and moved their T-Day celebration to the day before (i.e. tonight). I was so relieved to only have two meals tomorrow (instead of the "traditional" three).
I brought the German Choc. Cake and Pumpkin Cheesecake to work today to keep in the fridge... and, as a result, I will only be taking about 3/4 of each to the meal tonight. *shrugs* What would you do if your boss asked you for a piece because it's his "favorite"?
Anyways... I don't think anybody will mind. It's "just family" anyways, right?
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In response to a recent question posted, regarding "habitual sin", here is my personal opinion:
First, it is important to remember that God does not forgive us along the way as we sin. Sin was forgiven - once - on the cross. "It is finished." "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." It is also important that scripture never tells us to "ask for forgiveness." Rather, it instructs us to "confess and repent."
This is a point that the church has messed up in recent history. It tells people, "If you don't ask for forgiveness, God won't forgive you."
The result of this mindset is two-fold: First, it causes us to think, "If I sin, all I have to do is ask for forgiveness, and everything will be okay." This, as you can imagine, gives us a "free pass" to sin. Second, it takes the focus off the true result of sin in our lives - separation from God. Sin is not just a "bad thing that God doesn't want us to do." Every sin we commit takes us one step further away from our relationship with God. Therefore, habitual sin causes us to habitually step further and further away from God.
So, the question one should ask is not "How far can I go before God stops forgiving me?" Every sin has already been forgiven. Rather, the question should be, "How far away from my relationship with Christ do I really want to go?" while realizing that, at some point, we will have given up on the relationship completely.
Please note that I am not promoting the "once-saved-always-saved" doctrine. While God never stops pursuing a relationship with us, we ourselves can walk away from that relationship by continuing in sin. God never gives up on us, but we can give up on Him.
Finally, we should keep in mind that God is never about condemnation. Rather, he is about restoration. I think every person has certain sins that he or she will struggle with for their entire life. (I know I do!) Even Paul talked about his "thorn in the flesh." But, scripture reminds us that "where sin abounds, grace abounds much more." The main thing is to remember that our relationship is what matters most.
On a more practical note, I have found the best thing to do to keep myself from committing that certain sin that I struggle with is this: tell somebody ("Confess your sins one to another") so that they can hold me accountable, and stay away from any circumstance that would encourage the sin itself (i.e. if the sin is sexual, don't ever be alone in any place with the 'sexual' partner).
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*whew* I hope I wasn't too long-winded on that. Sorry if I was.
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On a lighter note... I AM SO HAPPY THAT EVERYBODY IS WRITING AGAIN! *WOOT* I miss you both soooooo much!!!
AB, I am THRILLED to here that things at SL are going well. Do you guys send out any kind of update letter or anything? I would love to hear about all that is going on.
Well, I suppose I'm outta here for the day.
Peace, love, and lots of pumpkin pie!