I Can't Help It, I Was Born This Way

I had a discussion with someone (a non-Christian, though an educated one) recently about sin nature and specifically homosexuality.  It brought to my attention some interesting things which have been rolling around in my head.

You can read my thoughts HERE, at my other blog.

Blessings.

Stephen Hawking, Death, and Meaning

A post I recently finished on my new blog, found here.

Blessings

Faith Part 3

Our faith is not one which finds its foundation here in this life (at least we had better hope it is not).  Because, if our faith is limited by the temporal, by time, or anything else in life, we have lost sight of the Truth.  The truth that is found in Christ who now reigns in Heaven, and will soon be acknowledged by all men and Creation.  We have faith in the coming City of God, the Heavenly realm that follows our life here on Earth.  Our lives must be lived in reflection of that.  Our lives must be dedicated to the furthering of His Kingdom as we wait:  

²²For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.  -Romans 8

Thus, as we look and long for the future life which Christ now prepares for us in Heaven, we are able to live a life overflowing with Joy, because our loss on Earth means gain in Heaven.  Because we have faith, we can hope in what is to come after this life:

¹³But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep,that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  -1 Thessalonians 4

When we look around at those who do not have Christ in their lives, we see how little they have to live for.  In our own lives objects matter little, but we are focused on love for our neighbor and Creator.  Our faith brings us the hope that our time invested into those things will reap rewards we cannot fathom.

Peace and Joy

Faith Part 2

Those of us who are Christians say we have been saved by Grace through Faith:

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

Faith is how we come to be saved from our sin, our disobedience, our fallen state.  When we understand who Christ is, what He did, and why, then we are halfway there.  But, the linchpin is found in our Faith.  Understanding does not provide salvation, as we know even the demons understand who God is, and shudder (James 2:19).  Faith is the key to Grace.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  (Romans 5:1-2)

Yet, it must be remembered that faith is not a passive thing.  It demands of us action.  Though we are not saved by works, works are expected of us in Faith and Love.  Let's finish the Ephesians section from above with verse 10.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  (Ephesians 2:8-10)

From James we as Christians are encouraged to prove our Faith through works, because if we really have Faith, then we really have Hope, and if we really have Hope, we really have Love.  

(James 2:14-17) What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Keep the Faith, but also the Love and Hope that must walk hand in hand with it.

To be continued...

Faith Part 1

After recently examining my life to see what example of faith I have set, I was ashamed.

Faith is a part of the Christian life which ought to be taken seriously by all of us.  There are three aspects to faith: Faith as a work of Grace and Salvation in our life, Faith in the works and miracles of God, and Faith that produces Hope in the future of things.

Christ lead His disciples to have stronger faith.  Likewise, I discover that I often need greater faith.  I often fail to see His strength and power over all things, I believe this is a result of a lack of faith on my part.  The disciples suffered from this as well when they let fear rule their hearts in place of faith.  For example when they are on the ship and the storm becomes great they despair, yet Christ controls the storm, saying just a word to calm it (Mark 4:40).  We often forget God is the God of the miraculous, and while we often pray for miracles, do we have faith in God to perform such miracles.  Faith like the woman in Mark 5:33.  She had faith that she only needed to touch the hem of Christ's robe for a miracles.  He is that powerful and I know I forget this, I forget I'm talking to the One who commanded the laws of nature and physics order themselves at the beginning of time.  And that is part of our problem, we talk to God.  We are told to have faith, to be still and know He is God (Psalm 46:10).

We are told Christ left His hometown because of their lack of faith.  Let us not be like those in Christ's hometown, for how awful it would be for Christ to leave us due to our lack of faith.  Instead, if we even have the faith of a mustard seed nothing will be impossible (Matthew 21:21).  The Holy Spirit will provide you with an understanding of the miraculous and Faith, but we must trust Him.

To be continued...