|
From
the November, 1997 edition of The Doulos monthly
newsletter
by
Gary Warstler
Did
you ever wonder what happened to sin?
It seems like we can hardly say the
word any more. We hear the phrases,
"honest mistake," "it's just a mistake,"
"it's just a little fun," "what's
wrong with that?" It seems like
we are all getting a little "righteously
disadvantaged" Have we gone so
far with our liberty in Christ that
we have lost sight of who we are? Our
testimony as a Christian demands some pretty serious
thinking about our conduct that is displayed to the world
and I might add, to our fellow believers.
Has
the passage in Romans
14:21 been forgotten? Our conduct
should not include anything, however harmless we
may think it is, that may cause our brothers and sisters to
stumble or to be offended or made weak.
Holiness
in not a standard by which we judge Swiss cheese. Holiness
is a mark or crown of God's glory in the mature Christian.
The Scriptures encourage us to, "worship the Lord
in the beauty of holiness." (I
Chronicles 16:29 & Psalms
29:2) Again we are encouraged in II
Corinthians 7:1 "to cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in fear of the Lord." When we became Christians we were created a new
creature in God's likeness which is
righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians
4:24)
In Psalm
19:14 David expresses a prayer that all of us would do
well to pray often. "May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable to you O
Lord my strength and my
redeemer." If our thoughts are holy, then holiness
follows close behind.
In
Christ,
Gary
Warstler
Back
to The Deacon's Desk main page |
