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| Are We Good People? |
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7:18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing:
One of my jobs when I was the chaplain at the Nashville Adult Rehabilitation Center was to interview men who were new to our center. I had to ask them a series of questions about their drug and alcohol history. One of the questions ws: "What kind of person are you?"
Men would openly tell me about their drug and alcohol abuse, about constantly lying to their family, about leaving their children and refusing to pay child support, about all kinds of immoral sexual behavior, about stealing from family or friends, about their time in prison, about abusing their wife or girl friend, about suicide attempts, DUI's, crimes they committed, and on and on. Then, when I would ask them the question; "What kind of person are you?" almost 100% of them would say; "I am a good person."
And it is not just alcoholics and addicts who believe they are "good" people. As our society continues to ditch the common historic views of morality from almost every human culture, religion, and time period; we still claim that we are "good" people. But are we?
Paul of Tarsus, who wrote a big portion of the New Testament, said: "I am the chief of sinners," and "O wretched man that I am." Yet, we, in our day, can even sing the song that says: "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me," all the while boasting in our self-proclaimed goodness.
In this puffed up, feel good, anything goes culture, we seem to have lost the ability to humbly and sincerely say: "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner." |
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| Excellent perspective brother. I worked in Christian recovery programs for 12 years so I know first-hand the types of behaviors you referred to. It's a sad thing that most people don't realize they have a problem which is why they don't do anything about them. As mediators between God and men we need to open people's eyes to the truth. Shalom |
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How right you are my sister. Goodness is falling just like everything else in this world it is judged by what man thinks is goodness. We are all sinners and we need to understand that God hasn't given up on us because we are not perfect we just have to keep press in God and he will do the rest but we have to keep trying and one day it will be worth it. But yes we are all sinners and the faster we realize just who we are the better our walk can become....Because you have to start your foundation with Gods truth or you will not have anything to keep you rooted...Thank you for that word this morning......
Ornatta McFadden |
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Thanks, Jay. Somehow our culture has taught us that we are good people, when in fact, Jesus, Himself, said, "There in none good but the Father." |
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I did not mean to say my sister it should have been my brother.....I am sorry for the typo
Ornatta McFadden |
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| Now that's the truth, Sista. "The faster we realize just who we are, the better our walk will become." O wretched man that I am! |
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| That's ok, sista, because in Christ there is neither male or female. |
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Brother you have told the truth, Many of us "Christians" have gotten so caught up with "being saved" that they forget that we are still sinners saved by grace, and need to remember we still need mercy. one of the saddest things is that many "Christians" run the unsaved away with this mindset, I try to remind people "even Preachers That "You are not all that! " and that's the truth.
Me included. |
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| "the truth will always remain da truth." |
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Evangelist: Salvation is promoted as a one-shot deal, when it is really an ongoing walk and relationship with Jesus. The angel told, Joseph, that Jesus will "save His people from their sins." |
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| Nice blog Steve...we must be reminded that we all are simply working out our soul salvation with fear and trembling before a *Holy* God....there is always room for improvement. The book says that he that endures until *the end* shall be saved.....so we as children of God don't have much to boast about other than the power of JESUS and what He has accomplished for us on the Cross.....now when *we* make it to *the end*...we can boast in our VICTORY! But for right now...all our righteousness is as filty rags ;o) |
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| That's for sure, 4Christ! |
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| Very well said, Mar Jay. Even our very best behavior (our righteousness) is as filthy rags. Powerful truth. |
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| The act of requesting mercy is a tremendous demonstration of humility. One of the greatest we can give our Father! 'Nuther great blog, Steve! |
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| Mike: One of my favorite prayers is from the Philokala, a collection of writings by ancient Orthodox Christians. It is simple and I pray it many times a day. "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner." |
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Wendy |
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June 19, 2008 at 12:44pm |
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I love this perspective. Thanks for such a great post!
18:12 Before destruction a man's heart is haughty, but humility goes before honor.
4:24 and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
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| Amen, Wendy. We are to put off our "old man" and put on the "new man." |
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PARoss |
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June 19, 2008 at 1:06pm |
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The problem with thinking that we are good people is that good people don't need the gospel. The gospel is for sinners. In fact, the gospel is only good news from the perspective of our sin. If we don't see ourselves as sinners, the news of the gopsel is not good at all -- quite the opposite because those who are not saved are, well... lost.You know, like hell. There isn't any middle ground, is there? The less our sin, the less our perceived need. Too many peope think that "Jesus is fine for those who need Him, druggies, drunks & dummies. But Jesus for me personally? Nah, I'm good!" And who is to blame for this kind of thinking? TV, movies, culture, liberals, the government, pastors? No, the church(es) -- ordinary Christians.We are to blame because we haven't got the message right. Or we are afraid to say it right, if we ever say it at all. 4:17 For the time `is come' for judgment to begin at the house of God: and if `it begin' first at us, what `shall be' the end of them that obey not the gospel of God? It starts at home, or it doesn't start at all. |
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Olivia |
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June 19, 2008 at 2:50pm |
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| We just need to try harder and remember that a kind deed can change a life, but then so can a harsh word :( |
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| Thank you for your godly perspective. You are welcome to read my profile and see that I thought I was a christian and to see where God has now taken me. I can relate to Paul, and I see more and more as I study the Word that no good thing dwells in my flesh. Thank God for the blood of Jesus, and His merciful hand that holds me, and His love that lifts me out of my dim perspectives and helps me to see that its not about me, but about this :Above all things have fervent love for my brothers and sisters. I have been in the valley of the shadow of death, but wherever I go or have been God was always there working it out for His Glory, and He will always be with me and will always make all things work together for our good because none can stay His hand or resist his will or thwart His purposes. I ask Him to bless your ministry in Jesus mighty Name! |
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| There are none righteous, no not one. |
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Maybe it is true that we are all Good seeds (Fruit / Children of the Father). So Good that God see's us as priceless, (The value of his Sons life)
It may be that we are from a Good seed, but under the mind hijack of an evil seed, as stated by Jesus in a parable of the Good seeds planted in a field that was hijacked by the influence of bad seeds intertwined into our thinking. (Matt. 13: 24)
The Lord after his resurrection himself demanded that no man anywhere is to ever be "tagged" with a title unclean.
Mat 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven
(Good seed) and a good seed can not bring forth evil
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
(Acts 10:28) God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
Col 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
I truly believe there will be a revival once the people of this earth evolve into the awareness that they are from God and Good in their true hearts, but mentally overcome by clever unseen forces spoken by the evil tares within human nature. If you tell a child he is dumb and stupid and evil he will believe it and never let you down. Teach a child a thinking way and he shall most likely never be able to depart from that mold.
Tell them they are offspring (spouts) from a good source, and they will know it and shake off the evil influence overcoming themselves. (I have personally seen this in my ministry)
Once they know they are good at the core, they will awaken to the Good seed within them.
The other way(common world thinking) , though quite traditional (sinner must strive to become a better person) has failed extremely miserably in our society. A pig is still a pig even if the pig gets a good washing.
We are from a good tree and a good seed.
Kw.
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PARoss |
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June 25, 2008 at 4:15pm |
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Kw, This is a common error, unfortunately. The reality of sin cannot be denied or denigrated. John wrote (after the resurrection): "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). There are many other verses like this, but this is sufficient.
In Christ sinners are saved, and will eventually be with God in heaven. But just as we are not currently with God in heaven, salvation in its fullest sense is a process. Justification is instantaneous, but sanctification takes time. And during that period of sanctification, Christians should be sinning less and less "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes" (Ephesians 4:13-14). We grow and mature in Christ.
Those verses you are referencing have to do with the Christian's ultimate position in Christ, which God counts as actual because God knows that Jesus cannot fail to accomplish what He set out to do -- save us. Nonetheless, we still live in time and are bound to the limitations of time, whereas God is not so bound.
Your focus on the word "unclean" is misguided. Unclean is not to be associated with sin, but has ceremonial application. Peter meant that Jews should no longer think that Gentiles were ceremonially unclean. Remember that in the OT Jews were forbidden to eat with or enter the home of a Gentile. Peter was saying that thinking that Gentiles were unclean in this sense was no longer true. Eating and visiting with Gentiles was not forbidden in Christ. How could such a thing continue if the gospel was to reach the Gentiles?
If we take your version of things as being true ("Once they know they are good at the core, they will awaken to the Good seed within them"), there would be no need for Jesus to have died on the cross and the gospel as the Bible has provided it, would be false and unnecessary. This is worse than misguided, it is heretical. |
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