CHILD OF GOD says ...

HELLO CHILLY,
THANK YOU FOR ADDING ME INTO YOUR SPIRITUAL FAMILY!!!
PLEASE PRAY FOR ME AS I WILL PRAY FOR YOU!!!!!!
LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING A SPIRITUAL BOUND WITH YOU!!!

ANTHONY says ...

HEY,THANKS FOR THE ADD. GOD BLESS

J Lee says ...

I remember some years ago hearing on the radio or reading in the magazine of Focus On The Family about a minister who was in jail for inappropriate behavior with a teen girl in his church. Focus On The Family identified this as the result of "sin and confess" without repentance. So I'm with you on this that far. Still, I think your interpretation oversimplifies the problems in your examples, and by extension, similar types of problems you're addressing in general here. In Matthew's account of the sermon on the mount, Jesus said anger is akin to murder, lust akin to adultery. His point was that sins start small, and if we let them, they will grow, like weeds. So the thing to do is to nip them in the bud. But by the time someone gets to addiction level, it's no longer just a decision like it was in the early stages; it is now deeply rooted within the person, so "repenting" is far more than just deciding never to do it again. It's even more this way for a case of a woman going back to an abusive man. Such decisions are typically results of childhood upbringing that a person like this has no idea why they keep doing it. It's subconscious, or at a deep emotional level that may defy even their own reasoning. Thus, I find the statement, "maybe they were never truly saved - which results in a heartfelt desire to repent" to be insensitive to their situation, not mention the problems I have theologically with such a view. This seems to me to be sorely lacking in the recognition of God's grace. I do find the dog-vomit verse to be very helpful though. It's a reminder of how foolish we can be. An adjacent description is the pig that goes back to roll in the mud after being cleaned. Author John Piper suggests that when God sees us in such situations, rather than looking on us with disgust he looks on us with pity--how foolish we are loving our mud and vomit. It's a testament to the wondrous love of God that he stays with us and works with us so we get away from going back to the mud and the vomit.

therealme706 says ...

this is awesome!!!! luv ya bunches p.chilly!!!