Big or Little? — Lorraine Smith

Big or little? Large or small? Black or white? Does it really matter? Does it make a difference? Who cares?

The summer our son turned eight years old, he became very sick with high fever, chills, flu-like symptoms, unable to maintain his balance, severe headaches, nausea, and much more. He also had a rash on his stomach area. Here was this extremely active, never-stay-still eight year old and he was completely listless. He could barely move.

Naturally, we were off to our family doctor who also happened to be a good personal friend and our son’s soccer coach. We described all the symptoms. While the doctor was examining Michael, he told us to take his shoes off. My first thought was, “That’s strange.” Although when we did, we saw that the bottoms of his feet were scarlet red. They looked like they had been burned. Dr. Jenkins left the room. He returned quickly with his two associates and most of the nurses. All of us were crammed into a very small examination room. He told them the symptoms and showed them Michael’s feet. He asked if they knew what was wrong. No one guessed correctly. Finally, he said, “Michael has Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.”

Needless to say, we were stunned. How could this be? We had not found a tick on him. All we had ever heard about this sickness was you died from it. Dr. Jenkins explained that a tick did not have to set down and attach itself to give you spotted fever. All it had to do was bite you. He said that the tick could have been brushed away. How could a bite so very small make someone so sick? WE went through three weeks of different symptoms and ailments before Michael gained his strength back to be a normal eight year old once more. How could a bite so small cause so much havoc?

A little bite or a big bite. Does it matter? A large rain or a small shower? Does it make a difference? A little white lie or a big black lie. Who cares? Big, little, large, small, black or white, all of these words are adjectives. They are descriptive words. They describe what is being talked about.

Here are some examples. Let’s say you live in a large house and I live in a small house. Does it make a difference? No, the size of our houses is not in question. We both live in houses. We both have shelter and refuge from the elements. We both have houses. Large and small only describes the amount of money involved. The word with the emphasis is money.

Here’s one more example. We have all heard it said, “I only told a little white lie,” or, “He is a big, fat liar!” Who cares? We all should. A lie is a lie. There is no other way of looking at it. You cannot commit a little murder versus a big murder. That is just too plain silly to even consider. A lie is a lie is a lie. Nothing will change that no matter how many descriptive, elaborate words you use.

Who cares? God does. Let’s take it to the inspired Word. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Simple and to the point.

We are told, “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:22-24). Did you get that? ALL have sinned. There are no big sins or little sins. There are no supersized sins. There are no mini sins. A sin is a sin is a sin no matter what adjective you use to describe it. One sin is no better or worse than another. There are not good or bad sins. It is all the same. There is no difference. Guess what? We all have it. This is where salvation through Christ Jesus and God’s continual amazing grace steps in. Without those two things, all would be hopeless.

Does it really matter? Salvation does. Christ Jesus stepped in and took our place. He placed all our sins upon Himself. He became our sacrifice for sin. He is our propitiation or appeasement to God Almighty. He became our Justifier to God (Rom. 3:25-26). Yet it is up to us to accept salvation. It is up to us to do God’s will.

Does it make a difference? As I said earlier, sin is sin. Does the type of sin make a difference? Are there big or little sins? The answer is definitely no! Look at what God revealed in His Word:

“But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers! Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolater, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:8-11).

“But as for the cowardly, faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and ALL liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8, emphasis added).

As you can see, God sees no difference in the type of sins. He has the cowardly in the same group as murderers. He has faithless and greedy in the same group as drunkards. God makes no distinction about big or little lies; He covers them in one little word: “all.” To our heavenly Father, the type of impenitent sin makes no difference.

Who cares? God does. Revelation 21:7 simply states, “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” Solomon put it this way: “The end of the matter, all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl. 12:13-14). We must realize that we cannot hide anything from God. He is in control.

Are there big and little sins? No. Just as that tiny unseen tick caused a huge sickness with even the threat of death, it was not the size that was the problem. It was the tick. Sin is the same. No matter how big or little you think the sin is, it is the sin that causes the sickness with the threat of eternal death and alienation from God.

Does the type of sin matter? No. Does the kind of sin make a difference? No. Who cares? We all should and must. The Lord revealed to John, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing My recompense with Me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the river of life and that they may enter the city by the gates” (Rev. 22:12-14).

Lorraine is the author of the books Just Asking and Heaven? or Hell? A Soul’s Choice.

 

“Therefore Let Him Who Thinks He Stands Take Heed Lest He Fall” — Jon Mitchell, Editor (Editorial: July/August, 2016)

The inspired apostle gave Christians a very serious warning when he wrote to Corinth centuries ago (1 Co. 10:12).  Oh, how relevant that warning continually proves to be when we are honest with ourselves!  Oh, but how easy it is to forget this warning or unconsciously allow ourselves to downplay it!

There are a lot of positive blessings associated with being a Christian.  We know we have access to “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” because we are “in Christ” (Ep. 1:3).  We know we are part of the body of Christ which is his church and of which he is Savior (Ep. 5:23), and are not deceived by the false doctrines and traditions of men associated with salvation and worship found in denominationalism which have drawn away so many (cf. 1 Ti. 4:1ff; 2 Ti. 4:3-4).  When compared to those out in the world, we may stand head and shoulders above them when it comes to morality and ethics.  Those of us who are active workers in the church can also take pride and comfort in the fact that “(our) labor is not in vain” (1 Co. 15:58) and we make a difference in the lives and souls of others.  All of this and more is good and we should gather great comfort from it (2 Co. 1:3-5).

Yet, let us never forget that even the best of us has sin and continues to sin (1 Jo. 1:8, 10).  We face temptations every single day, and one of Satan’s greatest tools to deceive us into giving into those temptations is to get us to not judge ourselves with the same righteous judgment God gives to us (1 Co. 4:4a; 11:31; cf. Jn. 7:24b).  God shows no partiality (Ro. 2:11), but we tend to show partiality to ourselves!  Like the Pharisee of the parable, we tend to focus on the good we are doing and the shortcomings of those around us while choosing to ignore or downplay our own sins (Lk. 18:9-14).

As a result, we may look at the good we do for the kingdom of God as a crutch instead of the acts of selfless service God wants them to be.  “Yeah, yeah, I know I shouldn’t do _____________, but it’s gonna be okay because after all, look at all the good I do for the church!”  We may compare ourselves to the sinners out in the world or our weaker brethren and use that as a crutch.  “Hey, why are you telling me to repent of ___________?  After all, it’s not like I murdered anyone/committed adultery/skip church all the time because I’d rather sleep in!”  Instead of gratefully finding comfort in our obedience to biblical doctrine concerning the oneness of the church and being motivated to obey further by repenting of our sins, we may use the fact that we obeyed the gospel and are part of the Lord’s church as a crutch.  “If there’s anyone who needs to get right with God, it’s those churches who add to God’s Word and are not the true church!  Focus on them instead of telling me I need to change ___________!”

I am so thankful Paul then gave us that wonderful way out in the next verse (1 Co. 10:13)!  I am so thankful God’s grace exists (Ti. 2:11) and offers continual, immediate forgiveness…but only should we sorrowfully and penitently confess our sins (1 Jo. 1:7, 9; 2 Co. 7:9-11) and follow grace’s instructions (Ti. 2:12-13)!  May we always examine ourselves honestly (2 Co. 13:5) and never insult God’s grace by choosing to rebelliously, unrepentantly, and willfully sin and thus bring upon ourselves his wrath (He. 10:26-31)!       — Jon

 

What Eve Has Taught Me – Debbie Kea

Eve. Mother of all living. First woman. First wife. First sinner. I’ve heard women speak negatively about Eve for most of my Christian life. But as I have studied her, I have developed a great sympathy. Let me show you why.

Sin.  We are all well aware that Eve was deceived by Satan (Gen. 3:4-7). She learned that just because something looks good doesn’t mean it is good. She learned that the Devil lies. She learned to listen to God.   We are critical of her; yet who of us has not sinned? The apostle Paul declares that all have sinned (Rom. 3:23). As I review my own sins, I feel pity for the first woman. There is no record of any other sins of Eve, but this one teaches us serious lessons.

Obedience.  God’s first law was a law of obedience to Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:17). They were clearly instructed by God not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Obedience to God’s laws remains for all of us today if we are to be pleasing to our Maker. We must not only obey God’s commands but we are also to teach obedience to our children and our grandchildren. A lack of respect for authority has become one of the worst problems of our society. Lawlessness reigns in our world. Most importantly, this disobedience separates us from God.

Blame.  We have played the blame game since the beginning and we continue it still! When accused, it’s usually the first thing we humans do—point to someone else. It’s a rare individual that takes personal responsibility for his actions. Adam started this habit by blaming “the woman thou gavest to be with me” and Eve continued by pointing at “the serpent” who beguiled her (Gen.3:12-13). They both knew the truth; that’s why they knew they were naked—their guilt. Our task now as humans is to build our character so that we will be strong enough to admit our sins, repent of them and grow! We must be responsible for our own actions—to God and others. We must be willing to say, “Yes, it was me and I’m sorry.”

Power and Influence.  Eve teaches me that women have great power and influence. Adam was created first and had the responsibility to be the spiritual leader of his home; therefore, Adam should have stopped Eve from disobeying God but he didn’t.   We, as women, must recognize our role in the home as God’s plan. Paul tells us man was not created for the woman but the woman for the man (I Cor. 11:9). Submission and subjection are not inferiority. They are the role that God has given us as women. However, our influence and power can only be for good when we allow our husbands to lead our homes. We must use our influence for good there as well as everywhere we go.

Suffering.  Women have endured suffering since Eve sinned. She was banished from the garden. She suffered in childbirth. Most of us who are mothers understand this well. She suffered over her children. One of her sons was a murderer, and one of her sons was killed. She suffered great loss with both of them. We learn that children who grow up in the same household may very well take different paths in life.   Eve suffered watching her husband work by the sweat of his brow for over 900 years! Sin brings suffering.   Eve learned this.

Desire.  God told Eve that she would have desire only for her husband. This seems an odd thing to say at a time when Adam was the only man there! But as I think about this, I am reminded of many women whose desire is not for their husband but for other things, such as money, career, popularity or a variety of other cares of the world. Unfortunately, today we Christian women are considered peculiar if we care about what our husband wants instead of what we want. This is one of the contributing factors to the destruction of the home in our world now. The world sees nothing wrong with a woman satisfying a man in her career or job; yet Christian women are ridiculed for wanting to satisfy or help their husbands to be happy in their marriage!

Wisdom.  Satan tried to convince Eve that she could be as wise as God. We must not let Satan fool us in this. Instead of trying to be as wise as God, we need to recognize His power and greatness and our dependence upon Him! “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7). If we would truly be wise and happy, we would come to the One Who gives wisdom, knowledge and understanding (Prov. 2:6; 3:13).

Salvation.  Like me, Eve needed salvation. God, through His lovingkindness, provided from the beginning a way for Eve to be saved, to be brought back into a right relationship with Him. Jesus would come and bruise the head of the serpent, Satan (Gen. 3:15). And my obedience through faith would find access to the Lord’s saving blood (Rom. 5:1-2; 6:1-4). God did not leave Eve without hope. Jesus’ blood reaches back to her (Heb. 9:15). Neither does He leave us hopeless, for Christ is the Savior of the world if we would hear His voice (John 10:27; 3:17; Heb. 2:9).

Eve, mother of all living, continues to teach us lessons today. Though I am empathetic, it is still clear that Eve sinned and was punished for it. She remains, not a myth, but a real woman, made to be a helpmeet for man, a position that no other creature could fill. God help us to learn by studying Eve to be obedient children so that we can fulfill our role as women in His kingdom.

keadebbie1955@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Stop: Homosexuality. Next Stop: Pedophilia – Spencer Strickland

The lengths to which society and government have gone in order to force acceptance of certain sinful behaviors is nothing short of appalling.  As of this year, 9 states in the United States have legalized same-sex marriage (Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington).  Additionally, it is legal in the nation’s capital for two members of the same gender to marry.  Those who know what the Bible truly says about homosexuality sigh in disgust at such abandonment of basic moral principles.  Both Old and New Testaments condemn the practice of homosexuality (in spite of the efforts by some to suggest otherwise).  Sodom and Gomorrha’s sin of homosexuality was at the heart of God’s reason for destroying them.  As one recalls the incident at Sodom with Lot and the two angels who appeared as men (Gen. 19:1-3), the men of Sodom asked Lot, “Where are the men which came in to thee this night?  Bring them out unto us, that we may know them” (Gen. 19:5).  The Hebrew word for “know” is the same word used in Gen. 4:1:  “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.”  Thus, it is obvious what went on in Sodom and it is clear that God destroyed Sodom because of their wickedness (Gen. 19:24-25).  One might say the divine commentary on this event is found in Jude 7:  “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities around them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire [emphasis mine, SS].”  A few passages in the Old Testament describe homosexuality as an “abomination” (Lev. 18:22; 20:13) which credible and reliable Hebrew lexicons define as “a disgusting thing.”  Finally, Paul’s discussion of women changing “the natural use into that which is against nature” along with “the men, leaving the natural use of the woman” and consequently lusting after one another is a clear condemnation of homosexuality (Rom. 1:26-27).

Faithful gospel preachers have striven to inform folks of the sin of homosexuality based upon God’s Word.  In addition to informing folks about this sin, there is a warning preachers sometimes attach to it.  Namely, if homosexuality is viewed as “normal” and same-sex marriage is accepted, then what is to stop society from embracing other perversions of God’s definition of marriage?  Now that homosexuality is being embraced by government and society, efforts are being made to suggest that pedophilia might be viewed as normal and acceptable behavior.  Pedophilia is defined as “sexual desire in an adult for a child” (“pedophilia”).  According to a recent article published in the British newspaper The Guardian, “There is a growing conviction, notably in Canada, that paedophilia [alternate spelling of the term, SS] should probably be classified as a distinct sexual orientation, like heterosexuality or homosexuality” (Henley).  In this article, Sarah Goode who is both an author of two studies on pedophilia and a university lecturer is quoted as saying, “There are a lot of people […] who say: we outlawed homosexuality, and we were wrong.  Perhaps we’re wrong about paedophilia” (ibid).  This article underscores the fact that when sin is tolerated and accepted on any level, it opens the door for any and all toleration of sin.  Returning to the first chapter of Romans, where he wrote of the condemnation of homosexuality, Paul went on to give a laundry list of other sins that Gentiles were openly practicing like fornication, covetousness, maliciousness and murder – just to name a few (Rom. 1:29-31).  The final verse of that chapter says of these Gentiles: “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans 1:32).  How is it that anyone could “take pleasure” in folks practicing these sins?  How could American society and government take pleasure in championing the cause of same-sex marriage?  How could anyone ever take pleasure in viewing pedophilia as “normal”?  The answer is found in Romans 1:28 – “they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.”

The legalization of same-sex marriage and the acceptance of homosexuality as normal behavior is a clear step towards an all out rejection of God and His will.  If the entire country legalizes same-sex marriage, it is only a matter of time before such perverted behavior as pedophilia is accepted as indicted by the article cited.  Once this behavior is accepted, what is next?  For instance, what will stop such perversions as bestiality (sexual desire of humans towards animals) from being viewed as normal behavior and just another “sexual orientation”?  Long ago, Isaiah proclaimed, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isa. 5:20).  In essence, government and society are “calling evil good and good evil” by accepting and legalizing these ungodly behaviors.  It is important, then, that Christians stand against these behaviors and stand up for the Word of God (Jude 3).  It is important that preachers inform congregations of the wickedness that continues to be promoted in society and government.  It is important that Christians insist that the home be defined as God defines it and to teach others that definition (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:4-5; Eph. 5:31).  Finally, it is important that every child of God beseech the Heavenly Father for help in stemming the tide of gross immorality practiced, endorsed, and legalized in this country.