In my review of "sin" I came across these motivators not to sin and found them insightful:
35 Reasons Not To Sin
- Because a little sin leads to more sin.
- Because my sin invites the discipline of God.
- Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted.
- Because my sin never pleases but always grieves God who loves me.
- Because my sin places a greater burden on my spiritual leaders.
- Because in time my sin always brings heaviness to my heart.
- Because I am doing what I do not have to do.
- Because my sin always makes me less than what I could be.
- Because others, including my family, suffer consequences due to my sin.
- Because my sin saddens the godly.
- Because my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice.
- Because sin deceives me into believing I have gained when in reality I have lost.
- Because sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership.
- Because the supposed benefits of my sin will never outweigh the consequences of disobedience.
- Because repenting of my sin is such a painful process, yet I must repent.
- Because sin is a very brief pleasure for an eternal loss.
- Because my sin may influence others to sin.
- Because my sin may keep others from knowing Christ.
- Because sin makes light of the cross, upon which Christ died for the very purpose of taking away my sin.
- Because it is impossible to sin and follow the Spirit at the same time.
- Because God chooses not to respect the prayers of those who cherish their sin.
- Because sin steals my reputation and robs me of my testimony.
- Because others once more earnest than I have been destroyed by just such sins.
- Because the inhabitants of heaven and hell would all testify to the foolishness of this sin.
- Because sin and guilt may harm both mind and body.
- Because sins mixed with service make the things of God tasteless.
- Because suffering for sin has no joy or reward, though suffering for righteousness has both.
- Because my sin is adultery with the world.
- Because, though forgiven, I will review this very sin at the Judgment Seat where loss and gain of eternal rewards are applied.
- Because I can never really know ahead of time just how severe the discipline for my sin might be.
- Because my sin may be an indication of a lost condition.
- Because to sin is not to love Christ.
- Because my unwillingness to reject this sin now grants it an authority over me greater than I wish to believe.
- Because sin glorifies God only in His judgment of it and His turning of it to good use, never because it is worth anything on it's own.
- Because I promised God he would be Lord of my life.
Relinquish Your Rights - Reject the Sin - Renew the Mind - Rely on God
Copyright © 1992 Jim Elliff Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.201 Main, Parkville , MO 64152 USA
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Ed
5 comments:
Reading that list helps me to recognize once again the brokenness and sinfulness of our (my own) frail humanity - knowing my need of God - yet at the same time rejoicing in the abundant mercy and Grace of the God who in Christ redeemed me. I can tell you that I definitely connect with that.
The condition of our common humanity after the Fall is such, that we cannot turn and, by our own natural strength and good works, come to Faith. We can do nothing without the Grace of God in Jesus Christ. That Grace is unambiguously Divine, not human effort, but regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
Makes me want to lift my voice in gratitude in the ancient hymn: Te Deum laudamus.
We praise You, God:
we acknowledge You as Lord.
As the eternal Father,
All the earth venerates You.
To You all the angels,
to You the heavens and all the powers:
to You the cherubim and seraphim
sing with unending voice:
"Holy, Holy, Holy
Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full
of the Majesty of Your glory."
The glorious chorus of Apostles praises You,
the praiseworthy number of prophets praises You,
the white-robed army of martyrs praises You.
The holy Church gives witness to You
throughout the whole world
as the Father of immense Majesty;
Your true and only Son Who is to be worshiped,
and also the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Monk,
I appreciate your thoughts concerning coming to faith, our need of grace (Ephesians 2:8) and that these are not "natural" nor of "human effort, but regeneration by the Holy Spirit."
Not wanting to assume, but I figured that you are of the "Catholic" persuasion. And if so, pardon me for saying, but I am not accustomed to hearing such words from someone of your assumed background. What of the sacraments? What of the Rosary? What of "Last rites"? What of purgatory and indulgences?
Please know that I ask such questions not antagonistically but curiously.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Ed
Pastor Ed,
I am perfectly happy to answer any of your questions, you have been gracious to me and the only reason I have to hesitate is that, I will naturally give affirmative answers to areas you may not want on your blog. But then you can remove those, I suppose.
Yes I am Catholic in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. There are several varieties of Catholics out there, the Latin Rite is only one, but most Americans think it is the only one.
The Sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, and to a lesser degree 5 others) are vitally important to my spiritual life and I participate in them as often as I may. In my case that is mostly the Eucharist. I find it a great comfort to my walk to be invited by Christ Himself to touch and be touched by the Holy. I believe that in the Eucharist we take Christ Himself into our bodies, and more importantly, into our lives. I try to focus on leaving that moment and to be sent into the world, carrying Christ within me to serve His people.
Rosary? Yes I have one and use it often, and carry a Chaplet with me during the day. In, fact I have said a Rosary for you, actually, among others.
I am a Hospice volunteer and have participated in "last Rites" and said a portion of them for my brother as he left this world for a greater one. They are actually called "Extreme Unction" or more properly "Ministration at the Time of Death” It is a set of prayers we say at that time. It was a great comfort to me to know that my Priest was saying those prayers in my community even if I had to be at my brother's side.
Indulgences and purgatory are medieval Roman issues that are not part of my particular branch of the Catholic Church.
But you might know that a couple of the Scriptures they use to support their idea are Phil. 2:10 - every knee bends to Jesus, in heaven, on earth, and "under the earth" which they would say is the realm of the righteous dead, or purgatory.
Another might be Rev. 21:4 - God shall wipe away their tears, and there will be no mourning or pain, but only after the coming of the new heaven and the passing away of the current heaven and earth.
Note the elimination of tears and pain only occurs at the end of time. But there is no morning or pain in heaven, and God will not wipe away their tears in hell. These tears the souls are experiencing must be somewhere, ergo - purgatory.
BTW, I thought I would include a definition of Grace from the Roman Catechism (not mine).
Section one, Chapter Three, Article III
Faith is a grace
153 When St. Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus declared to him that this revelation did not come "from flesh and blood", but from "my Father who is in heaven". Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him. "Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and 'makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth.'"
The necessity of faith
161 Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation. "Since "without faith it is impossible to please [God]" and to attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life 'But he who endures to the end.'"
Thank you so much for this dialog, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
† mysterium tremendens et fascinans
† the Mystery which is at once terrifying and fascinating
Terry a/Br. of St. Gregory
Monk,
I do appreciate the dialog as well. While I suppose I set myself up for the apology concerning some of your practices, my question was really concerning whehter or not you find such practices as necessary for salvation. The list of practices are very much human efforts of which I have been told by many Catholics are efforts which they trust to merit them favor with God, particularly with regards to the salvation of their souls.
So again, my purpose is not specifically a defense or definition of such things, but rather the seeking of the your answer to the question - "Do you trust that these things merit or contribute salvation for you?"
Very briefly, in my "tradition" salvation is solely and purely of grace, through faith "and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). "Salvation" (in its entirety) "is from the LORD" (Jonah 2:9). A person can do nothing to merit, keep or add to salvation. Jesus is either completely sufficient for salvation, a complete Savior, actually meriting salvation for His people (Matthew 1:21), granting salvation totally apart from anything we do (Titus 3:5-7), and covering us with His perfection and righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30-31), or (God forbid)He is an incomplete Savior, only making salvation possible for those who by their own efforts, merit the full grace of God.
As for how the redeemed are to walk in this life, Ephesians 2:10 is clear, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." The "good works" of the saints are not those which merit or contribute to salvation (for salvation is of grace) but rather are the results, the outworking of God in one's life indicating that salvation has indeed come.
I could go on and I do want to be careful. My intention again is not to be antagonistic, but to explore these thoughts honestly. Your original post seems to suggest that you trust in nothing but the "grace of God in Jesus Christ." Not "by our won natural strength and good works" and "not by human effort, but regeneration by the Holy Spirit." Do you depend or trust in the practices I mentioned in my last post also as necessary for salvation?
I close with a hymn:
Not what my hands have done
can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne
can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do
can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears
can bear my awful load.
Your voice alone, O Lord,
can speak to me of grace;
Your power alone,
O Son of God,
can all my sin erase.
No other work but Yours,
no other blood will do;
No strength but that which is divine
can bear me safely through.
Thy work alone, O Christ,
can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God,
not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest,
And set my spirit free.
I bless the Christ of God;
I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart
I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt;
I bury in His tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear,
each lingering shade of gloom.
I praise the God of grace;
I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine,
My God, my joy and light.
’Tis He Who saveth me,
and freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me,
I live because He lives.
Horatius Bonar, 1861
Soli Deo Gloria,
Ed
Greetings Pastor Ed.
I missed your question! ;)
Simply put, no. All my works are filthy as used menstrual rags, as unclean and imperfect as that.
I believe that we are accounted righteous before God only by the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through faith and not on account of our own good works or of what we deserve. Even that faith is the gift of God, I can not even muster that.
That being said, the Master commands me to obey Him and to grow in His kingdom by serving those who I come in contact with. Widows, orphans, the poor, prisoners, all have a claim on my life in Christ. (James 1:27)
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