Reality Check: Christians and Sin?

It is important to note the wonderful benefits we have in Christ. Paul states in Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places IN CHRIST. One such blessing is the forgiveness of our sins” (Ephesians 1:7). As we have discussed, we will have to discipline members of this congregation in due time, but may we ALL understand that we ALL make mistakes (sin) and need to get things right while we have the time.

When we are baptized for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38), in order to be saved (Mark 16:16), God takes away every sin we have ever committed (Acts 22:16). He wipes our slate clean (1 Corinthians 6:11). He gives us a new beginning and we are born again (John 3:3,5) and we are raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4).

But after we have been baptized and God has taken away all of our sins, what do we do when we commit other sins? How do we get forgiveness of these sins? For the answer to this let us look at the Epistle of First John. First John was written to Christians who had been baptized for the forgiveness of their sins, just as you and I have been.

1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Here this verse says we must be doing two things so that the blood of Jesus Christ will continue to cleanse us of all our sins. 1) We must “walk in the light”, that is we must be following God’s word in the Bible. 2) Also must “have fellowship one with another”, that is we must be regularly worshipping God in His church and working with other Christians. The original Greek word that is translated “cleanses” in this verse means that there is a continual cleansing going on. Herein lies the problem with those who have become unfaithful in their worship. Because they are not having fellowship one with another, they are no longer receiving forgiveness of their sins.

Then we continue to read the next verse 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We must repent and ask God to forgive us, and He will. When we stand before the Lord on Judgment Day we will have no sins and we will go to Heaven. This is very comforting to know that we are being continually cleansed.

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Strength from Brokenness

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you; that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren. Luke 22:31,32

Having suffered the pain of sorrow (and maybe having stumbled in our faith), we are stronger for having had that experience — if we respond to it in the right way. Like a broken bone that is stronger at the spot where it was mended, we can gain strength from our brokenness.

Our chosen response to suffering is what makes the difference, of course. And choosing correctly is not easy. There are two opposite dangers that must be avoided. On the one hand, we must stay away from self-pity, but on the other, we must steer clear of self-righteousness. When we’ve been broken by some experience in life, we tend to veer back and forth between these extremes. With practice, however, we can learn to respond to heartbreaks with reverence, gratitude, and humility — and when we do, we find that hardships help us more than they hurt us.

In what sense, though, can we say that broken people are stronger? Well, for one thing, those who’ve had their hearts broken are often wiser and less vulnerable to certain temptations. After Peter had denied the Lord three times and recovered, he would have been more vigilant in that particular area for the rest of his life. But not only that faith, hope, and love are often more real to those who’ve been tried by fire. Job, for example, was a man of considerable faith before his ordeal, but after it was over, he found that his faith was a finer thing by far (Job 42:5,6).

Not everybody has to be broken by sorrow in order to learn spiritual strength; some are wise enough to learn from others’ ordeals (Proverb 21:11; 22:3). Nevertheless, there can be no question that those who are the strongest spiritually are often those whose hearts have been torn apart and then mended. Life in this world is hard; we must be frank to say. It is ugly, and it is dangerous. We’re never more than a step away from sorrow or shame, and the weight of the world may not be something we can bear without breaking.

The victory is ONLY in Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:57-58), who died for us, that we might have life eternal. The choice is up to you. Don’t leave this world without HIM.

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Resolutions

The practice of making New Year’s resolutions has become a yearly tradition for many Americans. This affords individuals the opportunity to “start over” in many aspects of their lives.

As the New Year begins there will be those who will make resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, and exercise regularly just to name a few. These matters are well and good, but Christians (who make resolutions) need to give more serious consideration to spiritual matters (cf. 1 Timothy 4:8).

The practice of making resolutions is not unknown in sacred writings. The Psalmist had several resolutions which he lists in Psalm 101 that are worthy of our attention.

  1.  “I will sing of mercy and justice” (Psalm 101:1).
  2.  “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way” (Psalm 101:2).
  3.  “I will walk within my house with a perfect heart” (Psalm 101:2)
  4.  “I will set no wicked things before mine eyes” (Psalm 101:3).
  5.  “I will not know a wicked person” (Psalm 101:4).
  6.  “Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land” (Psalm 101:6).

Each of the resolutions listed can easily be applied to Christian living today. They deal with such matters as attitude, conduct, example, influence, and friendships. They embrace life in the workplace, the home, the school, the community, and yes, even the church.

If you are thinking of making resolutions, may I suggest that you consider the resolutions of the Psalmist. You certainly will be the better for it.

The members in particular at the Miami Gardens church of Christ must RESOLVE to DO what the Lord commands of us.

This begins with our commitment of our time, talent, and resources. Let us all be faithful stewards in 2025.

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Compartmentalized Religion

If we as children of God are to ever grow, we need to understand that our lifestyles must reflect our conviction to God. The following article written by brother Steve Higginbotham really puts this concept in perspective.

Not long ago I overheard a man talking about some rather shady business practices in which he had participated. That a man would be dishonest in business shouldn’t be all that shocking to me, but what was shocking to me was that this man was a Christian. When asked about how he could conscientiously engage in such activities, he said, “Business is business, and religion is religion.”

In a similar vein, I once listened as a presidential candidate stated that he believes life begins at conception, but in spite of that belief, he supported the right of women to abort their babies. He made it clear that his stance was due to the fact that his religious convictions were religious convictions, and had nothing to do with politics and the laws of the land.

The above are examples of “compartmentalized religion.” For many people religion is only a part of their being. It only impacts what they do on Sunday. It has no impact on their business ethics, their relationship with their neighbors, or their politics. Imagine trying to sustain any other relationship in the same manner. Imagine a married businessman who, while on business trips, frequented “houses of ill-repute.” What would his wife, or anyone else think, if he offered the following as an explanation, “I do love my wife, and I am totally committed to her when I am with her, but I’m on the road now, and what happens on the road is a totally different matter.”

Surely, we all see how foolish this is, and no self-respecting person, male or female would put up with such a spurious standard of conduct. This being true, what makes us think that God would tolerate this same invalid standard? As convenient as compartmentalized religion may be for some, it just doesn’t pass the test of Scripture. Jesus said that if you wanted to be his disciple you had to give all your heart to him, not just a small compartment (Matthew 22:37).

Don’t try to shortchange God with this compartmentalized view of religion. If you are a Christian, you’ve sold out to God completely… body, soul, and spirit…it all belongs to him. Don’t try and cheat God of what is rightfully his.

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

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Terms of Admissions into the Church

With so much religious confusion in the world today, it is imperative that the church of Christ let people know clearly and precisely what God has to say in His word about becoming a member of the church. In the Bible, we find that when people obeyed the gospel of Christ and became Christians, God added them to His church (Acts 2:47). Thus, when we speak of terms of admission, we are really discussing what one must do in order to be saved.

The following steps are necessary to one’s salvation:

  1. One must hear the gospel of Christ. Paul writes, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
  2. One must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God. Jesus said, “…for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24).
  3. One must repent of his sins. Jesus said, “I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3,5).
  4. One must confess Christ. Paul writes, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).
  5. One must be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins. Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).

When we look at the example in Acts chapter two, the apostle Peter told the Jews present, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). In verse 41 it then says, “Then they that gladly received His word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” The chapter then closes by stating, “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47).

Note that when people did as they were commanded, the Lord added or admitted them into the church. There was no voting and no required series of studies before admittance; just, simple obedience to the gospel of Christ.

If we would be part of the Lord’s church today, we must do what He commands in His Word, and then He will add or admit us into the church, the body of the saved (Ephesians 5:23). Live a Christian life unto death (1 Peter 2:10; Revelation 2:10).

We at the Miami Gardens church of Christ are willing and ready to assist you TODAY!

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The Pleasure of Pleasing God

“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:9

We should be willing to do what is right because it’s right, but we should also do it because it brings pleasure to our God. If we perceive God to be nothing more than a tyrant who has the power to make us miserable when we get out of line, yet who remains displeased no matter how hard we try, then we have an unfortunate misconception of Him. We should rather see
Him as a benevolent Father who is eager to be pleased by His sons and daughters. And we should be enthusiastically motivated by this very prospect, the prospect of pleasing Him.

The text which speaks most clearly to this point is the one in Hebrews where the faith of Enoch is mentioned: “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5). Here is the record of an individual who actually did what many believe it is impossible to do: he pleased God. A mortal being no more infallible than we are, Enoch still pleased God. The point of the text, of course, is that it was “by faith” that he did this, and if we intend to please God, then we shall have to go about it in the same way. For sinful creatures, no other door is open to God’s pleasure. “Without faith”, the text continues, “it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Doing the things that please God will obviously give us the sense of having done our duty, and that is no slight benefit. As someone has said, there is no pillow as soft as a clean conscience. But doing what pleases God will also fill us with pleasure. Our hearts are happiest when we want the same things that God wants and when those things are granted to us by His grace. To know that our deeds have been harmonized with our Father’s will is a wonderfully refreshing feeling. It is a pity that we look for pleasure in so many of the wrong places when real pleasure is right before us. The very best kind of pleasure is available to us at every moment of every day, and that is the pleasure of pleasing God.

If you have not been baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27), why not obey Him today; this is the FIRST step toward pleasing God.

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Bearing Fruit

Christians are to bear fruit

God has provided the seed in Christ’s word “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is came unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth;” (Colossians 1:5-6).

The person who accepts that word and is convinced of its validity carries that conviction to a point of sharing it. When that conviction is then planted in someone else’s heart, it may or may not produce results in that individual soul (1 Corinthians 3:6), depending upon the condition of the ground, meaning, his heart (Matthew 13:1-9).

The Lord has chosen us to bring forth fruit. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

The apostle Paul prayed that fruit be born (Colossians 1:10).

Jesus said, “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit. Neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down; and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

Let us be good and fruitful and bring forth good fruit. Regardless of the outcome of the effort to bring Christ into someone’s life, regardless of the sense of gain or loss felt by the one who shares the word (1 Cor. 3:15), it must always be borne in mind that “God gives the increase” (1 Cor. 3:6; 2 Cor. 9:10). Like seed produces like seed, and so the kingdom is spread. The Christian can no more hide his fruit than can the fertile tree, whether good or bad.

Please keep his family in prayer.

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