One of the most oft-quoted phrases that we Christians use to evangelize or talk to non-believers is that “God loves you, but hates your sin”. That is a blatant lie, coined by Mahatma Gandhi, and is not found in the Bible, ever.
In fact, you’ll find that God hates both the sin and the sinner, and His wrath is kindled against the sinner; that’s why Paul wrote that those with a hard and impenitent heart are storing up wrath for themselves (Romans 2:5).
We should stop sugar-coating our words and speak plain Biblical truth — that unless one repents and puts his faith and trust in Christ Jesus, God’s wrath is against that person and come the day of wrath, the full extent of His wrath shall be poured out against the unrepentant sinner.
Dr. John H. Gerstner gives us a Biblical understanding view of the popular, but false, mantra:
Let us stand still, and admire and wonder at the love of Jesus Christ to poor sinners; that Christ should rather die for us, than for the angels. They were creatures of a more noble extract, and in all probability might have brought greater revenues of glory to God: yet that Christ should pass by those golden vessels, and make us vessels of glory,-oh, what amazing and astonishing love is this! This is the envy of devils. and the admiration of angels and saints.
I know this will be most useful to a great many Christian men (and even women) out there who are struggling with this issue. No, I am not saying that I am a saint because the temptations come now and then to me as well. That said, if you have ever agonized over the fact that you can’t seem to stop looking, you are at least on the right foot where it comes to overcoming the addiction.
What is clear from Jesus’ teaching is that keeping and growing the gift of purity and the righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees is a life-and-death battle. We are not passive. Jesus gives the decisive power, as John 15:5 says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” But we experience that power in the willingness to engage in radical and persistent attacks on our own sinfulness. Jesus pronounced a blessing on “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” They are the ones who “shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). Hunger and thirst are relentless. They never stop. They are signs of life. We will do almost anything in our power to satisfy hunger and thirst. That is how Jesus teaches us to pursue purity.
I have some “pet sins” that often, to borrow a Biblical phrase, bridle me towards the left or the right therefore causing me to lose sight of the straight and narrow which is the path we who have professed faith and trust in Christ Jesus ought follow.
Whatever troubles there are for sin, yet if the troubler is not slain, it cannot be expected but that there will be trouble still. Before there will be no true comfort. The soul may return to stupidity and carelessness, and may receive a false peace and hope, and sin be kept alive; but no true hope.
The nature of Christ’s salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day “evangelist”.
A recent uproar in Malaysia over remarks that 
Surely we are in the Last Days, when the wickedness of man knows no bounds!
In this verse is threatened the vengeance of God on the wicked unbelieving Israelites, who were God’s visible people, and who lived under the means of grace; but who, notwithstanding all God’s wonderful works towards them, remained (as ver. 28.) void of counsel, having no understanding in them. Under all the cultivations of heaven, they brought forth bitter and poisonous fruit; as in the two verses next preceding the text. The expression I have chosen for my text, Their foot shall slide in due time, seems to imply the following doings, relating to the punishment and destruction to which these wicked Israelites were exposed.
Some years back, a brother visited his pastor to seek counseling for a matter that’s been weighing on his soul for some time — he just couldn’t resist doing certain things that he knew displease the Lord. Without fail, he would go through this full range of the most self-pitying emotions and come lament to me just what a failure he was.
This is an ad-hoc weekly column where I share some of the best blog posts I’ve come across in the previous week. Some are notable for their content, while others are calling you to action to help pray about an issue or for fellow bloggers.
John Piper’s exhortation to constantly make all-out war against temptations that we face, our pride, our fleshly cravings and all-enslaving desires in the sermon featured below definitely spoke to me.
Have you ever considered why we back-slide now and then and fall away sometimes, or just don’t have the motivation to read the Bible, pray and sing praises to God?
The parable of the Prodigal Son is perhaps the most loved parable of Jesus Christ among many Christians, and probably the most told as well.
During His ministry on earth, our Lord Jesus Christ cleansed a good number of lepers as recorded in the Gospels. Perhaps the best-known and oft-preached story of such cleansings is in the account of the 10 lepers:
We are all taught that God is love, and that’s all we seem to hear very often nowadays, from the pulpits down to bumper stickers. Yet, very few people remember to remind themselves that above all, God is holy!
The advertising adage that sex sells is taken to new extremes today — if you can’t think of some refreshing concept for a product or service, just slap on a nude female form (cover it in some cloth or put it in silhouette so that it passes the censors though) and there’ll be many who will notice it.
Except that we be cleansed and go to God our Father in perfect cleanliness, washed white as wool by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, God our Father will not accept our offerings nor hear of our prayers.
Does the term “fearing God” equate respect for, and reverence of God?
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