Are all sins
equal?
https://www.incpu.org/are-sins-equal.htm
https://www.incpu.org/are-sins-equal.pdf
This
world pushes a lot of lies. Surely you’ve noticed at least a few of them. But,
when was the last time you reviewed the variety of lies that you noticed that
the world is pushing?
Of
interest, what’s most interesting about the “new lies” is that they are
slightly altered version of the same old lies. Yeah, there’s nothing new under
the sun – the same sins and lies that satan and his
fellow demons tempt you and me with are the same ones that he has always
tempted people with.
This
study has 4 parts.
Part 1: intro,
foundation
“9 That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.”
(Ecclesiastes 1:9)
“13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common
to man; but God is faithful,
who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 14 Therefore, my
beloved, flee from idolatry.” (1 Corinthians 10:13-14)
“12 I write to you, little children, Because
your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. 13 I write to
you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to
you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked
one. I write to you, little children, Because you have
known the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
And you have overcome the wicked one. 15 Do not love the world
or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And
the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God
abides forever.” (1 John
2:12-17)
>
That was the 3 levels of spiritual maturity (“little children” “young men”(and women), and (spiritual) “fathers”(and mothers). Then
God has the apostle John explain the 3 categories of sin, and the same
categories satan tempted Jesus with in Matthew 4 and
the parallel passages.
As
you can see, God’s Scriptures have a lot to explain about sin – and satan and
his pagan world systems are always trying to get you *out* of the Bible, and to
lessen and erode your understanding of pure, 100% understanding of right and
wrong, holy-fear wisdom vs shallow-hearted obeying
rules, pure light and darkness, error and fact, truth and fiction/lies/deception.
God’s Word is the only source that is
100% honest in all things that it covers – even in the little details. And God has answered all of the
major topics that satan and his demon and human co-conspirators
come up with. You’ll find it all in God’s
Book – it’s not just one book divided in 2, but 1 Pure and Holy Book
all the way through. And no, it’s not missing any pages! True enough that it does
need to be translated more accurately and more honestly and deeply so it
reflects the original texts better – Hebrew, Aramaic (a form of Hebrew), and
Greek. But don’t rely on the Vatican to be honest about anything – ever. They
weave in lies in everything they touch. They even write false translations to
confuse you about what God really said. Not to mention they change definitions
on everything – from pretending the “pope” has replaced Christ here on earth,
to pretending Mary was perfect and the queen of Heaven and never had more
children, to pretending that Peter was infallible and the first “pope”, to
pretending that a pagan-led Catholic “priest” can forgive you sins, or that you
should pray to the “saints” instead of God, through Jesus… and on and on. And
that doesn’t even begin to discuss all of the many sins, crimes, sabotage,
s*xual assaults and sins (and the abortions to hide those sins) that the
Vatican and her Catholic leadership covers up, or her Italian mafia – the Jesuits
(100% Catholic infiltrators and spies and saboteurs, 0% Hebrew/Jewish at all).
Speaking
of which, that brings me to our topic of the day – are all sins, really equal?
Let’s see what God has to say about that.
In
Romans 1, God through Paul explains that there are clear levels of sins and the
associating judgments – all sins are crimes against the Holy God, but some have
more of God’s wrath against them than others. In the abbreviated text below, you
will see below that God makes a distinction between lying and envy, and s*xual
sins – and the different depths of s*xual rebellious choices.
“16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is
the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and
also for the Greek…18 For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in
unrighteousness…21 because, although they knew God, they did not
glorify Him as God, nor were
thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were
darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and
changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible
man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore
God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor
their bodies among themselves… 26 For
this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged
the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also
the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one
another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves
the penalty of their error which was due…. God gave them over to a
debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being
filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters,
haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient
to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving,
unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment
of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do
the same but also approve of those who practice them.” (Romans 1:16-32)
There
is so much packed into this text, from God through Paul, that
it would take its own study, or really, its own series of studies, to unpack. And
I think someone on this team is working on that study into Romans 1 more, so stay
tuned for a future study. For this Bible study, let’s just take a few
highlights.
Notice, there are 4 levels there, and each has at
least a thousand steps/choices.
Level 1 – normal level of hearing God’s conviction
and including the range of hardening of heart until they refuse to glorify God
and refuse to be thankful to God for anything.
Level 2 – “became
futile” they live foolish and chase a deeper level of sin “fun”,
choosing rebellion against God instead of trying to learn holiness and purity
Level 3 – “God also
gave them up” God gives them over to more of their vile passions for
sin and s*xual sins and immorality
Level 4 – “For this
reason God gave them up” God gives them over to all levels of s*xual
impurity and vileness, even to the deepest levels of depravity and demonic
activity, occult, and satanic sacrifice.
A
few more points to study:
1)
Notice, also, that the gospel message that Jesus preached is effective for
saving both Gentiles and Jewish people from the condemnation and eternal
punishment of sin.
2)
Those who reject God’s call for repentance and
covenant salvation, are not just rejecting a “good offer”, they are rejecting
God, and hardening their hearts in sin. I want to develop that a little later.
And,
3) there are levels of rejection and hardness of heart. Before we dive deeper
into Romans 1 here, and look briefly at the four levels, let’s first look at
Jesus’ foundational truth, found in the “Parable of the Soils”.
“13 And He said to them, "Do
you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
14 The sower sows the word.”
(Mark 4:13-14) This parable is
*the* foundation to the understanding of sin and the power of the gospel, as
what is the gospel that saves.
>
You can find that gospel study here:
http://www.incpu.org/what-is-the-gospel(updated).htm
“16 "But blessed are
your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for
assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and
did not see it, and to hear
what you hear, and did not hear it.
18 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When
anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was
sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who
hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he
has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or
persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now
he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears
the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the
word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on
the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who
indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some
thirty."” (Matthew
13:16-23)
As
you see clearly in that passage, there are levels to each category: 1a)
hardened heart unsaved soil, 1b) shallow-heart unsaved soil, 1c) thorny
loves-this-world-too-much unsaved soil, 2a) faithful soil who produces
righteousness and teaches 30-fold what he/she has received (30 times), then 2b)
faithful soil who produces righteousness and teaches 60 fold what he/she has
received (60 times), and 2c) faithful soil who produces righteousness and
teaches 100 fold what he/she has received (100 times).
But
there’s another thing to glean from in this passage too, at least in the
context of this study. There are many steps per soil. No one quickly rejects
sin and becomes a genuine follower of Christ – that’s why Jesus commanded us to
“count the cost”.
“26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his
father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own
life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear
his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28
For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and
count the cost, whether he has enough
to finish it-- 29 lest,
after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying,
'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 Or what
king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider
whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with
twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way
off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So
likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. 34 "Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its
flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the
land nor for the dunghill, but
men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"” (Luke 14:26-35)
Many
around us who claim to be followers of Christ are “almost saved” and there is
an eternally significant difference between genuinely saved through the salvation
covenant of the blood of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit proven by a
measured spiritual growth, and those who are “almost saved” – meaning the 2nd
and 3rd soils. The confusing thing about the second and third soils
is that they are trying to decide if salvation is worth everything to them or
not – meaning, if they love their sins more than eternal salvation.
Part 2: levels
of rewards and judgment
Now,
all of that was to lay the ground-work, in very brief form, to get to my main
study – are all sins equal. Let’s see what Jesus and His Word say about levels
of judgment and rewards.
“43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he
comes. 44 Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that
he has. 45 But if that servant
says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the
male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not
looking for him, and at an hour
when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47 And that servant who knew his
master's will, and did not prepare himself
or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he who did not know,
yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For
everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom
much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke
12:43-48)
> notice: many stripes,
few stripes
“15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to
win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of Hell
as yourselves.” (Matthew 23:15)
> False teachers who make their students twice as
hard as themselves and twice the more condemned as themselves. Which is why God
puts such a heavy warning on those who preach a false gospel (James 1:8-9), on
those who are false teachers (James 3:1), and on those who lessen God’s
commands and teach others that some sins are “okay” (Matthew 5:19-20).
“19 Whoever therefore breaks one of
the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in
the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I say to you,
that unless your righteousness exceeds the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter
the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 5:19-20)
> Again, notice the levels of Heaven and
Hell/Lake of Fire here. “least in” = “deeper in
Hell/Lake of Fire”, and “great in” = “higher level of leadership in the holy
leadership in Heaven, and the eternal Kingdom”.
At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus will destroy
His enemies – satan, the murderer and father of lies,
and all who join in his wicked rebellion.
“20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false
prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received
the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast
alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone.”
(Revelation 19:20)
> The false prophet of satan
and antichrist are going to be sent alive deep into the Lake of Fire
“10 The devil, who deceived
them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the
false prophet are. And they
will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
(Revelation 20:10)
> devil cast into the
Lake of Fire to the same or similar depth in the Lake of Fire, forever. In
Isaiah 14, God explains that He will send satan to the
lowest part of the Lake of Fire: “15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest
depths of the Pit.” (Isaiah 14:15)
“10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a
wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But
let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other
foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now
if anyone builds on this foundation with
gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one's
work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be
revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14 If
anyone's work which he has built on it
endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is
burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through
fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
> Notice that all rewards earned will be tested
by fire, and the low-quality works will burn up, leaving only ashes. There are
many varieties of how much wood, hay, and straw and it’s different for each
person, (based on their words, actions, choices, motives), as well as different
levels of gold, silver and precious stones (as well as crowns, mentioned in
other passages: 1Thess 2:19; 2Tim 4:8; James 1:12; 1Peter 5:4; Rev2:10).
This passage is referring to believers in Christ –
all going through a very thorough judging by Jesus Christ, all of their works
examined.
“9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent,
to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we
must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive
the things done in the body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing,
therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to
God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.”
(2 Corinthians 5:9-11)
> As you can see, again, very thorough judging of
honest followers of Christ to see who is worthy of what position of authority
in God’s eternal Kingdom, or if they are saved so as by fire – no rewards, rewards
are lost because of self-motives mixed in with good deeds.
“11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it,
from whose face the earth and the Heaven fled away. And there was found no
place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing
before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were
judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades
delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one
according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into
the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not
found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
(Revelation 20:11-15)
> This passage is only referring to those are
unsaved, those who never gave their lives to Jesus and came through the “blood
of the covenant” into genuine salvation covenant, with the seal of the Holy
Spirit and measured growth.
Part 3 – levels of hardness of heart
vs. levels of covenant with God in righteousness
Now, we get to part 3 of this study – levels of
hardness of heart and wrath of God, vs, blessings
from God through trials and refinement that results in holy-power from God.
Remember, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for
several reasons: murder and violence, s*xual sins of all types, including
immorality with demons, satanic sacrifices, baby sacrifices, and other occult
things. God judged them with fire and brimstone for all of that.
“20 And the LORD
said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because
their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down now and see whether
they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to
Me; and if not, I will know." 22 Then the men [holy angels in the form of men] turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but
Abraham still stood before the LORD [Jesus, pre-incarnate].” (Genesis 18:20-22)
“4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of
Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the
house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the
men [holy angels] who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we
may know them carnally."… 9 And the people of the city said, "Stand back!"
Then they said, "This one [Lot] came in to stay here,
and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with
them." So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break
down the door. 10 But the men [holy
angels] reached out their hands and
pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And
they [holy angels] struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door… 24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom
and Gomorrah, from the LORD out
of the Heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain,
all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”
(Genesis 19:4-5, 9-11, 24-25)
God explained it more in the New Testament:
“…6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them
to destruction, making them an
example to those who afterward would live ungodly…”
(2 Peter 2:6)
“6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but
left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for
the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the
cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over
to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example,
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (Jude 1:6-7)
What is the point? God’s wrath abides on all who
reject God’s offer of grace through repentance, and they are “storing up wrath for the day of wrath” (Romans
2:5) – that word “storing” is the word for “collecting” and “accumulating”. And
while we’re on the topic, there are 3 categories of sins in the Bible that hold
the death penalty from God. We need to note those, because those sins are extra
dangerous to our souls, and they are the ones that satan
tries to sell and re-sell and re-paint as “just normal”. As you’ll see below,
those 3 categories are 1) murder, 2) s*xual sins, and 3) witchcraft and
sorcery.
“5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent
heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who "will render to each one according to
his deeds": 7 eternal life to those who by patient
continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but
to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness--indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and
anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the
Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works
what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
(Romans 2:5-10)
Another proof that God hears the cries against
evildoers who abuse others for selfish wants
“4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields,
which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have
reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.”
(James 5:4)
Below are passages that explain how the 3
sin-categories have death penalties from God, whether the country or people enforce
them or not. Keep in mind that the only nation in history that carried these
out, was the nation of Hebrew/Israel when they were ruled by God (as King and
Judge), and that was before Jesus came. With that said, you will see below that
God does still expect governments to execute some form of justice and
punishment on these types of sins.
>>
1) Illegal Murder (not killing, not judicial execution – unlawful murder). God established government to judicially
execute someone who illegally and unlawfully murders another person, so as to
stop the pattern of illegal/unlawful murder. Execution is not wrong, but
illegal/unlawful murder is always wrong.
“6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, By
man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man. 7 And
as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Bring forth
abundantly in the earth And multiply in it."”
(Genesis 9:6-7)
“12 He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely
be put to death. 13 However, if he did not lie in wait, but God
delivered him into his hand,
then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.” (Exodus
21:12-13)
“9 Then the LORD
said to Cain, "Where is
Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 And He said,
"What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:9-10)
Even the apostle Paul had this problem, because he wrongfully
judicially executed followers of Jesus *before* his conversion to becoming an
honorable follower of Jesus. And because of this, Paul had extra trouble in his
life, because he wrongfully judicially executed the innocent. (See 2Corinthians 11) So, you’ll see in Paul’s
life that the consequences were lessened in a way, but still there, but his soul
was saved through Jesus Christ and God protected him despite many trials.
“10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named
Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias."
And he said, "Here I am, Lord." 11 So the Lord said to him, "Arise
and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for
behold, he is praying. 12 And in
a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might
receive his sight." 13 Then Ananias answered,
"Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to
Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here
he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name." 15 But the Lord said to
him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the
children of Israel. 16 For I will
show him how many things he must suffer for My name's
sake." 17 And Ananias went his way and entered the
house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus,
who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive
your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 Immediately
there fell from his eyes something
like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. 19 So
when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with
the disciples at Damascus.” (Acts 9:10-19)
>> 2) S*xual sins (all types and categories)
“19 "Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to
death.” (Exodus 22:19)
Leviticus 18 and 20 explain very clearly a wide
variety of sins s*xual sins that carry a death penalty from God. And those sins
are what Jesus was specifically referring to in *His* millstone judgment.
“3 and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are
converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the Kingdom
of Heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. 5 Whoever receives one
little child like this in My name receives Me. 6 "But
whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be
better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in
the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For
offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! 8 If
your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to
enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be
cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to
sin, pluck it out and cast it
from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than
having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. 10 "Take heed
that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in Heaven
their angels always see the face of My Father who is in Heaven. 11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which
was lost.” (Matthew 18:3-11)
>>
3) Witchcraft or sorcery
This is to mean intentionally consulting demons
(enemies of God) to try to attack God or attack followers of Jesus, or conjure
up lies that will deceive people into following satan
to get their sin wants. “18 "You shall not permit a sorceress to live… 20 "He
who sacrifices to any god,
except to the LORD only, he shall
be utterly destroyed.” (Exodus 22:18, 20)
“26 'You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall
you practice divination or soothsaying.” (Leviticus 19:26)
“9 "When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall
not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10 There
shall not be found among you anyone
who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who
interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells,
or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For
all who do these things are an
abomination to the LORD, and
because of these abominations the LORD
your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be
blameless before the LORD your
God. 14 For these nations which you will dispossess listened to
soothsayers and diviners…” (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)
Keep notes of conclusion on
this important piece
Now just because someone has done any of those sins,
doesn’t mean they are condemned to Hell and the eternal Lake of Fire. The more
they have gone into any of those sins, though, the more wrath
they have hanging over their head like a cloud of judgment, awaiting to be
attached in a righteous trial or at God’s Throne at the end of all things.
However, with that said, when someone confesses their sins to God and gives
their life to Jesus, the harshest penalty for those sins has been resolved in
Jesus Christ, because of His holy sacrifice in our place (Colossian 2:14). But,
as you saw with the apostle Paul (and even David in the Old Testament), just
because their soul gets saved, doesn’t mean they are absolved of all
consequences from their previous actions… but they can overcome the
consequences, through Jesus Christ and His Word, with the power of Holy Spirit.
Again, I repeat, that despite that fact that
seemingly no people carefully enforces these commands of the Lord, doesn’t mean
that God gave up His commands and holiness – it just means that they await the
final judgment, and sadly, evildoers spread and teach their evils until then,
and sadly many seem to learn evil, and then have to unlearn it the hard way.
Part 4 – the remedy, how then shall we live?
1) Repentance
Repentance is first and key. Vital.
Recognizing that God was not making arbitrary rules, but was giving rules to
save us from pain and turn our souls from evil to righteousness is the start.
God has allowed many u-turns. You are not beyond his grace. If you choose to
harden your heart in sin, God will not force you to change your mind, but He
will seek to help you see the error of your ways in hopes that you might come
to repentance.
“9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering
toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to
repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
Cry out to Him for mercy. He will hear you – even if
you’ve hardened your heart for years, you might still be able to get into Heaven, so as by
fire – with at least your soul saved, though all that you did is burned up in eternity.
“13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."”
(Romans 10:13)
“13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common
to man; but God is faithful,
who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 14 Therefore, my
beloved, flee from idolatry.” (1 Corinthians 10:13-14)
“9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners
will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you.
But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
(1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
2) Covenant
Make a covenant with Jesus to live for him all your
days, and let Him teach you and change you from the inside, with His Holy
Spirit.
“26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and
broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My
body." 27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks,
and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 For
this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission
of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from
now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom."
30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of
Olives.” (Matthew 26:26-30)
“34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and
loses his own soul? 37 Or what
will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous
and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes
in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."”
(Mark 8:34-38)
3) If you are truly grieved over your sins with
honest regret, you will automatically seek God’s presence and start walking in
humility, seeking God’s grace, and learning to walk holy. If you haven’t
already done so, give your life to Jesus, and ask Him to grow you, daily.
“15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to
them, that your progress may be evident to all.” (1 Timothy 4:15)
“5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add
to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge
self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to
godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who
lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness,
and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore,
brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and
election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for
so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-11)
3) Read and think about God’s Word daily.
“8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,
but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do
according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)
“9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed
according to Your word. 10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander
from Your commandments! 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You! 12 Blessed
are You, O LORD! Teach me Your
statutes! 13 With my lips I have declared All
the judgments of Your mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much
as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. 16 I
will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not
forget Your word.” (Psalm
119:9-16)
“33 But seek first the Kingdom of God
and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not
worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient
for the day is its own trouble.”
(Matthew 6:33-34)
“5 Trust in the LORD
with all your heart, And lean not on your own
understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall
direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. 8 It
will be health to your flesh, And strength to your
bones. 9 Honor the LORD
with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10 So
your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new
wine.11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; 12 For
whom the LORD loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom
he delights.” (Proverbs
3:5-12)
4) Clean house
Throw out your Trash Vendor (TV). Break up your
anti-Godly DVDs, CDs, books, magazines, etc. Burn anything you own that
directly ties into the demonic occult. Smash any carvings or idols you have –
throw them out. Be intentional about replacing those things with Bible on
MP3/CD and/or a lot more Bible readings. Start a home-church, instead of going
to your favorite 501c3 that promotes and excuses sins.
“36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know
assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and
Christ." 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest
of the apostles, "Men and
brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Then Peter said to them,
"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all
who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." 40 And
with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved
from this perverse generation." 41 Then those who gladly
received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were
added to them. 42 And
they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the
breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every
soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now
all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and
sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” (Acts 2:36-45)
“18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling
their deeds. 19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic
brought their books together and burned them
in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So
the Word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” (Acts 19:18-20)
“10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night,
in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will
melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be
burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought
you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and
hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be
dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless
we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which
righteousness dwells.” (2
Peter 3:10-13)
“14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For
what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has
light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial?
Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what
agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the
temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I
will be their God, And they shall
be My people." 17 Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." 18 "I will be a Father
to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says
the LORD Almighty." 1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in
the fear of God.” (2
Corinthians 6:14-18, 7:1)
“16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill
the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so
that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery,
hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness,
revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who
practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there
is no law. 24 And those who
are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If
we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let
us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
(Galatians 5:16-26)
5) Stand up to evil, become a Biblical protector
John
the Baptizer called out Rome’s Arab king over Israel, Herod, for stealing and
marrying his brother’s wife (Mark 6:16-19), and Herod and his mistress hated
him for it and wanted to murder John to silence him, but God protected John. (Luke
3:19). But John just kept preaching and teaching, and calling all people to
repent and walk holy. John knew how to preach effectively to everyone in a way
that could lead them to repentance, empowered by the Holy Spirit. John taught Roman
soldiers, tax collectors, rabbinical students, and many other types of people
how to walk holy. And you know what? Jesus personally gave John the Baptizer the
highest commendation he gave to any human, as being “more than a prophet”. Be like
John the Baptizer, or other prophets and righteous judges of God.
“20 When the men had come to Him, they said, "John
the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the
Coming One, or do we look for another?' " 21 And
that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and
to many blind He gave sight. 22 Jesus answered and said to
them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen
and heard: that the blind see, the
lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to
them. 23 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." 24 When the messengers of
John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft
garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in
kings' courts. 26 But what did
you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and
more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your
way before You.' 28 For I say to you, among
those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but
he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." 29 And
when all the people heard Him,
even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of
John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God
for themselves, not having been baptized by him.” (Luke 7:20-30)
Jesus
Himself commanded you and me to judge – yes, judge. He commanded us not to
judge by appearances, but to judge with right judgment.
“24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge
with righteous judgment."” (John 7:24)
God
commands us to stop having fellowship and giving approval to evil deeds, but
rather to expose them – not in detail about some of the vile things they do in
secret, but to boldly call out the perverts and predators and abusers.
“11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to speak of [the specific details
of]
those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all
things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes
manifest is light.” (Ephesians
5:11-13)
More
verses on what it means to be a Biblical protector:
“17 Learn to do good; Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. 18 "Come
now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be
as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool… 23
Your princes are
rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after
rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does
the cause of the widow come before them…” (Isaiah 1:17-18, 23)
>
True of Israel then, true of many pagan nations today, including the satanic
false “Christian” leaders in the US, *and* the false “Jewish” leaders in
Israel, today.
“6 With what shall I come before the LORD, And bow
myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my
body for the sin of my soul? 8
He has shown you, O man, what is
good; And what does the LORD require of you? To do justly, To
love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:6-8)
“1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a
complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were
neglected in the daily distribution. 2 Then the twelve summoned the
multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should
leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, seek
out from among you seven men of good
reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this
business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to
the ministry of the Word." 5 And the saying pleased the whole
multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and
Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from
Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had
prayed, they laid hands on them. 7 Then the word of God spread, and
the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many
of the priests were obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:1-7)
“43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and
signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were
together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their
possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in
the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with
gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having
favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who
were being saved.” (Acts
2:43-47)