True or False
2) Christians struggle with sin because of their old self within.
3) We should wait on God even before making everyday decisions.
4) When we sin against God, we're out of fellowship until we repent.
5) Old Testament Law is written on Christians' hearts so we want to obey it.
6) The Bible tells us that Christians can obtain many rewards in heaven.
7) Christians will give an account for their sins at the great white throne.
8) Christians should tithe at least 10 percent of their income to the church.
9) God gets angry with us when we repeatedly sin against him.
10) God looks at us as though we are righteous, even though we are really not.
Questions posed by Andrew Farley. Feel free to post your answers. I will post Andrew's answers in a day or two.
10 comments:
1. Yes, repentance is a central theme in the Scriptures, through the Tenakh and the New Testament.
2. Everyone struggles with sin because of the first man sinning.
3. No.
4. No.
5. No, not yet. Jeremiah 31 prophesies what the New Covenant will be: God writing the Law on our hearts. But it also prophesies that, when fulfilled, we'll no longer have to tell each other "Know the Lord", since everyone will know him. Bottom line: it's not yet fulfilled.
I hope Farley doesn't conjure up some silly theology that makes the Law mean something other than God's Law, the only one Jeremiah knew of.
6. Yes.
7. Yes, everyone will, not just Christians.
8. No. There's nothing at all in the Scriptures to suggest this. The 10% thing comes from the Torah, had to do with the nation of Israel and the priests in the Holy Temple. Not the modern Christian church.
9. Yes. God's anger raged against Israel for their sin, to the point he scattered Israel and let enemy nations overtake her. Did this suddenly change with Jesus? There's not Scriptures to suggest it did.
10. No, I don't think so.
1) Christians should ask God to forgive and cleanse them when they sin.
No, Christians are already forgiven and cleansed of all unrighteousness.
2) Christians struggle with sin because of their old self within.
No, the "old self" has died (was crucified with Christ), and no longer lives. The new self is holy and righteous. Rom 7:17,20 both say that the problem is not the old self, but "sin that dwells in me." "It is no longer I."
3) We should wait on God even before making everyday decisions.
No.
4) When we sin against God, we're out of fellowship until we repent.
No, we are in an inseparable union with God, never in broken fellowship.
5) Old Testament Law is written on Christians' hearts so we want to obey it.
No, it's not the Old Testament law that's written on our hearts. It's the spirit of the law. The Old Testament Law has been "wiped out," "taken out of the way," "nailed to the cross." The life of Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the law (but not the law itself) is now our very life.
6) The Bible tells us that Christians can obtain many rewards in heaven.
No.
7) Christians will give an account for their sins at the great white throne.
No. The Bible does not say that Christians will give an account for their sins.
8) Christians should tithe at least 10 percent of their income to the church.
Don't get me started. :)
9) God gets angry with us when we repeatedly sin against him.
No, not at all. There are all kinds of scriptures that exhort us to put to death the deeds of the flesh because we live in God's love and grace, not because He'll be angry with us if we sin. Any and all punishment and wrath for sin was taken care of on the cross.
10) God looks at us as though we are righteous, even though we are really not.
No, He has literally made us righteous.
True or False
1) Christians should ask God to forgive and cleanse them when they sin.
If we confess our sins he is faithful to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - John
2) Christians struggle with sin because of their old self within.
Because of the paradox between our positional truth (already) and our experiential truth (not yet) - we must die daily, as Paul said.
3) We should wait on God even before making everyday decisions.
?? Walking in God does not always mean waiting on God.. ?? Don't think He is too concerned about what brand of toothpaste I use.
4) When we sin against God, we're out of fellowship until we repent.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God.. (Romans 8)
5) Old Testament Law is written on Christians' hearts so we want to obey it.
"Likewise my brothers, you also have died to the law so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead... so we serve, not under the old written code, but in the new life of the Spirit." - Romans 7 A New Covenant (contract) has new terms.. it is not the old one restated. Spent 6 years trying to be Torah Observant. It led away from Christ, not toward Him.
6) The Bible tells us that Christians can obtain many rewards in heaven.
If so, I'm not familiar with that.
7) Christians will give an account for their sins at the great white throne.
I believe our sins our blotted out - as far as the east is from the west, and in the depths of the ocean, God said - to remember them no more. When does that happen? Only after we give account? Doesn't fit. John 5:24?
8) Christians should tithe at least 10 percent of their income to the church.
Old Covenant.. NC requires your everything.. not just 10%.
9) God gets angry with us when we repeatedly sin against him.
He chastises, prunes those he loves.. It's not anger, it's love.
10) God looks at us as though we are righteous, even though we are really not.
Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith
Just lost all my answers, (browser glitch) but I'll be interested to see the "answers". I am pretty adamant about #5... If I had a bone to pick. :D
guess they weren't lost after all! lol. DOH! :D
It has taken me a little longer than I anticipated to back to this. The answers to Andrews quiz are as follows:
False (or No) to all questions. I think Joel's response lines up well with what Andrew would say. I won't go into detail on any of them, but will discuss disagreements or questions.
I will say this, however...repentance is important, but question 1 specifically dealt with forgiveness. 8th day brought up 1 John 1:9, but I believe that verse, as was the whole chapter, was written to Gnostic unbelievers. I may write a blog specifically about that soon.
8th day: Can you give me your first name, 8th day seems kind of impersonal. :)
Definitely interested in your take on #1. I just see it as the process of sanctification - and have experienced personal and drastic deliverance in that simple act. Love to hear your thoughts though. I'll follow you over to Wordpress. I got one there too! :D
Sondra
8thday4life,
I'll take a stab at it. :) As Gary already mentioned, that chapter was directed to the Gnostics in the church body that John was writing to. But in addition to that, the idea of Christians confessing their sins in order to receive forgiveness and cleansing goes against what the rest of the NT says about what is already true of the believer. The rest of the "if we's" in 1 John 1 are also the same.
According to other scriptures, believers are already cleansed of all sin. We are already in the light. Etc, etc. The NT scriptures say that we have become new creations, "born again of incorruptible seed." We are already holy and righteous. It's who we are through the blood of Jesus and through His resurrection.
So it seems very legitimate to me to say that John was addressing the unbelievers who would hear or read the letter, to show them how to become a Christian - not to show Christians how to continue being a Christian.
Sondra,
I haven't had time to write that post on 1 John 1:9. Turns out I didn't need to; Joel wrote one that is very good. It is a two parter, here is the link to part 1
http://blog.graceroots.org/2010/03/one-john-one-nine-part-one.html
Gary
Sondra,
Here is the link to part 2:
http://blog.graceroots.org/2010/03/one-john-one-nine-part-two.html
Gary
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