Tag Archives: forgiveness

Leviticus 17-20; Opinion or Fact?

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I have been sharing my opinions on Scripture with you for several years now. I know I am not an authority. I know there are those who have studied and researched God’s Word much more than I. I understand that what I share is often personal. But I pray every day that what I share doesn’t deviate from the Truth God inspired men to write to us here in 2017.

The past couple of days I have been researching, reading various opinions, looking at opposing positions trying to get a handle on a very explosive subject. When I tell you I did not go into this looking merely for people who agree with my position, that would be true. In fact, I read more from people with different views.

But, with all the opinions out there. I will let the Bible be the final authority. I will be careful not to change the wording to fit my point of view. I will not tell you what it means contrary to what it says. I know it was written thousands of years ago. I know we don’t live in the same culture as then. I know the Greek and Hebrew words can be difficult to put into English. However, my final take on this subject will be what the Bible I have in front of me says. Not what I want it to say. Maybe not what you want it to say.

The hot topic is homosexuality. I wanted to look at this from as many angles as I could because some people I love have accepted the “Progressive” or “Reformed” view and believe committed homosexuals can be Jesus followers. Is there something to their opinion? I set out to see for myself.

The verses that address this in these chapters in Leviticus are 18:22, (reinforced in 29) and 20:13. In both cases it uses the words “lie with a man,” and “detestable.” Both are part of a long list of sexual behaviors God is speaking against, including incest and sex with animals.

I find it interesting that many of the opinions I read wanted to talk about things like Paul’s direction to the church that women should be silent, and that men should have short hair, and no tattoos. I’d like to stick with what the Bible says about homosexuality. I’d rather not chase a rabbit trail.

I could find no provision for a homosexual relationship, committed or casual, in the Bible. I can’t even find implied consent. The verses I could find in the Old Testament use the words “detestable” or “perverted” in relationship to homosexuality. Some would rather believe that Sodom wasn’t destroyed because homosexuality was practiced openly in that city. I can find verses that make a direct link between homosexuality and the fire that fell on them. I cannot find a verse that says otherwise. If you know of one, I hope you’ll share.

Not implied. A specific verse that contradicts the ones that say homosexuality was a cause of the city’s punishment.

And I would also like to find a verse that says homosexuality is NOT detestable to God. If you know of one that specifically says it, please share that one, too. I can find several that call homosexuality detestable, even a perversion. I can’t put a finger on one that contradicts that.

Some of the resources I looked at said that Jesus came to fulfill the law, so that these specific commandments look different after the cross. They say that because Jesus didn’t address the issue specifically, it implies that He didn’t consider it a big deal after all.

Perhaps. Or maybe it implies He thought we’d know better. Like we know that incest, and having sex with animals are sins, too. He didn’t speak directly about those, either.

Paul had some things to say about homosexuality. For instance, in Romans he called it “unnatural.” In I Timothy he said it was “contrary to sound doctrine.” These verses are specifically speaking about homosexuality as plain as anything.

From what I can see, the Bible is consistent in calling homosexuality a sin. The next question is, can a person knowingly living in sin be a Jesus follower? I can find a lot of verses that talk about dealing with sin, avoiding sin, repenting of sin. I can’t find one that addresses condoning or allowing sin to exist in our lives.

Again, help me out if you know of a verse that speaks about God overlooking sin, or turning a blind eye to sin, or changing His mind about sin.

It’s hard to let the Bible be the final authority when there are so many opinions out there. I have come to the conclusion, however, that as politically incorrect as it is, homosexuality is not acceptable behavior according to Scripture. It is a sin. But it is a sin Jesus died to forgive.

I Corinthians 6:9-11 gives us hope. In these verses, Paul listed people caught up in sin.  Idol worshipers, thieves, drunks, homosexual offenders. Then he said that is what some of them WERE. “But you have been washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Sin is forgivable. All sin is forgivable, except the sin of refusing forgiveness. I am not a homophobe, or a hater of homosexuals. In fact, I love them enough to be truthful in the face of all the lies out there. Believe it or not, approve of it or not, homosexuality is a sin. You cannot follow Jesus if you harbor sin in your life. You just can’t. Not the sin of lying, or gossip, or adultery, or homosexuality.

The Bible teaches that when we sin we can confess that sin, and God is faithful to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I love Him for that!

So here is yet another post of my opinions on a matter. I have tried to base my opinion on the facts presented in Scripture. I pray that you will recognize that I want the Bible to be the final authority. If what I have shared is contrary to God’s Word, please forgive me. Please correct me. I want only to know God and be true to His precious Word.

Because my opinions are worthless if they are not based on the Truth that God has revealed in the pages of the Bible.

And so are yours.

 

 

 

Leviticus 13-14; Free To Fly

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You don’t have to dig very deep in order to see Jesus through the laws God gave Moses for the children of Israel. He’s in there!

One of my favorite pictures of Christ within the Old Testament Law is found in Leviticus 14:1-7. It’s actually about how a person healed from a disease is able to be pronounced clean. If you read this you’ll find water and blood, wood, hyssop and scarlet yarn, life and death… and life.

It’s about two birds. One bird is killed and its blood dripped into fresh water. The other bird is kept alive, tied to cedar wood with hyssop and red thread, then dipped seven times into the mixture of water and blood.

Then (and this should make your heart soar) the bird still dripping with the bloody water, is released, free to fly the heavens once again.

We know Jesus died on a wooden cross, His blood shed, water poured out of His side. We know He took our sins on Himself, the perfect sacrifice… and then He flew! With Him He took my sin away as far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered ever again.

It’s a picture of me: dead in sin, alive in Christ, free from the chains of sin, free to fly.

Exodus 30-31; Five Bucks. Five Bucks.

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Each Jewish adult was required to pay a ransom for his or her life. (30:12) The price was half a shekel, or about 8 grams of silver. So by today’s standards, a life was worth about five bucks. (chabad.org)

A rich person wasn’t worth more than a poor person. A poor person’s debt wasn’t simply forgiven for lack of funds. Men didn’t pay more than women. Healthy not more than the sick.

Five bucks.

This says two things to me. 1) We are all equal in God’s eyes. That may give you warm fuzzies, but the reality is we are all equally guilty in God’s eyes. We all have sinned. We all are his enemies. We are all in need of redemption. But…

2) Jesus paid it all!!

Jesus went to the cross and died once for all. My ransom cost Him exactly what yours did. The wages of sin is death. Jesus died. I’m no more special than you, no more chosen than you, no more loved than you.

Jesus paid my ransom at the same time and in the same way He paid yours. I am forgiven because I’ve accepted His work on the cross and claimed it for my own. I pray you have done the same.

Exodus 27-29; A Step Further

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There were a lot of hoops Aaron and his sons had to jump through before they could do the work of the priests. From the top of their heads to the tip of their toes, from what they ate to where they ate it, from what animal they used in the sacrificed to what they did with every inch of the animal, nothing was left to chance. Their instructions, which were many, were clearly spelled out so the Jews could have their sins forgiven.

But after all that, even if carried out to the letter, the ceremony and sacrifices could only cover their sins, none of it could actually take those sins away. (Heb 10:4)

Only Jesus can do that. (Heb 9:15, 26; Romans 3:23)

Scripture tells us that when Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice, He washed our sins away, removed them as far as the east is from the west, buried them in the deepest sea, and promises never to remember them ever again.

What we read in Exodus is a picture of the intricate details Jesus fulfilled. But He went a step further. And I am praising Him today because He did!

Exodus 17-18; Tap The Rock

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Someone said there is no thirst quite as painful as thirst in a desert. The pounding heat from the sun, the hot sand on your feet, the dry air burning your lungs with every breath can drive a person mad if they have no water. And it doesn’t take long before a person feels the overwhelming thirst in that situation.

Water. Water. Water is the only focus at times like these. And that is what the Jews were experiencing in the desert, when God instructed Moses to take his staff, tap the rock, and watch the refreshing salvation pour out.

Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, says that rock we see in Exodus is a picture of Jesus. If you know Him as your Savior, you most likely have experienced the refreshing that comes when the Holy Spirit is poured out in you, your sins are washed away, and you stand before a Holy God, absolutely clean.

Have you tapped into the Rock? I pray that is so.

Exodus 11&12; Only The Blood

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This is salvation. When God instructed the Israelites about the final plague, he painted a picture of what He was prepared to do Himself. The perfect lamb, slain, it’s blood painted around the door, it’s meat ingested, resulting in life and freedom from bondage, and the hope of the Promised Land.

The blood that saved them from certain death, while those without the blood suffered unspeakable loss. The blood, the only means of salvation.

Yes, that’s Jesus. God didn’t require anything of His people He wasn’t willing to fulfill Himself. He demanded obedience of His children, and He was obedient to His Father. That blood protected the families from death. Not might, or intellect, or self-effort. It was only the blood.

And it is still only the blood. What protects you from the consequences of sin? Without the blood of Jesus, there is no protection at all.

Genesis 18 – The Lie

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My fifth grade English teacher, Mrs. Majors, was collecting homework one day. She always collected the papers alphabetically so, with a last name beginning with Z, I had plenty of time to sweat. I hadn’t done my homework. I watched her praise the kids who put their papers on her desk, and yell at and lecture the few who didn’t.

So when she finally got to me, I said, “It’s in my locker.”

“Ok,” she said. “Class, you may sit in your seats and talk. Connie and I are going to go look for her homework.”

Mrs. Majors told me to get the trash can. She took me into the hall while I heard my classmates chatting and laughing and enjoying some free time. Then she stood behind me while I pulled every book, every piece of paper, every pencil out of that locker.

A few times I’d look at her with what I’m sure was a helpless look, only to hear her firmly say “Keep going. It must be there if you said it’s there.”

I kept “looking.” I threw away things  I didn’t need, straightened out the things I needed, knowing full well I wasn’t going to find that homework.

She knew that, too.

Sarah was a barren old woman. Her hopes for having a child had been dashed every month for decades. I can understand the sadness, the stress, and disappointment she must have lived with all those years.

In chapter 18 of Genesis she was probably post-menopausal, well past child-bearing years. So when she overheard Abraham’s conversation about her having a child, she laughed. Was it a belly laugh or a snicker, did the thought tickle her or was there bitterness in her laugh? We don’t know.

But when the Lord asked Abraham why Sarah laughed, did she think God couldn’t do what He said, Sarah lied:

“I didn’t laugh.”

The Lord replied. “Oh, yes you did.”

Too often our first response to being “caught” is to lie. I wasn’t speeding, officer. The check is in the mail. My homework is in my locker. But who are we kidding?

I am reminded that God is not fooled. If I hear a sermon that convicts me, I might promise to change, or to do that thing God is calling me to do, knowing full well I probably won’t. If I am talking to Christian friends, I might say something like, “I never drink too much” or “I usually read my Bible every day” or “I’ll pray about that with you” or “I don’t look at porn” or “I would never…” and all the time, if we’re honest with ourselves, we know it’s not true.

Hear what God said to Sarah and know that you aren’t fooling Him a bit. Don’t try to lie to Him. It will never work. He knows.

And He loves you. He created us and understands our imperfections. He died to forgive that sin, that lie. Be quick to ask His forgiveness instead of wasting time denying it.

You might not have to miss recess.

December 30 – Doomed

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Revelation 12-18

The Book of Revelation is a book of hope for Christians. In His revelation to John, God tells us to hold on to Him. Life will be hard. But if we remain on God’s side – we win.

But reading these chapters also makes me sad for those who reject Him. Oh, they might appear to have some victories here and there during this lifetime. But they are doomed.

It makes me sad that, as I read the imagery of the seven bowls of wrath, people continue to reject God, even when His power and authority are demonstrated in undeniable ways. Read chapter 16 and see them scorched with fierce heat, and blaspheming God. Or gnawing their tongues because of pain, and refusing to repent. Or blaspheming God even when hundred pound hailstones are falling on their heads.

Over and over God reveals Himself: nature declares His glory, Jesus reveals God in the flesh, changed lives, strength in weakness, joy in sorrow.

God nudges, and woos lost people. He also disciplines and pours out His wrath to get their attention. I see a God who is not willing that anyone die without Him, and who will go to any lengths to win each and every one while they still draw breath.

But, hear me. Those who take that last breath without accepting what God offers through His Son are doomed. There are no do-overs, no second chances in eternity. What you choose in this lifetime makes all the difference.

Christian, as you read the book of Revelation with me, let’s rejoice in the truth that God is the ultimate authority. That Satan’s defeat is inevitable. And that God is preparing a place for us to spend eternity with Him in more glory and splendor than we can imagine.

But if you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, I pray that you will begin the new year on the winning side. God is going to be true to His Word. One day, at the name of Jesus EVERY knee will bow.. That means you, dear one. EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus is who He says He is. Like it or not, you will recognize that you are doomed without Him. Please don’t let that happen.

Holy God, thank You for giving this revelation to John. We can see that the war between You and Satan is played out here on planet Earth. And we can see that You are the victor! God, I am so glad I am counted as Yours, that You are fighting my battles right this minute, and that one day I am going to heaven to be with You. Father, I pray for those who don’t yet call You Lord. May they humble themselves, repent of sin, and accept your gift of Grace through Your Son, Jesus. I pray that no one reading this blog will meet you in eternity doomed.

December 19 – Enemies

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Titus

One thing that I’ve come to realize during this year in God’s Word is that non-believers are enemies of God. That is a hard pill to swallow because I have loved ones who fit that description. I know some really nice, good people who fit that description as well, for the fact that they refuse to accept God’s grace. I don’t want anyone I love to be considered His enemy when God looks at them.

But here’s how God treats His enemies while they still draw a breath: He died for them. He holds their forgiveness in His hands. He woos them, or strikes them, or blesses them, all the while giving them every opportunity to accept Him. It isn’t until they leave this life that He gives up on them.

Here’s what spoke to me today: Sometimes I think we Christians are too hard on God’s enemies. Some Christians feel pious hatred toward homosexuals, or child molesters, atheists, women who’ve had abortions, Muslims. We have a measure of godly indignation and condemn them to hell because that’s what they deserve.

But Paul tells Timothy to “malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.” (3:2) But surely he didn’t mean those awful sinners, did he?

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  (3:3-7)

Have you ever heard, “There but for the grace of God go I”? That’s what Paul wants us to adopt as our attitude toward those who don’t know God. It’s only God’s grace that renders you forgiven, clean, a friend of God. And it’s only God’s grace that will do the same for the vilest offend who truly believes, or for that nice little old lady down the street who has not yet surrendered her life to the Lord.

Christian, let’s determine to reveal God’s love to His enemies. But let’s not forget that their sin is making them an enemy of God.He is not willing that any should die without Him. We shouldn’t be, either.

 

December 12 – A Clear Conscience

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Acts 20:4-23:35

Paul said something to the Council in Jerusalem that got my attention. Paul, as Saul, had persecuted the church. He was responsible for the imprisonment of hundreds of men and women who were guilty of nothing more than believing in Jesus. He was present when Stephen was stoned to death, even approving of the murder.

But in 23:1 he said, “Brethern, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.”

Seriously? Paul could say he wasn’t overcome with guilt about his past? Shouldn’t what he’d done give him sleepless nights over feelings of regret?

This week I have struggled with memories of how I treated my parents, both of whom now live with Jesus. Did mom know how much I appreciated the white suit she had made for me for homecoming? Did she forgive me for unkind words I’d said to her in my youth? Why did I choose to go to that jewelry party at my coworker’s house instead of welcoming Dad the night he drove 60 miles to surprise me? Mom had died. He was alone and lonely. And I didn’t stay. Why didn’t I hug my nephew the last time I saw him? Our eyes connected, but we didn’t hug. And he died a few days later. Did he know how much I loved him?

Friends, I have a guilty conscience. I see the faces of friends I betrayed, the looks of people who received the biting words I said, the hurt I caused. And I am sitting here weeping with regret.

I didn’t commit the sins Paul did. Yet he could say he had a perfectly good conscience before God. HOW?

I am reminded that I am forgiven. Jesus took the guilt upon Himself. I can stand before Him with a good conscience because when God looks at me He sees Jesus’ perfection. He’s forgiven me of all those things I did and didn’t do, and He’s forgotten them. I am guilt-free as far as He’s concerned.

So when I struggle with guilt, like I have these past days, I need to recognize that it’s not coming from my Savior. It’s Satan’s attempt to make me a slave to my past.

God, forgive me for falling for that. Thank you for forgiving me. I am a sinner. I am guilty of unspeakable sins. And I can feel pretty bad about them. Help me to remember that Jesus died so that those sins can be washed away, never to be remembered by You ever again. Help me to rejoice in my salvation, to never live another minute regretting what I can’t change. And give me the power to not repeat the sins I’ve committed. I don’t want to miss the joy of living with a perfectly good conscience before the God who gave it to me.