Is it the Church in the World or the World in the Church?

[Richard OFfill]

Whatever happened to sin? As far as the culture is concerned sin seem to be disappearing. This is because sin is being declassified. This is being done in three ways:

1. Make the guilty one the victim.

   In two separate cases in England, a barmaid who stabbed another woman to death in a barroom brawl, and a woman who angrily drove her car into her lover were both acquitted of murder after they claimed acute premenstrual syndrome.


2. Make sin a disease.

  For example the Bible calls it gluttony. Modern psychology calls it an Eating Disorder

 The Bible calls them drunkards. Modern psychology calls them Alcoholics. And by the way modern psychology says that it is a sickness for life and is incurable and can only be held in remission through AA.

 Tiger Woods went to rehab for 'sexual compulsion'

3. Call it a dysfunction.

    "Dysfunction"  is a way to get out of responsibility ie. "my family is dysfunctional" . The psychologist says, " Lets look into your past and  see why you are acting the way you are."

The gospel calls us to repent. Repent means that we admit that we are guilty and responsible for our sins. If we don't confess our sins we cannot be forgiven. 1John 1:9. Jesus came to save sinners. This generation doesn't want to be held responsible for its actions. Unfortunately for them, the judgment says we are.

Check again the three ways that sin is being declassified and you will see at once that unfortunately these philosophies have crept into the church and as a result they are eroding the plan of salvation. The false wisdom of man is putting at naught the wisdom of God. Psychology says look backward. The Word says 'forgetting the things that are behind.....'

Much of what is purported in many of our churches to be 'Christ centered' is actually Freud centered!

[Raven]

Sad, but true.

[V. Hahn]

Very profound, Pastor.  Thank you for opening my eyes!

[Carl]

Just few of many ways where the devil is using Political Correctness to make people ripe for the mark of the beast. The insanity plea is another way where murderers get away from punishment, the most recent being the shooter of Senator Gifford.

[Larry Lyons]

"ATHENS,Greece (AP) Greek disabled groups are angry at a government decision to expand a list of state-recognized disability categories to include pedophiles, exhibitionists and kleptomaniacs.

The National Confederation of Disabled People called the action "incomprehensible," and said pedophiles are now awarded a higher disability pay than some people who have received organ transplants.

But the Labor Ministry on Monday said categories added to the expanded list-that also includes pyromaniacs, compulsive gamblers, fetishists and sadomasochists- were included for purposes of medical assessment and used as a gauge for allocating financial assistance."

The article sounds like a joke, but I guess it is an example of how far things can go when everything becomes a medical problem instead of a behavior problem in need of a legal response.

Incidentally, the nation of Greece is insolvent. As I understand it, the main reason is that, much like the United States, they have been running on borrowed money to the point they can no longer service their debt (pay interest on it) and is now depending on a bail out by the other nations in the Eurozone in order to avoid total collapse. In the light of that article, they seem to be living as though there is no tomorrow.

Addendum: I just read in another article that Greece's bailout money is destined to be spent on American Apache helicopters, A British warship (frigate) and German Submarines.

[Soli Deo Gloria]

Sin is a disease that the entire human race was infected with because of Adam 's sin.

So, yes, alcoholism is a disease, but it is also sin.

There are documented familial tendencies toward alcohol addiction.

All illness is a result of sin.

I agree that there is personal responsibility with the illnesses which are also addictions.

We must have compassion for those bound by these serious addictions.

It is easy to condemn those affected, but we must always hold out compassion for sinners.

Jesus came to save sinners. The grace of Christ is able to free people from all addictions.

Stan

[Richard OFfill]

Stan,

Who would the Bible classify as Drunkards?

[Soli Deo Gloria]

I believe the Bible would classify as drunkards those who get obviously drunk or intoxicated from binge drinking or from chronic alcoholism.

Jesus came to save drunkards as well as all sinners.