Into the Light

In my last post I shared verses that talked about the Bible and belief, rules made by man versus following God.  I was taught many years ago not to take man's word at face value - yes even "religious" men.  Always search the scripture for yourself and ask "What does the Bible say?"  Read the entire chapter or book, not just one scripture here and there which can be taken out of context.  It's a thing called "proof-texting".  So-called religious people very often pull as scripture to back up their point regardless of what the original, God-breathed, intent is.  


Which brings me to dark versus light. 


"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:9,10 


"Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 
 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." Isaiah 59:1,2

"This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished." Romans 3:23-25

"The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21

"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them." James 4:17  OUCH!

Most people think of the 10 commandments when the word 'sin' is brought up.  Have you thought about these?

"For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. Matthew 15:9

“What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Mark 7:20-23

"They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." Romans 1:29-32

I don't know about you, but I'm guilty.  Praise be to God it doesn't end there. I'm not burdened by the guilt of sin.  You don't have to be either!  There is more to the story! Sin is being in the dark.  Jesus wants us to be in the light, His glorious light!!!  

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

" Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter." 2 Corinthians 7:8-11