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All Becomes New

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That icon of me was an accident. But I had an afterthought.

When I took a writing class, my teacher said it was a good start, and was looking forward to when I finished. I thought I had finished, and was very hurt by that criticism. By the end, she would tell me it was great, and I would tell her it still needed something. She would arguethat she liked it, and I would argue, I can make it better.

In art classes, I didn't care if you like it or not, but wanted to know why, so I could grow as an artist. Be truthful, not "nice." Make the criticism constructive.

Having grown up around very religious parents and community, the message I heard most often was that we are sinners. God hates sin, so Jesus puts rose tinted glasses on the Father through his blood, so the Father sees our righteousness.

I remember hiding my first math test in 1st grade. My mom found it and I was scared about how angry she would be. She asked me why, and sobbing I said, I got 4 wrong." She said, "You got 96 right."

So, well into my 40s, God showed me something. He acknowledged my love for him, but my entire life, he had been holding out his arms with love for me. I was just convinced, I suppose that deep down i didn't deserve God's love, nor was it there, because I wasn't perfect,

So, "pointing out one's sin", especially when that is the focus, with phrases like "backsliding", focus on you as a sinner who got 4 wrong. We need to also focus on the fruit of the spirit someone displays, the 96 they get right.

And while I assume the woman offended, saying, "My sin?? What sin do I have?" wasn't sinless. But maybe she understood how unloving it sounds to say "i love you, but not your sin."

Maybe you can watch this and tell me what you think? Tell me your perspective on this, I would like to hear it to know your perspective. Moreso, I would like to know how this video makes you feel. Does it makes you feel good or bad? Does it make you feel convicted? Does it make you feel joyous? Something along those lines.

 
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Beanieboy

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Here is some thing perhaps you will consider.

Just because people abuse certain truths, doesn't change what is actually True. This seems to be something I think you are focussing on a bit. Let me say it this way... if Jonny steals a toy from Billy, but then Billy goes up to Jonny and smacks him in the head, was it wrong of Jonny to steal the toy from Billy? OR Jonny steals a toy from Billy and Sally goes and tattles on Jonny and then Jonny gets a timeout and Sally laughs at Jonny for getting a timeout, it doesn't mean it was okay for Jonny to steal from Billy. In other words, two wrongs do not make a right, but it doesn't change what is right either.

Make sense?

Sorry, you lost me.
Johnny steals a toy from Billy. It's wrong. If Billy punches Johnny, now Johnny and Billy are wrong, because, even provoked, Billy punching Johnny is not an acceptable response in say kindergarten.

Sally wants to get in on this, so she tattles on Johnny, then laughs at him in time out. Sally is wrong, because rather than trying to help Billy get his toy back, she is happy just to see Johnny get in trouble. So, now I believe she is wrong.

Are there times when stealing is ok? From a Christian view, you know Thou Shalt Not Steal, and are trying to justify it, so as to avoid punishment. But sitting Johnny, Billy, and Sally down to ask "when is stealing ok" with a couple of circumstances to offer, such as stealing bread to feed your hungry children, teaches them nothing.

What should happen here is Johnny is asked why he stole the toy. Maybe Billy didn't want to share. The teacher talks about appropriate ways to respond beyond punching. Sally was tattling, rather than informing, the teacher, and she needs to know the difference.

I just don't understand what truth is abused.
 
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Beanieboy

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Maybe you can watch this and tell me what you think? Tell me your perspective on this, I would like to hear it to know your perspective. Moreso, I would like to know how this video makes you feel. Does it makes you feel good or bad? Does it make you feel convicted? Does it make you feel joyous? Something along those lines.


Honestly, I was surprised that he referred to frequency without being attacked for new age thinking, when he is spot on. There is a kind of frequency for both God and the Devil.

I see the lower vibrations as lack of love, and focusing on self, or selfishness. So, there are earthly goals of wealth, especially wealth that exploited another, physical external beauty, exclusiveness like Country Clubs, fame where you are idolized.

When it comes to God's frequency, it is about humility, generosity, purifying the soul, kindness, empathy, mercy.

But I kind of do that "cringe" thing, not because of what is said or him speaking about it, but how I know the vast majority sadly receives it.

They here "you once walked in sin", believe they no longer do so, then look down on nonChristians, believing the are celebrating their sin, evil people, at war with Christians. And these are people they don't know - basically, the Pharisees approach to "sinners."

I often wonder, what would an average day look like for those they believe walk in sin? You wake up. Call in sick, which is a lie, shoot heroine, sell drugs at the playground, hit an old lady in your car for fun, and have lunch?

What if the nonChristian went to the grocery store for an elderly neighbor, then went to their job as a nurse, having to fight with people in the ICU that covid was a hoax, and despite needing to occasionally take a minute to cry about the stress, about being called a liar when she is trying to help, she forgives them.

I have a hard time believing that she is "walking in sin".

If someone is Christian, goes to church, etc., but his way of thanking Christ is somehow believing he is better than the sinners, who wallow in their sin like pigs, what frequency had he tuned into? People like this are nearly impossible to talk to, to be the nurse trying to convince them they need intensive care, when I have medical training. God has often called me to speak to people like that, and I would say, "Do i have to? They have claws?"

What I get from the passage is that slowly, my frequency of the Earth, has switched to the frequency of God because I allowed it, not because of what I have done.

I then live by example, rather than demand others obey me.
 
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Beanieboy

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God will condemn people, our position is to be merciful and loving as God would deal with us when we mess up. We can also share the word with others to.

My problem with this kind of message is the focus on condemning when we mess up. Jesus said, "I was hungry and you fed me," not "thanks for not killing me or stealing my stuff."

And he said all laws are fulfilled when we love our neighbor, and when we don't love our neighbor, we don't love God. It is the main importance of what Christ taught, yet instead, there is so much focus on not breaking one of 1000s of Laws.
 
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Beanieboy

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I remember the pentecostal people I spent time with, and they seemed to constantly focus on sin. Every time you, say, listened to secular music, whether it was Marilyn Manson or the Carpenters, you sinned. You backslid. All music had to praise God. Rarely did they ever talk about how to love their neighbor unless it was pointing out their sin.

If you have not love, you don't know God, and you have nothing.
 
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Beanieboy

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John 3:16 is about having eternal life for those who BELIEVE, not everyone. God gave his Son for all, but it is only those who BELIEVE who have eternal life. We STILL sin even as believers. Paul talks about this in Romans 7.

Believe what? Even Satan believes Christ exists.
 
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mlepfitjw

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Hi beanie. You are right , I don’t agree with people condemning others. For myself has been in the position of being chastened by God in life. As a Father treats his son. We look at ourself in the mirror for what we have done and not forget it. This is response you are giving towards loving God and loving others. At one point I use to hate God and hate others. Then it moved to believing in God but at first it was a prideful attitude and judging others. Then progressing further it turned in to Loving God and loving others, forgiving my own faults, and the faults of others. Gods mercy is what turns people towards changing their mind.
 
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mlepfitjw

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Very thankful the Lord Jesus Christ paid the sins of all mankind and not just specific people. Christians sin is when they fail to Love God or fail to love their neighbor. They will know when guilt or shame for their actions hits them, and quench the spirit God is gonna put it on their hearts. No need in running around picking people out God is capable.

If we walk in faith in spirit and in truth of the Lord Jesus Christ there is no condemnation. For we love God and we Love our neighbor.

Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
 
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Beanieboy

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Hi beanie. You are right , I don’t agree with people condemning others. For myself has been in the position of being chastened by God in life. As a Father treats his son. We look at ourself in the mirror for what we have done and not forget it. This is response you are giving towards loving God and loving others. At one point I use to hate God and hate others. Then it moved to believing in God but at first it was a prideful attitude and judging others. Then progressing further it turned in to Loving God and loving others, forgiving my own faults, and the faults of others. Gods mercy is what turns people towards changing their mind.
You grew and started to show Fruits of the Spirit! And for each of the stages you said, I remember similar growing pains.

Would you talk more about how you understand sin, or that it doesn't exist? I believe very few people understand it beyond "it's a rule"
 
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All Becomes New

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Very thankful the Lord Jesus Christ paid the sins of all mankind and not just specific people. Christians sin is when they fail to Love God or fail to love their neighbor. They will know when guilt or shame for their actions hits them, and quench the spirit God is gonna put it on their hearts. No need in running around picking people out God is capable.

If we walk in faith in spirit and in truth of the Lord Jesus Christ there is no condemnation. For we love God and we Love our neighbor.

Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Please pay attention to this and tell me what you think.

 
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Beanieboy

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Please pay attention to this and tell me what you think.


I think it is explained well, while I don't completely understand what is meant by "the elect," and have met way too many Christians who have a twisted idea that God doesn't love everyone, so they don't either, or that they are special, chosen by God, as if they earned it, which he reiterates, is not by our own merit.

The idea of the elect seems to imply predestination, as I found out as an adult, my Lutheran denomination believes. In taking a religion class in college, the prof said, "Only the HS can open your heart to God and accept Christ, so it is all his doing. If you reject God and close the door on him, it is your own fault."
A student asked, "How can I close a door that is already shut?"
The prof didn't know how to answer.

The idea of an elect, of loving everyone, but loving the elect more, makes the concept of free will mute, making life on Earth kind of mute for judgement day. It has already been decided whether you enter heaven or not.

His comparison to his wife vs his love for all women isn't a good analogy.

A better one is:
I am the 5th of 5 children, but my parent especially love 2 of us.
That would be seen as bad parenting.

My understanding is that God loved us first, so that we may love others, and love him in return by loving others.

Too many people take this passage to believe that they must be especially loved out of merit, even superior. I can imagine Pharisees thinking themselves the elect, and "the sinners" as the nonelect, see themselves as the good, and the sinners as evil.

I often see this in posts where there is a misconcept that all nonChristians lead some kind of evil arch villian life, "wallowing in their sin", but no one can explain what the mean specifically. They may go as far as to claim they are "reprobate," beyond redemption, which is more about the Christian's judgement of condemnation, refusal of mercy, and desire for "the wicked" to be destroyed. That is not of God.

It's the kind of thing I have to ask God myself and listen. Because the speaker restricts God to the Bible, he may come to a different conclusion than I do, where prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue.
 
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mlepfitjw

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Luke Chapter 6: 27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
 
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