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dies-l
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Obvious, each can study doctrine and come to a different conclusion. It's a wonder we only have a few thousand doctrines.
This is sometimes a struggle for me with understanding the whole sola scriptura doctrine. I think, overall, it's good that there are so many perspectives, because by sharing them we are each forced to reevaluate our understanding of truth, and through the process of reevaluation we come closer to understanding the Truth.
To oversimplify a bit, I see two equally destructive trends in the church today. One is to overemphasize sin and "truth" so that people who struggle with sin are made to feel perpetually guilty and shameful until (and this never happens) they finally conquer it. The problem with this extreme is that it leaves people feeling as though God's love for them is somehow conditional upon their ability to acheieve moral perfection. Consequently may believers in churches with such an emphasis are never able to experience the abundant love and grace of God, because they are so caught up in their fear of sinning and thereby "letting God down." Without knowing the facts, I would assume that the kid you knew that committed suicide because of his struggle with masturbation was likely a product of such a belief system.My thought processes lined up with yours for years..through bible college, as a youth minister, ect.
Certain events caused me to question and test my beliefs. One being a young man in our church committed suicide over not being able to beat masturbation. My own experience dealing with MB, ect..(that was long ago) Sadly, the young man sought so hard to beat this, because he thought it adultery as was told it was sin. I can remember dropping to my knees in prayer right after masturbating. I would of course form a plan to beat it "next time"...and of course another next time always came.
I was in a IBC at the times and the teachings lined up with what I now argue against. I see so many youth sincere as they can be at that age, living in guilt over sexuality. Not to mention it was a process they couldn't beat, regardless of all the programs created for them, such as "every man's battle", ect. Not to mention all those condemning them went through the same thing.
I think we have to be careful to say it's sin, but there is grace for it. In the end, it leads more to a guilt complex.
But I'll get into that another another time.
Those that profess to provide psychotherapy for disturb people find that at least half of all emotional disorders are complicated by a kind of devoted, but mistaken religeous piety. There is someting terribly wrong when a whole adult life can be wrecked by guilt feelings caused by ignorant parental disapproval at a teens discovery that he is now sexual due to puberty. Most teens struggle with continual guilt and daily repentance. It ingrains in the mind a process that most take into adulthood. The sexual disorders for Christian adults are too numerous to mention.
I think this so called "purity" produces the nastiest variety of narrowmindedness. Not that this reflects on you, you have a more balanced approach..but the foundation that these desires are sin and that grace is the answer lacks a real workable approach. We need grace, I'm not saying that, but we need to apply grace correctly.
Rest assured, I have children, two in their teens, one 10. Children start masturbating at about 4. It just feels good, there is no sexual thought. The habit is set before puberty..but now that God introduces sexual desire,,,it becomes sin.
To apply grace when needed if fine..to insist it's needed over a continual life long process...is hypocrisy. I'm not say some don't beat sexual desires. Maybe you didn't have this growing up. Maybe you beat masturbation...99% don't and for most it remains a lifelong process and some thoughts are going to be apart of that process. Here is where the church should guide and teach correct sexuality..
I'll come back and debate some more..you've wore me out on this subject tonight. I'll try to be more clear.
The other extreme is to overemphasize "grace and mercy", and to minimize sin. Churches with such an emphasis rarely talk about sin, and will even vehemently argue that some things that the Bible labels as sin are not sinful and that sin should be determined almost entirely by the individual's own conscience, so long as a person's actions "don't harm anyone." IMO, this approach is primarily reactionary to the other camp's overemphasis on sin. The problem with this approach, imo, is that stifles spiritual growth by allowing each person to decide for themselves what their definition of truth is, so that the truth is always something that is comfortable for each individual. Such an approach avoids causing people to be uncomfortable. Unfortunately, genuine growth is usually a painful process. By refusing to approach issues that may be uncomfortable, we don't grow.
The better approach, i think, is to avoid both of these extremes and find a healthy understanding of both. Growing requires that we talk about sin, especially those sins that we are all guilty of. But, shame does not facilitate growth. Therefore, before we can really talk about sin, we first need to understand grace. If we don't understand God's unconditional love for each of us, then we have no business sorting through our skeletons. But, once we understand grace and unconditional love, we cannot ever grow into what God calls us to be by sitting back and being "comfortable." So, inevitably we will have to talk about sin. Not only that, if we accept what the Bible teaches, that we are all sinners, we will need to be willing to define sin in such a way that the discussion applies (notice the present tense, never past tense) to each of us. So, for example, if I don't struggle with homosexuality, it does me no good to work through whether it is sinful. But, if I struggle with lust, then this is something I need to work through, and if it is really a struggle for me, it is going to hurt to face the truth if the truth is that it is sinful. This pain, on the other hand, is only productive, if I deal with it in a way that is mindful and accepting of God's grace and unconditional love.
I hope this illustrates meaningfully how I try to view the topic of sin. I think many of the problems that you are concerned with are a result of an overemphasis on sin, but I don't think the correct approach is to do away with such talk altogether, but rather to ensure that our understanding of sin is accompanied by a proper understanding of grace. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts. God bless.
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