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Sin Management

 
Anonymous Coward
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03/02/2013 08:11 PM
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Sin Management
There are many people, not just Christians, that still think they can control their own sin nature. And, they practice what is known as "sin management". Sin management is about control. It's about believing that they can use their own will power to keep themselves from sinning in order to please God. It's about works, about self-will and the worship of the will as idolatry. It is about believing that one can define their own sin, control their own life and control their own sin, all in their own power.

Here is what happens when we operate from sin management:
We build defenses
Think unhealthy self-thoughts (shame driven lies)
We are tempted
We hide secrets
We act out
We withdraw from others
We justify our behavior and become judgmental toward others
We blame people and circumstances
We lose hope.

This cycle reveals the nature of sin:
Sin always delivers a promise of pleasure
We become addicted to the pleasure and the pursuit of it
The addiction becomes intensely destructive
The result - in one way or another is death

The Sin Management Cycle also reveals the nature of sin in me and its total reality:

Whenever I believe I am in control of my sin, it is in fact controlling me.

The power of sin is not in the acting out, it's in the giving oneself the permission to do so.

It is not simply a choice to act on temptation, it is a choice to dishonor God. It is saying that God is not in control, I am, and even tho I know this is wrong, I am doing it anyway.

The moment I choose to hide in it, or isolate and do it alone, I have made the decision that someone or something will satisfy my sin.

All unresolved sin issues are buried deep inside me, but are very much alive.

Addictive behaviors are not simply drugs, alcohol, porn, gambling... Apart from physiological aspects, the also express themselves as Mood Swings, Depression, Substance Abuse, Lying, Spending, Unhealthy attention-seeking, Anger, Unforgiveness, Gossip, Manipulation, and on and on and on.

If I choose not to disclose my sin issue, at any stage of this sin cycle, this next step is inevitable.

My unhealthy self-thoughts and the lies that I tell myself will intensely fuel the entire cycle.

If I never step out and trust you, you cannot love me because I will never let you, no matter how much love you have for me, ready and available.

~~This is the bad news about the nature of sin.


There is good news however. And, it is about grace. Grace is the only way to stop the sin cycle.


It's very simple. All you have to do is tell another person what is going on inside before it happens. The moment you do, at any point along the path, the cycle immediately comes to a screeching halt. It all stops. The power of sin is broken.

Yep, it is that simple. You won't believe it at first, but it is very very true. All you have to do is tell someone and the power of sin is broken.


Once I clearly understand how God sees me and I realize who I am in Him, then I can:


Learn to confess the sin I INTEND to commit rather than confessing the sin after I have already carried it out and face all the consequences that come along with it.

This is not only living in the light of God, It allows me to see the truth without having to hide in fear that failure will define me or tell me that I am not enough to please God. It is with my identity in Christ that this is possible.

Tell someone in the very first instant that I recognize my vulnerability. The beauty is that we can only be loved when we allow another person to meet our needs. God created us with specific limitations so that it is possible to be loved by others. Instead of pretending we are "doing ok" and we are "fine," we give other people the opportunity to love us. We experience their love by becoming vulnerable and sharing it with another person.



When we operate from sin management, we hide. When we hide, we stay in bondage. When we stay in bondage, this tells us we are who our shame dictates we are. We CANNOT operate from grace and humility in this manner. It is impossible.

On my very worst day, in my worst thought, during my worst temptation I am "Christ in me." So, in telling on myself, to both God and another person, I can experience the truth that living in holiness is also living with nothing hidden.

Then, I am clean, free, healed and whole. We are able to give ourselves away when we are no longer preoccupied with failure.



----This information (shared here in my own words) comes from a book titled "The Cure: What if God Isn't Who You Think He is and Neither are You." John Lynch/Bruce McNicol/Bill Thrall
Life and Love

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03/02/2013 08:17 PM
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Re: Sin Management
applause applause applause

Grace is when we receive what we don't deserve.

Mercy is when we don't receive what we do deserve.
We become like that to which we are devoted. - Choose wisely.
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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03/02/2013 08:21 PM
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Re: Sin Management
Dallas Willard, in The Divine Conspiracy, reports that reliable research indicates:

94 percent of Americans believe in God
74 percent claim to have made a commitment to Jesus Christ
34 percent confess to a “new birth” experience

Additional research data, when thoughtfully compared to the same group of poll participants, indicates that unethical
behavior, crime, mental distress and disorder, family failures, addictions, and financial misdealings are present at levels similar to that in the secular population. Belief in God, a commitment to Christ, and a “new birth” experience
apparently have produced limited change in attitudes and behaviors in the surveyed group of people.

This lesson, “Sin Management or Spiritual Transformation?” is an important one! It focuses primarily upon the
believer’s ongoing conflict with his sin nature and the most common approaches for dealing with the struggle. You will not be surprised to discover that the usual sin management strategies for dealing with ongoing sin are—in themselves—sinful!

Most who fail to see victory over their sin nature hold to a “Genesis 3 only” perspective of the Doctrine of Salvation.
Therefore, our lesson plan devotes time to reviewing that doctrine from a Genesis 2 and 3 viewpoint—discussing
atonement, justification, reconciliation, adoption, and regeneration. This lesson also contrasts “sin management
strategies” with the process of ongoing regeneration, which is the path to true victory over the sin nature.
You can take stock of your own approach to dealing with your sin nature by meditating upon the verse below and
then using it to guide your conscience, as you prayerfully consider the multiple-choice statement that follows.
For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow.

But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.(2 Corinthians 7:10, NLT)


Now, choose the numbered phrase below which most accurately completes the following statement:

I deal with the conflict between my new nature and my old sinful nature by:

1. Ignoring my sin because it is irrelevant since past, present, and future sins already
have been forgiven; my ticket to heaven already has been punched.

2. Trying to be a “good Christian,” using a “sin management strategy” of avoiding
grosser public sins while keeping secret my other sinful attitudes and behaviors.

3. Continuously surrendering myself to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit—

[link to www.preachitteachit.org]
allowing Him to replace my naturally sinful thoughts and desires with His
attitudes and desires, thereby weakening my sinful nature’s hold on me.
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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03/02/2013 08:22 PM
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Re: Sin Management
awwwww.... the God haters are one-starring my thread. why am i not surprised!!!!!
Anonymous Coward
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03/02/2013 08:27 PM
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Re: Sin Management
The original sin did one thing. It created doubt. Doubt that God is God and that we could write our own destiny. Cue present day.
Anonymous Coward
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03/02/2013 08:31 PM
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Re: Sin Management
Thank you.

It was a long but a worthwhile read.
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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03/02/2013 08:31 PM
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Re: Sin Management
Sin management halts spiritual formation.

it is spiritual formation that allows God to make us like Christ.

Sin management will never get us there.
Life and Love

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03/02/2013 08:32 PM
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Sin management halts spiritual formation.

it is spiritual formation that allows God to make us like Christ.

Sin management will never get us there.
 Quoting: Salt


What I am inferring is that "sin management" is a self-control system that shuts us up and closes us down, the exact opposite of the surrender and openness that real relationship requires.
We become like that to which we are devoted. - Choose wisely.
Anonymous Coward
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03/02/2013 08:36 PM
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Re: Sin Management
hmm - interesting.
Grace comes from God right? Actually Jesus dying on the cross.
So telling someone? It seems the very act of hiding it is out of embarrassment or shame. How do you tell someone something so sensitive and what if they do not receive it well? Or tell others and shame you completely?

That all seems Catholic to me - Confession. Even this is done in private with some anonymity.

It seems to me that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior your relationship will allow the Holy Spirit to come in. It would make practical sense to apologize to God upon the sin as this is where forgiveness comes and by grace you are forgiven.

I've heard this tale of you can control sin. That if you continue sinning you will be cast out. All of it is against the very nature of what the Bible teaches.

You have free will - Your free will guided by the Holy Spirit will help you recognize sin. Your repentance to God will establish your intentions.

God sees the heart. Not by works.
You will sin until the day you die.
Otherwise you would have no need for a savior.

2 cents thinking, that is all.
I am he that is I

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03/02/2013 08:38 PM
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Re: Sin Management
5 stars

and

infinite
clappa
That which eludes us is not what is unknown, but rather what has been forgotten.
SlimExponent

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03/02/2013 08:39 PM
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Re: Sin Management
I have found that only by isolating myself with my past sins do they confront me.

Walking through each day, each encounter evokes past pain I have inflicted. I feel vividly that pain again and again. Day in day out.

Since becoming increasingly isolated, now here with only a dumb Chihuahua, the past transgressions increasingly pass before me as if in a life review.

I think sinning isn't about curbing your own desires to sin, its about understanding and feeling the pain you inflict on others. Only then do you thoroughly reject the sin.
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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03/02/2013 08:41 PM
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Re: Sin Management
Sin management halts spiritual formation.

it is spiritual formation that allows God to make us like Christ.

Sin management will never get us there.
 Quoting: Salt


What I am inferring is that "sin management" is a self-control system that shuts us up and closes us down, the exact opposite of the surrender and openness that real relationship requires.
 Quoting: Life and Love


exactly
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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03/02/2013 08:42 PM
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Re: Sin Management
Thank you.

It was a long but a worthwhile read.
 Quoting: Anonymous Coward 35457831


grazzie hf
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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03/02/2013 08:44 PM
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Re: Sin Management
The original sin did one thing. It created doubt. Doubt that God is God and that we could write our own destiny. Cue present day.
 Quoting: Jesus Christ is the way


amen
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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03/02/2013 08:46 PM
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Re: Sin Management
I have found that only by isolating myself with my past sins do they confront me.

Walking through each day, each encounter evokes past pain I have inflicted. I feel vividly that pain again and again. Day in day out.

Since becoming increasingly isolated, now here with only a dumb Chihuahua, the past transgressions increasingly pass before me as if in a life review.

I think sinning isn't about curbing your own desires to sin, its about understanding and feeling the pain you inflict on others. Only then do you thoroughly reject the sin.
 Quoting: SlimExponent


you would be surprised to know that almost every single person (who is concerned with their sin nature) goes thru a lifetime of sin management until the "get it"

get the grace message, that is
Anonymous Coward
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03/02/2013 08:48 PM
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Re: Sin Management
Well speaking as a Catholic.. We define sin as Mortal and Venial,, Mortal(deadly) is breaking any of the Ten Commandments and venial(temporal) for loss of temper, cursing, sharp words and lack of patience etc.. Our sins must be confessed as ordered by Christ in Scripture for us to be absolved,, It is possible to live in a "State of Grace" not commiting mortal sins by keeping the Ten Commandments. Possible meaning having a good prayer life and always having your eyes on the Lord, for he says my yoke is easy and my burden is light..
Azeratel Axo

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03/02/2013 08:48 PM
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Re: Sin Management
Sin management halts spiritual formation.

it is spiritual formation that allows God to make us like Christ.

Sin management will never get us there.

 Quoting: Salt


Magnificence.

clappa
9teen

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03/02/2013 08:49 PM
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Re: Sin Management
"I am unapologetically anti-Zionist. I am not Jewish. I am not anti-Jewish."

promisedlandrachael One hesitates to get into an argument with a Mod for obvious reasons, but the fact of the matter is that Jesus Christ is the King of the Jews. The Jews are the Chosen People and the world will be ruled from Jerusalem.
714

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03/02/2013 08:50 PM
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Re: Sin Management
applause applause applause

Grace is when we receive what we don't deserve.

Mercy is when we don't receive what we do deserve.
 Quoting: Life and Love



how does grace become lasciviousness?
Exalted is He from what they utter. Exalted is He from what they imagine. Exalted is He that exists without a place. Exalted is He that was there forever without a time or a beginning. Exalted is He that will be there forever without a time or an end. Exalted is He that will forever be praised. That is your God.
HardTruth
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03/02/2013 08:50 PM
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Re: Sin Management
There Was No Fall

The reason humankind was created, according to the christian scriptures was in fact due to "There was no man to till the ground." (Gen 2:5)

After the so called fall, humans were run out of Eden to CONTINUE to TILL THE GROUND!! (Gen 3:23)

Where is the fall in that?

Further confirmation to this truth can be found in the statement of, "From the dust you were taken, to dust you return" or "from the Earth you were taken, to Earth you return." (Gen 3:19)

Once again, where is the fall in that?

We were created in the flesh as a slave race only to die in the flesh as a slave race!!

Once again christian scriptures state, "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is BECOME AS one of us".. (Gen 3:22)
We became AS god, that's ascension, a move upwards to become As god, not a fall!!

Once again, where is the fall?

The blind man who wasn't a sinner!!

John 9:
1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents....



s226
Life and Love

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03/02/2013 08:51 PM
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One hesitates to get into an argument with a Mod for obvious reasons, but the fact of the matter is that Jesus Christ is the King of the Jews. The Jews are the Chosen People and the world will be ruled from Jerusalem.
 Quoting: 9teen


While this post seems terribly off-topic, I must ask the question of the part I bolded: "Chosen for what?"
We become like that to which we are devoted. - Choose wisely.
Anonymous Coward
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03/02/2013 08:57 PM
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Re: Sin Management
There are many people, not just Christians, that still think they can control their own sin nature. And, they practice what is known as "sin management". Sin management is about control. It's about believing that they can use their own will power to keep themselves from sinning in order to please God. It's about works, about self-will and the worship of the will as idolatry. It is about believing that one can define their own sin, control their own life and control their own sin, all in their own power.

Here is what happens when we operate from sin management:
We build defenses
Think unhealthy self-thoughts (shame driven lies)
We are tempted
We hide secrets
We act out
We withdraw from others
We justify our behavior and become judgmental toward others
We blame people and circumstances
We lose hope.

This cycle reveals the nature of sin:
Sin always delivers a promise of pleasure
We become addicted to the pleasure and the pursuit of it
The addiction becomes intensely destructive
The result - in one way or another is death

The Sin Management Cycle also reveals the nature of sin in me and its total reality:

Whenever I believe I am in control of my sin, it is in fact controlling me.

The power of sin is not in the acting out, it's in the giving oneself the permission to do so.

It is not simply a choice to act on temptation, it is a choice to dishonor God. It is saying that God is not in control, I am, and even tho I know this is wrong, I am doing it anyway.

The moment I choose to hide in it, or isolate and do it alone, I have made the decision that someone or something will satisfy my sin.

All unresolved sin issues are buried deep inside me, but are very much alive.

Addictive behaviors are not simply drugs, alcohol, porn, gambling... Apart from physiological aspects, the also express themselves as Mood Swings, Depression, Substance Abuse, Lying, Spending, Unhealthy attention-seeking, Anger, Unforgiveness, Gossip, Manipulation, and on and on and on.

If I choose not to disclose my sin issue, at any stage of this sin cycle, this next step is inevitable.

My unhealthy self-thoughts and the lies that I tell myself will intensely fuel the entire cycle.

If I never step out and trust you, you cannot love me because I will never let you, no matter how much love you have for me, ready and available.

~~This is the bad news about the nature of sin.


There is good news however. And, it is about grace. Grace is the only way to stop the sin cycle.


It's very simple. All you have to do is tell another person what is going on inside before it happens. The moment you do, at any point along the path, the cycle immediately comes to a screeching halt. It all stops. The power of sin is broken.

Yep, it is that simple. You won't believe it at first, but it is very very true. All you have to do is tell someone and the power of sin is broken.


Once I clearly understand how God sees me and I realize who I am in Him, then I can:


Learn to confess the sin I INTEND to commit rather than confessing the sin after I have already carried it out and face all the consequences that come along with it.

This is not only living in the light of God, It allows me to see the truth without having to hide in fear that failure will define me or tell me that I am not enough to please God. It is with my identity in Christ that this is possible.

Tell someone in the very first instant that I recognize my vulnerability. The beauty is that we can only be loved when we allow another person to meet our needs. God created us with specific limitations so that it is possible to be loved by others. Instead of pretending we are "doing ok" and we are "fine," we give other people the opportunity to love us. We experience their love by becoming vulnerable and sharing it with another person.



When we operate from sin management, we hide. When we hide, we stay in bondage. When we stay in bondage, this tells us we are who our shame dictates we are. We CANNOT operate from grace and humility in this manner. It is impossible.

On my very worst day, in my worst thought, during my worst temptation I am "Christ in me." So, in telling on myself, to both God and another person, I can experience the truth that living in holiness is also living with nothing hidden.

Then, I am clean, free, healed and whole. We are able to give ourselves away when we are no longer preoccupied with failure.



----This information (shared here in my own words) comes from a book titled "The Cure: What if God Isn't Who You Think He is and Neither are You." John Lynch/Bruce McNicol/Bill Thrall
 Quoting: Salt


What you're referring to here is the 5th step as per A.A. It does work though.
MissSoulSpark

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03/02/2013 09:00 PM
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Re: Sin Management
Wow! I have never thought about sin that way. Many big thank yous for the new mind candy to ponder!

peace
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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03/02/2013 09:00 PM
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Re: Sin Management
Wow! I have never thought about sin that way. Many big thank yous for the new mind candy to ponder!

peace
 Quoting: MissSoulSpark


God gets all the glory on this one.
9teen

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03/02/2013 09:03 PM
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Re: Sin Management
One hesitates to get into an argument with a Mod for obvious reasons, but the fact of the matter is that Jesus Christ is the King of the Jews. The Jews are the Chosen People and the world will be ruled from Jerusalem.
 Quoting: 9teen


While this post seems terribly off-topic, I must ask the question of the part I bolded: "Chosen for what?"
 Quoting: Life and Love


9teen Chosen (despite their many faults) to bring the message of salvation unto the world.

Zec 2:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
Anonymous Coward
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03/02/2013 09:03 PM
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Re: Sin Management
applause applause applause

Grace is when we receive what we don't deserve.

Mercy is when we don't receive what we do deserve.
 Quoting: Life and Love


hf
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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03/02/2013 09:04 PM
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from the above link:

BIBLICAL
MEANING OF SIN
In a bottom-line way, the Bible after
Genesis 3 is all about sinful humanity
and God’s strategy to redeem human beings
and reconcile them to Him. Grudem puts it
this way: “The history of the human race as
presented in Scripture is primarily a history
of man in a state of sin and rebellion against
God and of God’s plan of redemption to
bring man back to himself.”2 Well-known
Christian author Jerry Bridges says, “Sin is
a serious business to God, and it becomes
serious business to us when we reflect
upon the fact that every sin, regardless of
how seemingly insignificant it appears to
us, is an expression of contempt towards
the sovereign authority of God.”3 Let’s
discuss, then, the nature of sin and how it
separates us from God.

J. I. Packer once said, “We shall never
know what sin really is ‘til we learn to think of it in terms of our relationship with
God.”4 Packer is right. We can never
properly understand sin apart from its
disastrous effects upon our relationship
with God. Likewise, we must understand
sin in light of its power to cripple our
relationships with one another.
Anonymous Coward
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03/02/2013 09:10 PM
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Re: Sin Management
Your Christian belief in sin is the foundation of so much crap on this planet.

You still believe that Christ died for your sins, do you?

In Kashmir at age 104?

rofl
Life and Love

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03/02/2013 09:11 PM
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Re: Sin Management
applause applause applause

Grace is when we receive what we don't deserve.

Mercy is when we don't receive what we do deserve.
 Quoting: Life and Love


hf
 Quoting: Hopeless


Grace can be very hard to receive, or at least to process, or even believe. But it's there!
We become like that to which we are devoted. - Choose wisely.
BxMac

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03/02/2013 09:11 PM
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Salt, thanks as always for another valuable read.

For me, the nature of sin would have me isolated and alone so it can slowly erode my soul. As you wrote, it is through the breaking of that isolation - telling another person and God in the contemplation of, rather than after the fact and enactment of, the sin - that I am free.

In my experience, there is nothing worse than feeling apart from God and man. For me, that is the dark night of the soul.

Thanks for keeping the darkness visible (in this thread and in our other endeavor) and shing the light of love and truth.

On another note, it is no surprise you know of Dallas Willard. Like our friend Charles, Dallas has been a gift to me.
Life and Love

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03/02/2013 09:12 PM
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J. I. Packer once said, “We shall never
know what sin really is ‘til we learn to think of it in terms of our relationship with
God.”4 Packer is right. We can never
properly understand sin apart from its
disastrous effects upon our relationship
with God. Likewise, we must understand
sin in light of its power to cripple our
relationships with one another.
 Quoting: Salt


I would agree with this 100%.
We become like that to which we are devoted. - Choose wisely.





GLP