Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Sin affects our relationship with God, but it also affects our relationships with one another. Fortunately God’s word tells us what to do when sin messes up our relationships. For example, Matthew 18:15-17 explains: "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.” (NKJV)
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If a brother sins against you and they realize they are wrong and ask for forgiveness, then the relationship can be restored. We see in Matthew 18:17 that if they do not listen then the relationship is not restored, but at least the attempt was made. But what happens if a person is confronted and realizes they have sinned, but the one they have sinned against refuses to accept their apology? Later in Matthew 18, Peter askes, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” (Verse 21). In verse 22, Jesus answers, “ I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” In other words, instead of keeping track of how often you have forgiven your brother, just forgive him.
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But what happens when you realize that you have sinned against someone else and you ask for forgiveness but they are not willing to forgive you? Jesus was very firm in His answer concerning this when He said in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” The context of this passage as well as the parallel passage in Mark is prayer. Though unforgiveness does not cause us to lose our salvation, it does keep us from close fellowship with God.
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We must also realize that when someone else refuses to forgive us, that cannot keep us out of heaven nor can it keep us from having the right relationship with God. It does however, keep us from being close to them. If we have confessed our sin to them and asked for forgiveness and they refuse to give it, then they are the ones in the wrong, not us. I know it hurts when someone refuses to forgive, but we must understand that even if a person refuses to forgive us, God will not withhold forgiveness. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Even if the people around us refuse to forgive, God still forgives when we humble ourselves before Him and admit our sin. Let us remember that He is the one that really matters when it comes to forgiveness of sin.
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We still must humble ourselves before our fellow man and ask forgiveness when we have sinned, but realize that some people are too sinful themselves to forgive us. As sad as that is, we must take comfort in the realization that even if people will not forgive us, God will. I am so thankful that even though we have a just God who must punish sin, He is also a loving merciful God who will forgive sin. In fact, He sent His son to die on the cross to make the payment that we could not pay so that our sin could be paid for once for all. As we remember Christ’s resurrection, let us also remember God’s forgiveness if we believe on Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Friday, April 4, 2014
Faith & The Science Method
What is science? When I was in school we were taught the scientific method. It was essentially a 4 step process of coming up with an idea and then doing experiments to either lend support to the idea or to suggest that the idea was wrong. It would break down something like this: 1) Make observations 2) Come up with a hypothesis (theory) 3) Test the hypothesis by doing an experiment 3)Analyze your data and come to a conclusion.
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We were taught that as we did experiments, we had to be very careful to have a proper control group because we could easily come to the wrong conclusions. For example, if we left a piece of bread lay in the refrigerator and watched it turn moldy we might conclude that refrigerators caused mold. A better experiment would be to have 2 refrigerators side by side with the exact same humidity in each one but with different temperatures. Then have another experiment with the exact same temperatures but different levels of humidity. Soon you would realize that there are other factors involved in mold growth on bread. Mold growth was not caused by the refrigerator.
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In our bread mold/refrigerator example we quickly see that although the scientific method is helpful and important, there are many factors that can easily be missed by the person doing the experiment. That should sound a loud warning that we must be careful about putting too much security in the conclusions one draws from the experiment. At the same time we must also realize that valuable data is being gathered.
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So what happens when data is gathered and conclusions are too hastily presented as facts? Fortunately the scientific community is not publishing articles telling us to get rid of refrigerators because they cause mold, but some in the scientific community are suggesting that we reject the Bible because of the conclusions that they have come to based on their observations. Others have looked at the same data and suggested that it actually supports the Bible just as some would look at the bread experiment and suggest that it actually shows us how important refrigerators really are.
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The field of science is made up of people- and people have biases. I know I do. With all the data available to us, we still have not settled the old debate about what is better, Ford or Chevy. Sure, you may have settled it in your mind, but your neighbor still has his bias.
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Imagine if this were 80 years ago and you sold ice. Your bias against refrigerators may have tainted your conclusions. At the same time imagine if you sold refrigerators. Your bias may cause you to overlook some conclusions.
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As a Christian, I understand that I have a bias in favor of the Bible. The reason I have such a bias is not because of greed to be able to sell a refrigerator, but rather because of my faith in my God. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
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In every experiment there are things going on that we cannot see. Even if we watched the mold grow with a microscope, there are still things going on with our bread experiment that we could not observe. Because I have trusted Christ, I realize that my faith is a part of my evidence. But I also realize that those who do not believe the Bible bring their bias into the experiment; therefore, it is not valid for them to reject my conclusions simply because of my faith.
-
We were taught that as we did experiments, we had to be very careful to have a proper control group because we could easily come to the wrong conclusions. For example, if we left a piece of bread lay in the refrigerator and watched it turn moldy we might conclude that refrigerators caused mold. A better experiment would be to have 2 refrigerators side by side with the exact same humidity in each one but with different temperatures. Then have another experiment with the exact same temperatures but different levels of humidity. Soon you would realize that there are other factors involved in mold growth on bread. Mold growth was not caused by the refrigerator.
-
In our bread mold/refrigerator example we quickly see that although the scientific method is helpful and important, there are many factors that can easily be missed by the person doing the experiment. That should sound a loud warning that we must be careful about putting too much security in the conclusions one draws from the experiment. At the same time we must also realize that valuable data is being gathered.
-
So what happens when data is gathered and conclusions are too hastily presented as facts? Fortunately the scientific community is not publishing articles telling us to get rid of refrigerators because they cause mold, but some in the scientific community are suggesting that we reject the Bible because of the conclusions that they have come to based on their observations. Others have looked at the same data and suggested that it actually supports the Bible just as some would look at the bread experiment and suggest that it actually shows us how important refrigerators really are.
-
The field of science is made up of people- and people have biases. I know I do. With all the data available to us, we still have not settled the old debate about what is better, Ford or Chevy. Sure, you may have settled it in your mind, but your neighbor still has his bias.
-
Imagine if this were 80 years ago and you sold ice. Your bias against refrigerators may have tainted your conclusions. At the same time imagine if you sold refrigerators. Your bias may cause you to overlook some conclusions.
-
As a Christian, I understand that I have a bias in favor of the Bible. The reason I have such a bias is not because of greed to be able to sell a refrigerator, but rather because of my faith in my God. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
-
In every experiment there are things going on that we cannot see. Even if we watched the mold grow with a microscope, there are still things going on with our bread experiment that we could not observe. Because I have trusted Christ, I realize that my faith is a part of my evidence. But I also realize that those who do not believe the Bible bring their bias into the experiment; therefore, it is not valid for them to reject my conclusions simply because of my faith.
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