Can God be in the presence of sin?

One of the points of the 'gospel' message that I've often heard (and have memorized and shared with others in the past) is that God is Holy and that means he can not be in the presence of sin. That sin separates us from God.

But wait a minute.

Jesus was called a friend of sinners.

Satan was in God's presence in the book of Job.

I don't think anything can separate us from the love of our God... not even our sin. Jesus came to free us from our bondage to our sin that leads to destruction. He took our sins to the cross.

Consider the story of the prodigal son. Did the father ever stop loving the son? When the son went his own selfish ways he was distanced from the father, but the father was always waiting for him with love.

Yes, when we live our lives ruled by sin we are not living as God intended us to live. But I don't think God was unable to love us in our state of sin, and that he had to kill his son to make a way for a relationship with us. God loves sinners too.

So yes, in a way we distance ourselves from God when we go our selfish ways. But God is always capable of reaching out to us in love.

Slaves to sin or God

What's our relationship to sin now that we are part of the kingdom of God?

Paul describes it well in Romans 6. This is just my attempt to internalize Paul's teachings.

We used to be slaves to sin. We used to let our own selfish ways rule in our lives.

Now with Jesus on the throne, we are now ruled by His will, guided by the Holy Spirit. Paul uses the word slave, and in a sense we are slaves to God. (Yet I think God still gives us a free will, and at any point we can go back to our own selfish ways - so the slave analogy breaks down.)

So what happened to the sin that once ruled our lives? It died on the cross as we died with Jesus on the cross... That's hard to imagine, but in some sense my sins and I died with Jesus on the cross. My being baptized into Jesus means I am united with Him. In some mysterious way I died with Him, and rose victorious over sin with Him, and will live with Him for eternity.... Wow.

It would be foolish to let our selfish ways reign in our lives again. We know that our selfish ways lead to death, and that our selfish ways have been put to death on the cross... so why would we go back to being slaves to death when we've been given the Holy Spirit which will guide us in ways that lead to holiness and life.

Don't just take my word for any of this, read how Paul describes it in Romans 6.

Related Posts:

• Whodunnit - who killed jesus?
• Kingdom of God

Good Works

What is required for salvation? Works? Faith?
Can you be saved if you have faith but not works?
Can you be saved if you have works but not faith?

It may help to define what we mean by being good, or doing good works.

Is being good adhering to a list of do's and don'ts?
Is being bad breaking that list, or breaking those laws?

Or

Is being good doing whatever our Father, our Lord asks of us.
And being bad (sin) is not doing what our Father, our Lord asks of us... but doing what our selfish hearts want.

Without knowing God's will for us, is it possible to know right from wrong? To really do good?

If doing good is defined as doing God's will, then it is impossible to separate good works from faith... or faith from good works. You can not believe Jesus is Lord of your life without letting Him be Lord.

Yes it is possible to do things that look good, but do them for selfish reasons. It comes down to who is Lord of our lives. Us or God?

Romans 10:9
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Does that make any sense?

Related Posts:

• Sola Fide
• Irony of works vs faith divide

What Gospel does your neighbor need to hear?

Your neighbor Bob has shared some problems he's having in his life. He feels trapped and burdened.

"Hi Bob, I see you are a sinner. Do you want to hear some good news? God used to require His people to kill animals to receive forgiveness for their sins. Then Jesus came to die for your sins. You don't have to kill animals as burnt offerings to restore your relationship with God anymore. Confess your sins to God, believe in Jesus and what he did on the cross, and you will have eternal life."

Bob:"Huh? I wasn't talking about my sins. And the thought of killing an animal as a sacrifice for my sins has never crossed my mind. So what's the message of the cross have to do with the problems I'm burdened with?"

OR should we try this good news message:

"Did you know God's power is available to you? You don't have to do everything in your own strength and wisdom. If you allow God to rule in your life, instead of your selfish ambitions He will restore your life to what it was intended to be."

Which good news message is closest to the message Jesus preached as He traveled from town to town?

If Bob accepts the good news message of the reign of God, he will want to learn more about how this all works. As he studies the Scriptures he will also learn about the work Jesus did on the cross, and understand the problem of sin. Bob wouldn't be the first person to be saved without an understand of Christ's work on the cross first.

Would the good news Jesus and His disciples preached before the cross still work today?

Related posts:

• Importance of the cross - a look at many verses talking about meanings of the cross

Is The Problem Our Separation?

On my 'What I believe' page, I started with a number of quotes from Billy Graham Association. I picked them because I know most Christian denominations have agreed to work with the materials they provide at their events... so I thought it was a good place to start for the sake of unity.

Here's one of them:

The Problem is Our Separation

God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him. God gave us a will and a freedom of choice. We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God. http://www.billygraham.org/SH_StepsToPeace.asp

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." —Romans 3:23 (NIV)

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

However, the shortest blog post ever here got me thinking (and the responses that followed).

"True or False: Sin Separates us from God"

I believe Rom 8:35-39 may apply… nothing can separate me from the love of God.

When I rule my life by going my selfish way (sin… like the prodigal son) I can distance myself from participating in the kingdom of God…

But God is all powerful... He has the ability to reach out to us even when we are sinners…. while we were sinners, Christ died for us...

Jesus was a friend of sinners. It’s not like sin creates a gulf that God himself can not cross to reach across to love sinners... and that was the perception I've had in the past. I thought God was incapable of loving sinners because of his Holiness. My love isn't even as pure as God's, yet I am capable of loving my kids when they sin against me... I don't think we should limit God's love this way.

Sin separates us from God?
True – when we sin we separate ourselves from God’s ways.
False – God's love can always reach out to us.

I think the image of separation has gotten me confused in the past. I'm going to change my 'what I believe' page to read: The problem... our self centered ways.

Does God Hate the World?

Yikes... I'm having a hard time with this... it saddens me that some hold such a negative view of my Father, and are trying to spread this message about my Father. I don't believe this message is what my Father's lost children need to hear.

OK... this first one is a bit extreme, but I believe some caution should be taken as this is where the road of Calvinism sometimes goes:

http://www.godhatestheworld.com/

I guess if you are OK believing that man is totally depraved and incapable of choosing to follow God... and that God has chosen that a few elect will be saved, and that He has chosen that the masses should be tormented in hell for eternity... it's not too far of a leap to believe that God hates the world.... but thankfully most Calvinists don't take it this far.

But then I was wondering what some other influential Calvinists' positions were...

Mark Driscoll:

"The whole “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” -- that’s the wrong place to start. “God hates you and its going to go really really bad forever!” – hey now that is true…"

(and earlier)

"It says it in Psalm 5:5 “I hate -- or it says, You hate all who do evil”. Now let this settle. People say things like “God doesn’t hate anybody!” Yes he does! He hates tonnes of people! He does. Some people say “that’s not fair”. Course its fair! You hate people! And God’s far better than you and he knows a lot more people!"

http://obscenebeauty.blogspot.com/2007/11/does-mark-driscoll-believe-in-god-of.html

Jonathan Edwards

"The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much in the same way one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect, over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: His wrath towards you burns like fire: He looks upon you as worthy of nothing else but to be cast into the fire: He is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in His sight: you are ten thousand times more abominable in His sight than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours." (Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God, July 8, 1741)

John Piper

"But it wasn't always so for John Piper. There was a time when the mountain of granite was not under me but over me, ready to fall and crush me. It was the mountain of God's wrath against my sin. God hated me in my sin.

God Hates Unrepentant Sinners

Yes, I think we need to go the full biblical length and say that God hates unrepentant sinners. If I were to soften it, as we so often do, and say that God hates sin, most of you would immediately translate that to mean: he hates sin but loves the sinner. But Psalm 5:5 says, "The boastful may not stand before thy eyes; thou hatest all evildoers." And Psalm 11:5 says, "The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and his soul hates him that loves violence."
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1985/515_Those_Whom_He_Called_He_Also_Justified_Part_1/

So these guys seem to agree that God hates sinners.

Does the logic then go that I should hate sinners too because God does?

Yes there are verses that talk of God's wrath, and hate towards sin and sinners. (Mostly in the OT).

But I believe we need to emphasize the following:

God is love:

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4:7-9 NIV)

God loves the world (John 3:16).

God's love towards sinners:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)

I believe the description of love 1 Corinthians 13 should apply to my God as well... so for the sake of this discussion I'm going to replace 'I' with 'God'.

1 Corinthians 13 (modified some)

If God speaks in the tongues of men and of angels, but has not love, He is only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If God has the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if God has a faith that can move mountains, but has not love, He is nothing. If God give all He possess to the poor and surrenders His body to the flames, but has not love, He gains nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
... (some skipped) ...
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Am I wrong in substituting God into the passage above? If God is love, then I think not.

Please don't portray my God as anything but a God of love!

Think about the story of the prodigal son... did the Father ever hate the prodigal son? If my children ever left me and ignored all my advice would I ever hate them? No! And I believe our heavenly Father has an even stronger love for all His children, whether they are in a restored relationship with Him or not.

OK... that's enough for now... I may look at more verses later... I'm seeing that this is a larger topic than I originally thought.

Whodunnit - Who Killed Jesus?

Did God kill Jesus? Was Jesus punished by God's just wrath in our place for our sin? I don't think so. But the question of who killed Jesus seems to come up now and then.

OK, I'm not sure I want to create some new theological position here, and give it a new name... or quite likely this isn't a new position at all... I'm just thinking this freshly for myself...

Is it possible to view what happened at the cross as Jesus being killed by our sins?

Did our sin kill Jesus?

Romans 6:9-11 (NIV)

"For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Rom 6:23 (NIV)

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

Rom 4:25 (NIV)

"He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. "

Gal 5:24 (NIV)

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires."

Rom 6:11 (NIV)

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

1 Corinthians 15:3 (NIV)

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,"

1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."

1 Peter 3:18 (NIV)

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,"

1 Timothy 2:6 (NIV)

"who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time."

Titus 2:14 (NIV)

"who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."

Matthew 20:28 (NIV)

"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

OK... so I can't find a verse that says "Our sins killed Jesus". But my logic goes like this:

• Jesus carried our sins to the cross
• the wages of sin is death
• He died for our sins
• He gave His life on his own will, His life was not taken from Him
• He gave His life as a ransom. For a ransom analogy someone is being held captive by a bad power, and a payment is given to the bad power to free the captive. Who is the bad power holding us captive that the payment was made to? God or sin? Our lives were held captive to the power of sin, and Jesus chose to give his life, to take our sin, and free us from our bondage to sin.

So who done it? Was it God that killed Jesus? Or did our sin kill Jesus?

What do you think?

Are there other verses? That either support or disprove the thought that our sins killed Jesus?


Related Posts:

• Importance of the cross - a look at many verses talking about meanings of the cross
• Take up your cross
• slaves to sin or God
• Difference between ransom and paying a debt
• Penal Substitution
• More on penal substitution
• Did Jesus pay our debts?
• Bearing our burden
• Jesus models how to take up the cross

Playdough Scripture 1 John 1:7

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, agree on all our theology we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

1 John 1:7 (Playdough Version)

Playdough Scripture 1 John 2:2

"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours - the elect but also for the sins of the whole world."

1 John 2:2 (Playdough Version)

Total Depravity

I'm trying to get an understanding on the doctrine of Total Depravity:

Total depravity is the fallen state of man as a result of original sin. The doctrine of total depravity asserts that people are by nature not inclined to love God wholly with heart, mind, and strength, but rather all are inclined to serve their own interests over those of their neighbor and to reject the rule of God. Even religion and philanthropy are destructive to the extent that these originate from a human imagination, passions, and will. Therefore, in Reformed Theology, God must predestine individuals into salvation since man is incapable of choosing God.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_depravity

I've always thought this Calvinist doctrine was a bit extreme... but hadn't considered how it could negatively impact one's view of God.

It is related to the concept of predestination:

"By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predestination_(Calvinism)

So, the way I read it... those who are not predestined to love God, those who are not part of the elect, are not capable of choosing God on their own free will. So God punishes (eternally?) those who he does not choose to love Him.

Yes, this view of God keeps his elect humble... there is nothing for the elect to boast about (and that is good). But is this a healthy way to view God? Did God create billions of people who have no ability to choose him, and then does he punish them for nothing they've done but because He didn't choose them to be His elect?

If we say we are saved by grace alone, that it is all God's doing and not our own...

Do we also say the wicked are doomed by God's lack of grace alone, that it is all God's doing and not their own???

This doesn't seem like a great way to view God... or maybe I'm missing something.

I know there are a lot of passages that describe how sinful we are, and that our best efforts are like dirty rags... but is there Scripture that says we are incapable of loving God on our own? If so, why is the Bible full of commands that tell us to love God... would God command us to do something we are not capable of doing? If He's just going to make some of us love Him, then why would he command us.

Consider a family, which often is a shadow of how our relationship with God should be. Children often act selfishly, but there are other times that they do have the ability to love unselfishly. I've witnessed many unselfish moments from my children where they are willing to give anything to help someone in need, or show their affection to someone they love.

Yes, our human tendency is to be selfish and full of sin... but I think it's a bit extreme to say that we lack the ability to choose to be unselfish and choose love. I think a healthier way to view our relationship with God our father would be one where He gives us the freedom to choose to love Him.

Did Jesus pay our debt?

OK, I may be alone on these thoughts. And that's OK. I will still respect and fellowship with those who think differently.

I have heard and used phrases like the following all my life. They have become part of the Christian lingo, and are in many songs, sermons, and christian conversations:

• "Jesus paid our debt"
• "Jesus paid a debt that he did not owe"
• "Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay!"
• "Jesus paid the penalty of man's sin"

From what I can tell this type of language may have started with John Calvin in the 1500's, and the theory of penal substitution.

However I can not find any verse or passage in our scriptures that describe what Jesus did on the cross in these terms.

One verse that is often used to support this theory is 1 Timothy 2:5-6:

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time." (NIV)

But does ransom mean the same as paying a debt? If my child was held hostage by some bad guys or evil force, and I payed a ransom to free my child... would you say I was paying a debt? No, I didn't owe the bad guys anything. I was choosing to give something to win back something that was mine. Paying a ransom is not squaring things up so they are fair or even again. Paying a ransom is redeeming, or recovering ownership of something that was taken from you.

Also with the ransom analogy, who is the 'payment' made to? Who was holding the child captive? The bad/evil force. How does this go with the idea that Jesus paid for my sins to appease God's wrath? Was God the bad/evil force holding me captive? Or was the debt to Satan? And Jesus was making the payment to appease Satan? I don't think either option is fits.

My point here is that I don't see this verse giving strong support to use of phrases like "Jesus paid our debt".

So, are there other verses that support this doctrine?

OK, how about this one?

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26 NIV)

OK, here is redemption again, or buying back, which I think this is different than paying a debt.

What about 'sacrifice of atonement'? Does sacrifice mean payment?

Jesus was a sacrificial lamb. However we are also called to offer our bodies as a sacrifice to God. But I don't think most would take this verse as a command that our sacrifice to God is payment for our sins in any way.   We shouldn't think we are paying off God when we make a sacrifice.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1 NIV)

The cross was a symbol of sacrifice (not payment), and we are called to sacrifice our lives to God as we follow the example of Jesus.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. "(Matt 16:24 NIV)

We wouldn't say that we are paying off God as we take up 'our cross' and follow God.

So if Jesus was the sacrifice of atonement, lets look at what that meant to the Jews:

"This is the interpretation given by all the Jewish commentators, ancient and modern, on the passage; compare also Yoma 5a; Zeb. 6a, (image) = "There is no Atonement except with blood," with the identical words in Heb. ix. 22, R. V.: "Apart from shedding of blood there is no remission [of sins]." The life of the victim was offered, not, as has been said, as a penalty in a juridical sense to avert Heaven's punishment, not to have man's sins laid upon it as upon the scapegoat of the Day of Atonement, and thus to have the animal die in his place, as Ewald thinks ("Alterthümer," p. 68), but as a typical ransom of "life by life"; the blood sprinkled by the priest upon the altar serving as the means of a renewal of man's covenant of life with God (see Trumbull, "The Blood Covenant," p. 247). In Mosaic ritualism the atoning blood thus actually meant the bringing about of a reunion with God, the restoration of peace between the soul and its Maker. Therefore, the expiatory sacrifice was accompanied by a confession of the sins for which it was designed to make Atonement (see Lev. v. 5, xvi. 21; Num. v. 7; compare Maimonides, "Yad," Teshubah, i. 1): "no atonement without confession of sin as the act of repentance," or as Philo ("De Victimis," xi.) says, "not without the sincerity of his repentance, not by words merely, but by works, the conviction of his soul which healed him from disease and restores him to good health."
http://bible.tmtm.com/wiki/ATONEMENT_(Jewish_Encyclopedia)
(emphasis mine)

OK, lets look at how some other parts of scripture describe what happened on the cross.

John the Baptist called Jesus the lamb of God:

"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29 NIV)

Jesus Sacrifice was pleasing to God

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV)

How does Jesus describe his death?

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (John 3:14-18 NIV)

In the days of Moses, the Israelites sinned by lacking trust in God. They were sent venomous snakes. God had Moses make a snake and put it on a pole. When the people were bitten by a snake and looked at the snake on the pole they would live (see Numbers 21:4-9). Jesus is saying that His death is similar to this. His body was raised up on a cross. Our lives are full of sin which will lead to death. But if we place our trust in Jesus on the cross we will live forever.

Jesus also played the role of high priest. It was the high priest who would make atonement for the people by making the sacrifice offering.

For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17 NIV)

He took our sins away

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24 NIV)

He took our bondage to human regulations away

"He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. "(Col 2:13-14 NIV)

.... and there are likely many more passages that describe Christ's work on the cross. It can be described in many ways, and much of it we will likely not fully understand. However I don't see a need to stick to descriptions that do not have solid scriptural support.

What's wrong with focusing on Jesus work as mediator, redeemer, ransom giver, sacrificial lamb of God, high priest, fragrant offering, and the one who removes my sin and my bondage to human regulations?

The description of a Jesus who paid our debt looks fine on Jesus. But it also makes God the Father out to be a God who requires human sacrifices to appease him (either ours or Christ's). If scripture isn't clear on wording it this way, I think it's best to avoid this type of language.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Related Posts:

• Importance of the cross - a look at many verses talking about meanings of the cross
• Difference between ransom and paying a debt 
• 10 Reasons Why I'm Not a Fan of Penal Substitutionary Atonement
• More on Penal Substitution  
• Did Jesus preach the gospel?
• Take Up Your Cross 
• Which Tent Post Is The Cross? 

Does the Bible Give Clear Asnwers on all Issues

The Bible gets used to give support for many topics.

Is there a problem with using the Bible like a magic 8 ball? Can we look to it to find answers to all issues?

Throughout my years in a variety of church circles I have heard Bible based arguments for each of the following issues. Some have used the Bible to claim these issues are clearly sin. Others conclude they are not.

• Gambling
• Drinking alcohol
• Dancing
• Mixed gender swimming
• Females wearing pants
• Females without head coverings in church
• Females in leadership roles at church
• Symbols like Christmas trees used in church
• Use of drums in church
• Use of musical instruments in church
• Going to movie theaters
• Listening to secular music
• Birth control
• Polygamy
  
• Participating in Halloween
• Participating in armed conflict
• Being protestant
• Being catholic
• Being ______
  

I'm sure you could add a few more to this list.

Here are some bigger past issues that people had used the Bible to support:

• Slavery
• Crusades
• Inquisitions
• Apartheid
• Hitler's actions against Jews
• Condemning interracial marriage
• Ku Klux Klan
• Many harmful cults
  

William Shakespeare recognized the problem:

"The devil can site scripture for his own purpose! An evil soul producing holy witness is like a villain with a smiling cheek." [Merchant Of Venice]

So why do some people feel the need to say the Bible has clear answers to every issue?

Is the bible black and white on all issues?

How many of these issues need to be central to our faith?

Should we use the Bible like a magic 8 ball to find answers to all issues?

We can learn from history that there are some obvious dangers to using scripture to promote a position that is not part of the central message of the Bible.

I propose one of the biggest dangers is the divisions in Christ's church that have been created by holding too tightly to these non-essential positions.

When Christ's body is not One, the world will not recognize us as His.

I think it is wise to look to scripture and study what it has to say on all issues. But if it is outside the central message of scripture, let's not get too dogmatic about it.

Can we agree to disagree on issues that have less scriptural support than our essential belief of Christian Unity?



Related Posts:

• Washing hands
  
• Stay at home dads
• Should pastors be paid a salary