Survey Gives Insight Into American's Concept Of Sin

A survey done in 2008 by Ellison Research revealed several things about the way Americans view sin. For example, nearly 87% of the 1000 participants believe in the general concept of sin. Most of those questioned believe in degrees of sin. The general concept held by those surveyed defined sin as "something that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religous or moral perspective." Those who believe in sin identified adultery as sin (81%), 74% named racism, 65% hard drugs, 52% homosexuality and 56% said abortion is a sin.
There is a good bit of accuracy in these views about sin but the main problem is that the findings were not as all encompassing as they should have been. The Bible views sin in a much more sweeping manner, listen to the Bible definition of sin...
I John 3:4

 ⁴Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Here is how it works, anytime you break one of God's laws it is sin. Once you sin you are a law breaker and it is as if you had broken all of God's laws. If you have broken one of the 10 commandments then you might as well have broken them all in God's view of sin.
James 2:10
¹⁰For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Furthermore, I don't need a survey to tell me whether I've sinned or not, the Bible has already done that and I have no argument against God's Word.
Romans 3
¹⁰As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
 ¹¹There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
¹²They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
You can express your opinion on sin, that's fine, but the only opinion that counts is God's! We have a big problem, we are sinners who lack the righteousness to get into Heaven and we have a criminal record that will condemn us to Hell. That is what we call a "predicament."
If you have been reading my blog for any time at all you know that the solution to this mess is a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ! Watch the video in the right side bar entitled "How To Be Forgiven in 3 Minutes". Trust Jesus today!

Thanksgiving For Forgiveness

^{In Psalms 116 we read the following:}

¹²What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

 ¹³I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. 

 ¹⁷I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. 

I think that it is fitting to examine thankfulness in light of God's mercy and grace demonstrated in the forgiveness of sin. Today is a national holiday that is a direct result of our Judaic-Christian heritage. We are a people with a history steeped in the Christian faith and historically we have recognized the need to acknowledge God as the giver of all good things, hence, we observe Thanksgiving Day. Sadly, America is becoming more Godless every day and many Christians are failing to thank God as often as they should. Let me ask you a question..."When was the last time you thanked God for your salvation?". The psalmist asked himself the question "what shall I render to the Lord of all His benefits and he answers the question in verse 17 by giving "thanks" to God. We take of the cup of salvation by simply "believing" and all we can do is receive it and say "thank you Lord"! Have you come to the point in your life where you are counting on what Christ did on the cross to be sufficient payment for your sin? If that is the case make sure you thank Him today and every day. If you have not come to faith in Christ please watch the short video in the right side bar. Thanksgiving Day would be a great day to believe and be forgiven!

 

Newt Gingrich Has The Right Stuff!

Newt Gingrich has a storied political and professional career that makes him emminently qualified to be the next president of the United States. But Newt has some baggage that has dogged his political aspirations. Newt has been through three divorces and a controversial affair with a congressional aide who is now his wife. Many people have written Newt off as a serious contender for high office based on his moral failures. However, most people are not aware of the changes that have occurred in his spiritual life. Newt is man who has the right stuff to be president because he has come to two important conclusions.
First, Newt now recognizes the things that he has done as being wrong and sinful. Here is what he told CBN's John Brody...

"And what I can tell you is that when I did things that were wrong, I wasn't trapped in situational ethics, I was doing things that were wrong and yet I was doing them."

Newt recognizes his past moral failures as sinful and wrong. I like a man who recognizes his sinfulness, I trust that kind of man. The second quality that I like about the new Newt Gingrich is that he now regards himself as "forgiven". In the same interview he went on ..


Gingrich says he has asked for and received God's forgiveness. 
"I do believe in a forgiving God. And I think most people, deep down in their hearts, hope there's a forgiving God,” he said. “Somebody once said that when we are young, we seek justice, but as we get older, we seek mercy. There's something to that, I think."

Newt is dead right on this issue. In John chapter 8 a woman "caught in adultery" was dragged into the presence of Jesus by a group of self righteous men. Jesus did not condemn the woman but simply began writing some things in the sand at their feet. Whatever Jesus wrote was troubling to the men because verse 9 tells us they became convicted and that they began to leave one by one beginning at the "eldest". If we are honest with ourselves we see more and more how depraved we are the older we get. The older we get the more we need mercy not justice. I am glad that Newt has found forgiveness in Jesus. I hope he becomes the next president of the United States! It is not his long political resume or his college professorship but his humility and dependence on a forgiving God that draw me to his candidacy.