You cannot be a faithful Christian without repenting 

 

“Christian” is one of those terms used so loosely today that we have people claiming to faithful Christians when they are anything but. This is not new. There were individuals in Sardis that called themselves something they were not (Rev. 3:1). The fact is, one cannot be a Christian and walk in sin. Repent means “to turn away from”. To help make things perfectly clear, a person is not a faithful Christian if they do any of these things:

 

1. Marry someone unlawfully (Matt. 14:4; 5:32; 19:9).

 

2. Are a female preacher (I Cor. 14:34-35; I Tim. 2:11-12).

 

3. Are a member of a man-made religious organization – i.e., a denomination (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47; Rom. 16:16).

 

4. Wear a special title as a religious leader (Matt. 23:7-10; I Cor. 1:12-13; Acts 10:25-26).

 

5. Refuse to belong to a local church that is Christ’s (I Pet. 5:1-2; I Cor. 11:17-18; Acts 9:26).

 

6. Try to follow the gospel and, at the same time, follow the law of Moses (Gal. 5:1-4; Heb. 8:7-8; 9:16-17). 

 

7. Worship God based on what they like rather than seeing what God has authorized/instructed (John 4:24; Matt. 15:1-9; Col. 3:17).

 

8. Conform to the world via immodest dress, corrupt speech and sexual immorality (I Tim. 2:9; Eph. 5:4; Gal. 5:19).

 

9. Keep returning to the passing pleasures of sin with drugs, gambling, drinking and the like (I Cor. 9:27; I Pet. 4:3; Gal. 5:21).

 

10. Go through life trying to serve two masters (Matt. 6:24; I John 2:15-16).

 

11. Put their earthly family ahead of the Lord (Matt. 10:37; 6:33).

 

12. Serve as an elder in a church when not married or not meeting other qualifications (I Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).

 

13. Claim to love the Lord yet hate their brother (I John 4:7-8, 20).

 

14. Get married but refused to leave their father and mother (Matt. 19:4-6; Eph. 5:22-33).

 

15. Act kindly toward some people but have prejudices toward others (Gal. 2:11-13; Gal. 3:27-28).

 

16.  One who has accepted the world’s standard for entertainment when it ungodly (Rom. 12:1-2).

 

Many people are fooling themselves by saying they are Christians when they do not live Christ-like lives (I Pet. 2:21). Christians may sin from time to time, but they are required to repent (I John 1:8-10).  Remember, repenting means “to turn away from”. We all need to think about that.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Chuck

Overcoming a struggle

 

Struggles come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very addictive, which makes it even harder to stop. But for those who want to go to heaven, one of the best ways to cease doing that which is wrong is to admit what it really is – sin! Calling sin “a struggle” can lessen the severity to some degree. Moreover, it also conveys the idea that quitting is not controlled by the individual.

 

The sooner people see what sin really is, the sooner they can understand how to properly deal with it. Every person I know who drank alcohol, smoked or used hard drugs and now does not had to decide to quit! Unless one makes up their mind, they will continue to give in to “that struggle.”

 

In writing to the Ephesian brethren, Paul stated that we should not give place to the devil (Eph. 4:27). By that, he specifically mentioned, “put away lying…be angry and sin not….let him who stole steal no more…let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth….” (verses 25-29). One does not overcome anything if they do not repent, which means to turn away from (Luke 13:3). By turning away, measures are put in place to help one not do it again. In the Ephesians text, Paul said instructed the reader to not steal and instead begin labor with hands. For those who spoke corrupt words, Paul admonished them to begin speaking words that edify. In essence, the audience was to told to replace their bad, sinful habits with good ones.

 

I realize that people who become addicted to something will genuinely struggle to overcome it. However, all sin can become addictive. Some people cannot seem to stop being jealous or envious. Other cannot seem to stop lying to themselves and making excuses for not serving the Lord as they should. Every sin is serious and causes people to be separated from God (Isa. 59:1-2; Rom. 6:23).

 

Everyone struggles with sin, but everyone has also been commanded to STOP sinning (I John 2:1). May we grow in the desire to never sin as the first step in turning away from those sins we personally struggle with.

                                                                                     

 Chuck