Call it What it Is

Happy Sunday!

Bishop Alexis A. Thomas preached, "You Know You Got Some Sin In You!"  He used 1 John 1:8-10 as his reference scriptures.

The Apostle John wrote to the New Testament Christians with hopes that their

"joy may be full".-1 John 1:4 (King James Version) There is nothing worse than a sad, sorrowful, defeated Christian!  We are called to spread the "Good News" but so many times we are heard singing the blues louder than the unbelievers.

The Good News is Jesus paid the price for our sins and the sins of the world; past present and future! Hebrews 9:12 says, "Christ entered the Most Holy Place only one time—enough for all time. He entered the Most Holy Place by using his own blood, not the blood of goats or young bulls. He entered there and made us free from sin forever." (Easy-to-Read Version) Lost people won't go to hell because of their sins! They will go to hell for rejecting Jesus!  "Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me." - John 14:6 (Easy-to-Read Version)  Now that's Good News!

The moment we accepted Jesus as our personal savior, our human spirit was recreated and made perfect. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (King James Version)  Our spirit man is perfect, but it has to fight against our imperfect soul and our imperfect flesh.  In order to strengthen our souls, Romans 12:1-2 encourages, "Brothers and sisters, in light of all I have shared with you about God’s mercies, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable, essential worship. Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete." (Voice) 

Our spirit, soul, and body fight or war against each other. The Apostle Paul wrote,"It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge." Romans 7:23 (Message) But, when we allow the Word to transform us, our spirit and soul join together and over-power our flesh. So what was the Apostle John writing about in the following scriptures? I'm glad you asked!

1 John 1:8-10 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (King James Version) 

I know it's hard to believe, but we miss it sometimes!  No, we aren't living with blatant disregard for the Word of God, but we do sin.  When we sin, sin enters into our physical body and gives the enemy an opportunity to attack us physically.  When we sin, sin enters into our soul and gives the enemy an opportunity to attack our emotions. Ephesians 4:27 says, "Don't give the devil a way to defeat you!" (Easy-to-Read Version)  I'll use myself as an example.  I am fighting against the spirit of gluttony. Gluttony is a sin!  At one point in my life, I could eat a whole box of snack cakes in one sitting. I know, that doesn't seem too bad, but think about this.  All those calories add weight to my body, more weight than I was designed to carry around.  I then began to have problems with my knees. Because my knees were weak while lifting a heavy object my knees couldn't support the weight and my back was injured. The sin of gluttony did not affect my perfected spirit, but it affected my physical body and my soul.  Pain is depressing! So, my emotions were also affected. These scriptures encourage us to drop our self-righteous attitude and admit that we miss the mark.  Of course, I won't go to hell because I ate a whole box of snack cakes, but I may get to heaven faster!

Bishop begged us to, "Call it what it is!"  Call sin sin. When the Holy Spirit reveals something to you through the Word, listen.  Admit when you are wrong and repent. Move forward and do better tomorrow!

Love and prayers, Cynthia