Excuses For Sin
 
Mankind is certainly creative at coming up with ways to minimize, justify, and excuse sin. We live in a day and time when people around us are failing to take responsibility for their actions. We make excuses for what is done or not done. We believe some behavior is excused due to the environment in which we live. It is "society's fault!" People have been making excuses for centuries.
 
In Luke 14:15-24, people were invited to a feast but three men had the same attitude or spirit. They did not value…

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What is the Standard?

Christians are called out of this world. We are called to be different. We are
called to live by a higher standard.
Romans 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your
reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and
pleasing and perfect will of God.
Similarly, Ephesians 5:1 says, “Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved

NOAH, THE ARK AND GRACE
(Fred Newman)

There is much erroneous teaching on the subject of God's grace.  Many preachers, teachers and church goers are sincerely mistaken about how grace and works are reconciled.  The record of Noah and the ark which is recorded in the book of Genesis gives us a glimpse into this subject.

Jehovah "saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that the intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). God was grieved in His heart and made the decision…

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God’s End of the Stick

A lady once asked me what she should tell a friend who had proposed the old
“died-on-way-to-baptistry” question. I answered, “Don’t tell her the subject is
lost.” She looked a bit surprised, but I was not finished. “And don’t tell her the
subject is saved.” Now she was even more puzzled so I added, “We have no right
to whittle on God’s end of the stick!”
Truth is, God promised remission of sins at the point of genuine submission to
Christ in baptism (Mk. 16: 16, Acts 2:38, 22:16, Rom. 6:4-f). We have no part in

Atheism and Morality

The following statements were made by some leading atheists. Notice what they
reveal about the results of denying the existence of God:
“The religious fundamentalists are correct: without God, there is no
morality. But they are incorrect, I still believe, about there being a God.
Hence, I believe, there is no morality.”

Joel Marks, Professor Emeritus of
Philosophy, U of New Haven
“We have not been able to show that reason requires the moral point of
view . . . pure practical reason, even with a good knowledge of the facts,
will not take you to morality . .…

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POWERFUL

• Lk. 4:1-6  (Power to tempt even Jesus)
• 2 Cor. 12:7ff.  (Power to afflict)  (cf. Lk. 13:16)
• Heb. 2:14,15  (Power of death)  (cf. Job 2:4-6)
• 1 Cor. 15:25,26  (Power removed at resurrection – exercises power until then)

ACTIVE

• Jam. 4:7  (active, must be resisted, cf. 1 Pet 5:9)
• Lk. 8  (parable of Sower, v.12 birds = devil)
• Lk. 22:3  (Jn. 13:2, Satan entered Judas’ heart)

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Savor The Pain

I was once watching a romantic comedy (the name escapes me, surprisingly) with
my beautiful bride, when one of the characters said something that woke me up,
that is, caught my attention. Our hero (whose name I don’t remember) had just
failed miserably in his scheme to win the girl of his dreams (whom I also don’t
remember, although I think she was a brunette). While drowning his sorrows, a
friend tells him to: “Savor the pain.”
Savor the pain!? Why on earth would he want to do that? Pain hurts. Pain is
what he was trying to…