You are not defined by what tempts you. Just because a person may be tempted to be intimate with someone of the same gender, that does not mean that he must give in to that temptation, or that he is destined to be a homosexual. If a married man is tempted to cheat on his wife, that does not mean he must give in to that temptation or that he is destined to be an adulterer.… Read more
Category: Sin
Trying to Be Nicer Than God
Many today try to justify actions by calling them “loving,” even when those actions contradict what God said. True love does not try to improve God’s standard—it follows it. God has valid reasons for His commands, and they are for our eternal welfare. When we ignore His commands in the name of love, we endanger the very souls we claim to love. Every one of the following actions works against the salvation of souls, in the name of love and tolerance:
- Refusing to address or rebuke sin because some claim that would be unloving (1 Tim.
A Tremendous Lack of Love
If we know the Truth but refuse to live by it, this reveals a tremendous lack of love on many levels.
• A lack of love for God: If we truly loved Him with all our hearts, we would be doing His will to please Him and to be with Him forever (Mt. 22:36-38; 1 Jn. 2:3-4; 5:3).
• A lack of love for Christ: If we truly loved God’s Son, we would be obeying Him out of gratitude for His selfless sacrifice: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn.… Read more
Samaria: The Site of Sin for Centuries
From Jeroboam’s corruption to Philip’s Gospel preaching—how a region known for rebellion became ripe for redemption.
When King Jeroboam led the northern kingdom of Israel away from Jerusalem (c. 931 B.C.), he also led them away from God. Fearing that the people would return to Jerusalem to worship, he set up golden calves at Bethel and Dan, saying, “Behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt” (1 Kin. 12:28).… Read more
It’s Called Fornication
Having sex outside of a God-approved marriage is called fornication: “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband” (1 Corinthians 7:2). The Bible plainly says that those who commit fornication without repenting and becoming faithful to God will not be going to Heaven: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these…fornication…of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21; cf.… Read more
Selective Outrage
Have you ever noticed that sometimes people become irate over what a particular person or group does, but they ignore the same actions when others (who are usually in their circle) do the same thing? This is called “selective outrage,” and it often happens in politics, when one party does something, and the other party becomes outraged. Then the same outraged people “turn a blind eye” when someone on their side does the same thing that had previously caused them to get outraged.… Read more
10 Ways to Resist Temptation
Anyone who calls himself a “Christ”ian is claiming to follow the teachings and example of Christ, the one who never sinned (1 Pet. 2:21, 22). We could not be saved without Him (Mt. 26:28; Heb. 2:9; 5:9), but there is also a sense in which we must “save ourselves” (Acts 2:40; 2 Cor. 7:1). None of us deserve salvation, but we must be faithful to God to obtain salvation and keep it (Mt. 7:21; Php. 2:12; 1 Pet.… Read more