Post by Jesse Morrell on Nov 7, 2006 15:29:44 GMT -5
(From Texas Tech)
Many Christians take advantage of forgiveness
Ginger Kapalka
I spent about eight hours this week outside the Student Union Building listening to the evangelists and talking with smaller, less riotous groups in the back. I did this because I believe some of the most important lessons in college are from outside the classroom. I hoped to learn, either from the preachers, the students or the interaction between the two.
I felt that only a few people in the crowd came because they hoped to be taught. Many people came to judge, fight or make fun. Although I won't condone everything the preachers said or did, there is one issue on which I would like to focus. My main observation was that Texas Tech students do not want to talk about sin.
Students who were raised in Christian homes and churches were demanding that the evangelist would only preach the sermons they had heard many times before, about love, forgiveness and acceptance. These are wonderful, important concepts, but it is interesting that we do not want to hear anything new, and especially not anything that challenges us to make changes in our lifestyles.
The Christians in the crowd made the same points every day. They stated that we can't stop sinning, and that God will forgive us no matter how much we sin. I'm not certain they understood the point.
Christians take their beliefs from the Bible, and this paper is a summation from it. One topic of confusion is the nature of sin and repentance. Sin is anything that displeases God. When you sin, you stray from God's plan for your life. God wants us to have a fulfilled life through a relationship with Him. There are consequences for sinful decisions, both in this life and the next.
Yes, God is forgiving, but only if you sincerely repent. Many people use repentance as an excuse to sin. They believe they can get away with anything because they'll automatically be forgiven. But God knows their heart and their lack of sincerity. True repentance is recognizing your action - or inaction - was wrong. You sincerely regret it, ask for God's forgiveness and his help to never do it again.
Yes, people are imperfect. We may sin again, but we always have an advocate to God. "I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the righteous one." (1 John 2:1)
Yet, many students insist we cannot change our lives. Have some faith in God. He will give you strength. "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it," (1 Corinthians 10:13)
But, as the students objected, sin is not the focus of Christianity. Christianity isn't a list of things what or what not to do. But it is more than forgiveness as well. After you have turned away from sin and toward God, you don't want to sin anymore. Your desire is to grow a relationship with God. When you focus entirely on God, He'll take your sin away. You don't need to worry about it. It isn't in control of your life anymore.
I am not qualified to look at another person and discern whether he or she follows God. Only God knows his or her heart. But I know many "Christians" who appear to have a superficial relationship with God. Some students may only be Christians because they were raised in that culture. Being a Christian is more than an acknowledgement of Jesus, more than going to church and more than worshipping him. Instead, you should be a Christ-follower and let him guide your life.
Again, one important calling God gives you is to turn away from sin. Don't blame the street preachers for turning people away from Christianity when our day-to-day hypocrisy is always visible to non-Christians on this campus. It is the reason most of them do not want to seek God. Yes, it's hard to make a stand in college. Many sins are common and socially acceptable here. But you can do it with God's strength. "He will keep you strong to the end." (1 Corinthians 1:8)
Many Christians take advantage of forgiveness
Ginger Kapalka
I spent about eight hours this week outside the Student Union Building listening to the evangelists and talking with smaller, less riotous groups in the back. I did this because I believe some of the most important lessons in college are from outside the classroom. I hoped to learn, either from the preachers, the students or the interaction between the two.
I felt that only a few people in the crowd came because they hoped to be taught. Many people came to judge, fight or make fun. Although I won't condone everything the preachers said or did, there is one issue on which I would like to focus. My main observation was that Texas Tech students do not want to talk about sin.
Students who were raised in Christian homes and churches were demanding that the evangelist would only preach the sermons they had heard many times before, about love, forgiveness and acceptance. These are wonderful, important concepts, but it is interesting that we do not want to hear anything new, and especially not anything that challenges us to make changes in our lifestyles.
The Christians in the crowd made the same points every day. They stated that we can't stop sinning, and that God will forgive us no matter how much we sin. I'm not certain they understood the point.
Christians take their beliefs from the Bible, and this paper is a summation from it. One topic of confusion is the nature of sin and repentance. Sin is anything that displeases God. When you sin, you stray from God's plan for your life. God wants us to have a fulfilled life through a relationship with Him. There are consequences for sinful decisions, both in this life and the next.
Yes, God is forgiving, but only if you sincerely repent. Many people use repentance as an excuse to sin. They believe they can get away with anything because they'll automatically be forgiven. But God knows their heart and their lack of sincerity. True repentance is recognizing your action - or inaction - was wrong. You sincerely regret it, ask for God's forgiveness and his help to never do it again.
Yes, people are imperfect. We may sin again, but we always have an advocate to God. "I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the righteous one." (1 John 2:1)
Yet, many students insist we cannot change our lives. Have some faith in God. He will give you strength. "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it," (1 Corinthians 10:13)
But, as the students objected, sin is not the focus of Christianity. Christianity isn't a list of things what or what not to do. But it is more than forgiveness as well. After you have turned away from sin and toward God, you don't want to sin anymore. Your desire is to grow a relationship with God. When you focus entirely on God, He'll take your sin away. You don't need to worry about it. It isn't in control of your life anymore.
I am not qualified to look at another person and discern whether he or she follows God. Only God knows his or her heart. But I know many "Christians" who appear to have a superficial relationship with God. Some students may only be Christians because they were raised in that culture. Being a Christian is more than an acknowledgement of Jesus, more than going to church and more than worshipping him. Instead, you should be a Christ-follower and let him guide your life.
Again, one important calling God gives you is to turn away from sin. Don't blame the street preachers for turning people away from Christianity when our day-to-day hypocrisy is always visible to non-Christians on this campus. It is the reason most of them do not want to seek God. Yes, it's hard to make a stand in college. Many sins are common and socially acceptable here. But you can do it with God's strength. "He will keep you strong to the end." (1 Corinthians 1:8)