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| Christians can sin just like anyone else. |
True Christians sincerely believe they should do everything in their power to follow the teachings of Jesus, always knowing and understanding they will never be perfect, like Jesus was when he walked the earth. Christians serve their country in time of war and are forced to make many difficult decisions in that position. Most Christians wear shoes every day and only like to go barefoot on the beach. A Christian is just like most other people, with one exception; they know, not think, they know that they have a loving heavenly father who watches over them.
Sometimes he is carrying us and in those times everything seems to be just perfect, but very often he puts us down just to see what we can do on our own. It is in these times when we go through the valleys, the bad days, when it seems that everything we do doesn't work out as we had originally planned. Have we sinned?, most definitely, but we don't live in sin and it is very important to understand the difference.
In the book of John, Chapter 8, Jesus knew the time of his death was near so he had gone to the Mount of Olives to pray and when he returned unto the people, he was approached by the Pharisees who had caught a woman in the act of adultery. The people explained to Jesus that Moses had taught them that since this woman had violated one of the Commandments, she should be stoned. Here is what Jesus said:
"So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." - John 8:7Jesus was telling all the people that sin is sin and he was warning us that before we condemn someone else for their actions, we should first look within ourselves. Jesus knew that there was no one else on earth that was pure and free from sin, except him.
Jesus continues to speak in verses 10 through 12:
"When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."These verses explain very clearly the principle of forgiveness and instruct us that if we follow Jesus, he will allow us to see ourselves and others more clearly, by giving us the "light".
There are those among us who claim to be Christians, but seem to feel that going to church on Sunday, Wednesday, or some other day is enough to validate that claim. If the rest of the week is spent bar hopping, running around on their spouses, or cheating and lying to other people, that's OK, so long as they get back to church on Sunday. This is just not what a true Christian does.
The easiest thing we will ever do is to accept Jesus into our lives, for all we have to do is ask, but then comes the hard part. Jesus was crucified because people didn't believe him to be who he said he was. Today, Christian beliefs are being questioned and even challenged. People must understand that Christians are not super human; we are not some different "species". Christians are sinners saved by grace and if Jesus were on earth today, would he be crucified all over again?
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