Devotionals
With age and proper biblical training comes much responsibility. Part of my responsibility is to insure, no matter the forum, that truth above all else is deposited in the ears and minds of my audience. Along with that responsibility is to acknowledge shortcomings, especially when I’m wrong. After I completed classes in hermeneutics, teaching, and expository preaching, I remember asking God for forgiveness because of all the junk I fed his people. Well, I’m going to do the same now. For quite some time, I taught that we were born with one foot him hell and another on a banana peel. The truth of the matter is that teaching was wrong. I apologize to any I may have offended with doctrinal error. The real story is this: we were born with both feet in hell.
Ever since Adam’s sin, well, let me put it this way, we didn’t stand a chance. We are born as tenants of total depravity (the state where man has no righteousness and love for God and can do nothing to earn any favor from God). Depravity is evidenced by Romans 3:10 where not one of us was ever right with God and by Romans 6:20 where we were held hostage by sin. Ephesians 5:8 and Colossians 1:13 teach our point of origin was the jurisdiction of darkness. To sum, depravity is like being without a gun, bullets, or anywhere to hide, and then being asked by the town to face Frank and Jesse James in a shootout. We were totally lost; both feet entrenched, with no way out.
Now I would do you a disservice if I failed to deliver any good news. Even though we signed a lifetime lease with depravity, it was God’s initiative that provided the ultimate escape clause – Jesus Christ. He is our advocate (1 John 2:1) who went to work in a courtroom called the cross and destroyed depravity’s contract (Colossians 2:14). Because of faith in the Son, the Father moved us to a better residence (Colossians 1:13; Philippians 3:20). His place provides the best food (John 6:5), clean water (John 4:13), and a roommate who cares (John 14:16).
By his grace (Ephesians 2:8) because of his love (1 John 4:19) with the result of we being made a part of his family (Ephesians 1:5), God moved us from the homelessness of hell to the permanent occupancy of heaven.
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There are in this article several truths that, if drawn out, magnified would add so much to this piece. The topic is huge, galactic and I feel that you stopped short of what could have been said. If I recall this is the first of yours that I've read and I found it intriquing and bold to take on a topic of this magnitude; yet, I believe I read the work of some one who could do this article "justice" by making it vital. It seemed overly academic (must be the teacher in you), and with all due respect, cliche'. Hints of insight and brilliance are couched in this article and I for one would love to see them mined for the jewels they are. Also, the title is too aggresive for the essence of the piece. (I am certainly opinionated). The body of the work seemed passive in relationship to its title. This was never your intention; I could see that in the choices of some of your words that there is a compassionate author that penned these words.
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