Sisters' Weblog: It Bloggles the Mind!: May 2006

Den of Thieves

by David J. Stewart

The Root of All Evil . . . the LOVE of Money!

"And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." -Matthew 21:13

"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." -1st Timothy 6:10

Is it wrong for Christians to Smoke

In the first place, Christianity is not a list of taboos. "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). Remember that the Lord Jesus Christ has already suffered and died for all our sins in order that we might be freely forgiven and saved, through an obedient trust in Him.
In the second place, it is not our right to pass judgment on someone else and his activities. As the Bible says: "Let us not therefore judge one another any more; but judge this rather, than no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way" (Romans 14:13).
Most of us are quick to criticize others, but it is far more important to be sure our own conduct is pleasing to the Lord. "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged" (I Corinthians 11:31).
Of course, it is very important for a real Christian, one who has been saved through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to live a life that is honoring to his Savior and that is helpful to his fellow Christians and to those he should try to lead to Christ. In order to evaluate particular activities and problems, God has established a number of general principles in His Word for our guidance. Some of these are as follows:
If there is a specific warning or commandment in Scripture dealing with a particular matter, then there is no question.
Thus, murder, adultery, fornication, drunkenness, theft, etc. are always wrong; such sins as these are clearly and definitely condemned in numerous Scriptures.
When there is no specific Scriptural reference, it is good to ask, not whether a certain thing is wrong, but rather, if it is definitely good.
The Bible says, for example, to "redeem the time" (Colossians 4:5). Our few days here on earth are so short and precious, in relation to eternity, that we ought never to waste time on selfish trivia, but to use it only on that "which is good, to the use of edifying" (Ephesians 4:29).
A good test is to determine whether we can honestly, in good conscience, ask God to bless and use the particular activity for His own good purposes.
"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31). If there is room for doubt as to whether it pleases God, then it is best to give it up. "For whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23).
We need to remember that our bodies, as well as our souls, have been redeemed and belong to God.
"What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (I Corinthians 6:19, 20). This great truth should have a real bearing on what we do and where we go with our bodies.
We must evaluate our actions not only in relation to God but also in relation to their effect on our family, our friends, and other people in general.
Even if a particular thing may not hurt us personally, if it harmfully influences or affects someone else, it is wrong. "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak... We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves" (Romans 14:21; 15:1).
Remember, finally, that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and nothing else can be allowed to take priority over our conformity to His will.
No habit, or recreation, or ambition can be allowed to have control over our lives. Only Christ has that authority. "All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any" (I Corinthians 6:12). "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Colossians 3:17).

The Answer for Addiction

According to Man Law External Conformity Change Behavior Commit to Program Work the Program Alcoholic Reinforce the Flesh Accountable to Man Live by the Flesh Sober Disease Self-Improvement Guilty Works Bondservant of man Rejected by mankind Try Harder Go to the Meeting Dependent on Self Physical Life Fellow Addicts Human Centered Higher Power Relative Truth Meetings Big Book Human Counsel "Stinking Thinking"

According to God Grace Internal Change Change Nature Commit to Christ Walk by Faith Child of God Crucify the Flesh Accountable to God Live by the Spirit Free Sin New Creation Forgiven Faith Bondservant of God Accepted by God Rest in Christ Go to Church Dependent on God Spiritual Life Fellowship Christ Centered Personal God Absolute Truth Discipleship Bible Divine Guidance Peace of Mind

What’s Not Covered In
The 12 Steps

That Is Essential To Freedom

What's Wrong With The 12 Steps? Absolutely Nothing! Everything they cover is helpful and good. The problem is what they don't cover. They don't cover what is necessary for a person to be free. This is a list of what's not covered.

1. The Person of Christ - Christ is our life
2. The Work of Christ - God’s only answer is in the cross
3. Forgiveness - God’s only answer for anger
4. Our identity in Christ
5. Grace - God’s method of dealing with us
6. Faith -The only way we receive all that God has for us
7. God’s unconditional love and acceptance
8. The part and work of the Holy Spirit
9. An answer for guilt and condemnation
10. That the battle is in the mind
11. Our position in Christ gives us victory over Satan
12. Spiritual warfare - How to win the battle
13. Our co-crucifixion frees us from power of sin
14. Dying to the law frees us from performing
15. Dying to the world frees us from demands of others
16. The part of the flesh (our learned independence)
17. Prayer
18. The Word of God

In essence the 12 Steps are most likely the best program for enabling a person to cope with a problem, but they lack the necessary components to set a person free. This should not come as a surprise as freedom is only found through Christ. In Romans 7:24 Paul did not say, "What will set me free?" There is no "what", program that will set you free. He said "Who will set me free?" The answer is "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:25). And as Jesus said, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).

The Overcomer's Covenant in Christ

I place all my trust and confidence in the Lord and I put no confidence in the flesh I declare myself to be dependent upon God. I know that I cannot save myself, nor set myself free by my own efforts and resources. I know that apart from Christ I can do nothing. I know that all temptation is an attempt to get me to live my life independently from God, but God has provided a way of escape.

I consciously and deliberately choose to submit to God and resist the devil by denying myself, picking up my cross daily and following Jesus. I know that my soul was not designed by God to function as master. I know that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and insubordination is an iniquity and idolatry.

I choose to humble myself before the mighty hand of God that He may exalt me at the proper time. I know that God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
I declare the truth that I am dead to sin, freed from it and alive to God in Christ Jesus, because I have died with Christ and was raised with Him. I know that the law and all my best efforts are unable to impart life, and that Jesus came to give me life.

I gladly embrace the truth that I am now a child of God, who is unconditionally loved and accepted. I reject the lie that I have to perform to be accepted, and I reject my fallen and natural identity which was derived from the world. I know that it is not what I do that determines who I am, but who I am that determines what I do.

I declare that sin shall no longer be master over me because I am not under the law, but under grace; and there is no more guilt or condemnation because I am spiritually alive in Christ Jesus. I am a servant of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

I renounce every unrighteous rise of my body, and I commit myself to no longer be conformed to this world, but rather to be transformed by the renewing of my mind.

I choose to believe the truth and walk in it, regardless of my feelings or circumstances. I know that before I came to Christ my mind was programmed according to this world and I used my body as an instrument of unrighteousness thereby allowing sin to reign in my mortal body.

I commit myself to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. I choose to think upon that which is true, honorable, right, pure and lovely. I know that the Holy Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.

I commit myself to God's great goal for my life to conform to His image. I know that I will face many trials, but God has given me the victory. I am not a victim, but an overcomer in Christ. The grace of God will enable me to triumph over every trial resulting in proven character.

I choose to adopt the attitude of Christ, which is to do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind I will regard others as more important than myself I will not merely look out for my own personal interests, but also the interest of others. I know that it is more blessed to give then to receive.

The Overcomer's Covenant in Christ was taken from the book "Freedom From Addiction" by Neil Anderson and Mike and Julia Quarles.

Where did the human races come from?

According to the Bible, all humans on earth today are descended from Noah and his wife, his three sons and their wives, and before that from Adam and Eve (Genesis 1-11). But today we have many different groups, often called "races," with what seem to be greatly differing features. The most obvious of these is skin color. Many see this as a reason to doubt the Bible's record of history. They believe that the various groups could have arisen only by evolving separately over tens of thousands of years. However, as we shall see, this does not follow from the biological evidence.
The Bible tells us how the population that descended from Noah's family had one language and by living in one place were disobeying God's command to "fill the earth" (Genesis 9:1, 11:4). God confused their language, causing a break-up of the population into smaller groups which scattered over the earth (Genesis 11:8-9). Modern genetics show how, following such a break-up of a population, variations in skin color, for example, can develop in only a few generations. There is good evidence that the various people groups we have today have not been separated for huge periods of time.
What Is a "Race"?
There is really only one race -- the human race. The Bible teaches us that God has "made of one blood all nations of men" (Acts 17:26). Scripture distinguishes people by tribal or national groupings, not by skin color or physical appearance. Clearly, though, there are groups of people who have certain features (e.g., skin color) in common, which distinguish them from other groups. We prefer to call these "people groups" rather than "races," to avoid the evolutionary connotations associated with the word "race."
All peoples can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. This shows that the biological differences between the "races" are not very great. In fact, the DNA differences are trivial. The DNA of any two people in the world would typically differ by just 0.2 percent.Of this, only 6 percent can be linked to racial categories; the rest is "within race" variation.

The variation in DNA between human individuals shows that racial differences are trivial. This genetic unity means, for instance, that white Americans, although ostensibly far removed from black Americans in phenotype, can sometimes be better tissue matches for them than are other black Americans.

Anthropologists generally classify people into a small number of main racial groups, such as the Caucasoid (European or "white")the Mongoloid (which includes the Chinese, Inuit or Eskimo, and Native Americans), the Negroid (black Africans), and the Australoid (the Australian Aborigines). Within each classification, there may be many different sub-groups.
Virtually all evolutionists would now say that the various people groups did not have separate origins. That is, different people groups did not each evolve from a different group of animals. So they would agree with the biblical creationist that all people groups have come from the same original population. Of course, they believe that such groups as the Aborigines and the Chinese have had many tens of thousands of years of separation. Most believe that there are such vast differences between the groups that there had to be many years for these differences to develop.
One reason for this is that many people believe that the observable differences arise from some people having unique features in their hereditary make-up which others lack. This is an understandable but incorrect idea. Let's look at skin color, for instance.
What about SKIN COLORS?
It is easy to think that since different groups of people have "yellow" skin, "red" skin, "black" skin, "white" skin, and "brown" skin, there must be many different skin pigments or colorings. And since different chemicals for coloring would mean a different genetic recipe or code in the hereditary blueprint in each people group, it appears to be a real problem. How could all those differences develop within a short time?


However, we all have the same coloring pigment in our skin -- melanin. This is a dark-brownish pigment that is produced in different amounts in special cells in our skin. If we had none (as do people called albinos, who inherit a mutation-caused defect, and cannot produce melanin), then we would have a very white or pink skin coloring. If we produced a little melanin, we would be European white. If our skin produced a great deal of melanin, we would be a very dark black. And in between, of course, are all shades of brown. There are no other significant skin pigments.4
In summary, from currently available information, the really important factor in determining skin color is melanin -- the amount produced.
This situation is true not only for skin color. Generally, whatever feature we may look at, no people group has anything that is essentially different from that possessed by any other. For example, the Asian, or almond, eye differs from a typical Caucasian eye in having more fat around them. Both Asian and Caucasian eyes have fat -- the latter simply have less.
What does melanin do?
It protects the skin against damage by ultraviolet light from the sun. If you have too little melanin in a very sunny environment, you will easily suffer sunburn and skin cancer. If you have a great deal of melanin, and you live in a country where there is little sunshine, it will be harder for you to get enough vitamin D (which needs sunshine for its production in your body). You may then suffer from vitamin D deficiency, which could cause a bone disorder such as rickets.
We also need to be aware that we are not born with a genetically fixed amount of melanin. Rather, we have a genetically fixed potential to produce a certain amount, and the amount increases in response to sunlight. For example, you may have noticed that when your Caucasian friends (who spent their time indoors during winter) headed for the beach at the beginning of summer they all had more or less the same pale white skin color. As the summer went on, however, some became much darker than others.
How is it that many different skin colors can arise in a short time? Remember, whenever we speak of different "colors" we are referring to different shades of the one color, melanin.


If a person from a very black people group marries someone from a very white group, their offspring (called mulattos) are mid-brown. It has long been known that when mulattos marry each other, their offspring may be virtually any "color," ranging from very dark to very light. Understanding this gives us the clues we need to answer our question, but first we must look, in a simple way, at some of the basic principles of heredity.
Heredity

DNA drawing. Copyright, Eden Communications.
Each of us carries information in our body that describes us in the way a blueprint and specifications describe a furnished building. It determines not only that we will be human beings, rather than cabbages or crocodiles, but also whether we will have blue eyes, short nose, long legs, etc. When a sperm fertilizes an egg, all the information that specifies how the person will be built (ignoring such superimposed factors as exercise and diet) is already present. Most of this information is in coded form in our DNA.
To illustrate coding, a piece of string with beads on it can carry a message in Morse code. The piece of string, by the use of a simple sequence of short beads, long beads (to represent the dots and dashes of Morse code), and spaces, can carry the same information as the English word "help" typed on a sheet of paper. The entire Bible could be written thus in Morse code on a long enough piece of string.
In a similar way, the human blueprint is written in a code (or language convention) which is carried on very long chemical strings of DNA. This is by far the most efficient information storage system known, greatly surpassing any foreseeable computer technology.6 This information is copied (and reshuffled) from generation to generation as people reproduce.
The word "gene" refers to a small part of that information which has the instructions for only one type of enzyme, for example It may be simply understood as a portion of the "message string" containing only one specification.
For example, there is one gene that carries the instructions for making hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in your red blood cells. If that gene has been damaged by mutation (such as copying mistakes during reproduction), the instructions will be faulty, so it will often make a crippled form of hemoglobin, if any. (Diseases such as sickle-cell anemia and thalassemia result from such mistakes.)
So, with an egg which has just been fertilized -- where does all its information, its genes, come from? One half comes from the father (carried in the sperm), and the other half from the mother (carried in the egg).
Genes come in pairs, so in the case of hemoglobin, for example, we have two sets of code (instruction) for hemoglobin manufacture, one coming from the mother and one from the father.
This is a very useful arrangement, because if you inherit a damaged gene from one parent that could instruct your cells to produce a defective hemoglobin, you are still likely to get a normal one from the other parent which will continue to give the right instructions. Thus, only half the hemoglobin in your body will be defective. (In fact, each of us carries hundreds of genetic mistakes, inherited from one or the other of our parents, which are usefully "covered up" by being matched with a normal gene from the other parent -- see "Where Did Cain Get His Wife?")
Further information about racial issues...
Racism, Racial Issues and Christianity Answers to Frequently-Asked-Questions
How did different skin colors come about? Answer
What are the consequences of false beliefs about the origin of races? Answer
Are black people the result of a curse on Ham? Answer
What about the "Stone Age" people? Answer
Is interracial marriage biblical? Answer
Science, and the Origin of Humans GO
The Origin of Species GO
Footnotes
1. Worldwide variations in mitochondrial DNA (the "Mitochondrial Eve" story) were claimed to show that all people today trace back to a single mother (living in a small population) 70,000 to 800,000 years ago. Recent findings on the rate of mitochondrial DNA mutations shorten this period drastically to put it within the biblical time-frame. See L. Lowe and S. Scherer, "Mitochondrial Eve: The Plot Thickens," Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 1997, 12(11):422-423; C. Wieland, "A Shrinking Date for Eve," CEN Technical Journal, 1998, 12(1):1-3.
2. J.C. Gutin, "End of the Rainbow," Discover, November 1994, pp. 71-75.
3. However, people inhabiting the Indian subcontinent are mainly Caucasian and their skin color ranges from light brown to quite dark. Even within Europe, skin color ranges from very pale to brown.
4. Other substances can in minor ways affect skin shading, such as the colored fibers of the protein elastin and the pigment carotene. However, once again we all share these same compounds, and the principles governing their inheritance are similar to those outlined here. Factors other than pigment in the skin may influence the shade perceived by the observer in subtle ways, such as the thickness of the overlying (clear) skin layers, the density and positioning of the blood capillary networks, etc. In fact, "melanin," which is produced by cells in the body called melanocytes, consists of two pigments, which also account for hair color. Eumelanin is very dark brown, phaeomelanin is more reddish. People tan when sunlight stimulates eumelanin production. Redheads, who are often unable to develop a protective tan, have a high proportion of phaeomelanin. They have probably inherited a defective gene which makes their pigment cells "unable to respond to normal signals that stimulate eumelanin production." See P. Cohen, "Redheads Come Out of the Shade," New Scientist, 1995, 147(1997):18.
5. Most of this DNA is in the nucleus of each cell, but some is contained in mitochondria, which are outside the nucleus in the cytoplasm. Sperm contribute only nuclear DNA when the egg is fertilized. Mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother, via the egg.
6. W. Gitt, "Dazzling Design in Miniature," Creation, 1997, 20(1):6.
7. Incredibly, sometimes the same stretch of DNA can be "read" differently, to have more than one function, by starting the reading process from different points. The creative intelligence behind such a thing is mind-boggling.
Edited by Don Batten, Ph.D.
Authors: Ken Ham, Jonathan Sarfati, and Carl Wieland, adapted from The Revised & Expanded Answers Book (Master Books, 2000).

Text supplied by Answers in Genesis
Text copyright © 1996, 1999, 2000, Answers in Genesis, All Rights Reserved - except as noted on attached "Usage and Copyright" page that grants ChristianAnswers.Net users generous rights for putting this page to work in their homes, personal witnessing, churches and schools. Illustrations and layout copyright, 1999, 2002, Eden Communications

SCRIPTURE FOR

CONTEMPLATION

Mathew 25:31-46 “Do unto the least of these, do unto Me”

Luke 10:25-37 Good Samaritan – “go do likewise”

James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion

Psalm 68:5 God defines Himself as “Father of the fatherless”

Proverbs 14:31 Oppressing the poor shows contempt for God

Jeremiah 22:15-16 Knowing God linked to doing justice and mercy

Ezekiel 16:49 Sin of Sodom – not helping the poor and needy

Micah 6:8 God’s requirements of man – do justice, love mercy

Psalm 72:13-14 The blood of the poor and needy is precious in His sight.