Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: johnw@stew.ssl.berkeley.edu (John Warren) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Imposing Christian morality on nonbelievers Message-ID: Date: 14 Mar 91 09:05:06 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Space Science Labs Lines: 47 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article ta00est@unccvax.uncc.edu (elizabeth s tallant) writes: >In article , djdaneh@pacbell.com (Dan'l DanehyOakes) writes: >> ta00est@unccvax.uncc.edu (elizabeth s tallant) writes >> >> > You cannot be a practicing Christian and committ homosexual acts. The two >> > are contradictory. >> >> No, dear heart. They are not. Christ does not expect us to be sinless. > >Note the word PRACTICING. A practicing Christian is not just someone who >is a Christian (through faith in Jesus Christ) but is instead someone who >practices what he/she claims to believe in. One who is a Christian believes >in the Bible and its teachings. Thus, if one want to be a practicing >Christian, one should strive to do those things that the Bible teaches. One of the things that the Bible teaches is "If you be circumcised [i.e., perform some painful act on yourself to try to be righteous by following some set of rules], Christ shall profit you nothing" (somewhere in Galatians); "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power [the greek has dunamis, or 'dynamite'] of God unto salvation" (somewhere around Romans 2 or 3). Note that he didn't say the power of the believer--we don't do the work of salvation. Salvation rightly understood means safety, wholeness, following your rightful destiny, in addition to the assurance of going to heaven when we die. > >While none of us are perfect, we should at least try. > If you do you're getting in God's way, and Christ shall profit you nothing. Okay, then what do we have to do? Faithe. Not believe. Place yourself at risk by hanging onto a promise of God (and there are myriads of those). Every day. Faith is hard, but legalism, which I see creeping into this newsgroup, is impossible and not what God expects. Christ does not expect us to be sinless, but he will make us sinless, and the job won't be complete until after we die. John Warren "... Into the narrow lanes, I can't stumble or stay put." - Dylan [The first ref is to Gal 5:2: "if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you". The second is Rom 1:16 --clh]