Purely & Graciously His

It's June again. That means that my social media feeds are filled with rainbows from both the world and church, and questions/statements/opinions/scriptures about homosexuality. Pictures such as these are being shared by Christians and proclaimed Christian companies.  I have seen posts shared of people burning in hell with a caption that talks only about the abomination of homosexuality and how if these people don't repent, they will go to hell. So I'd like to take a few minutes and share my thoughts on the topic of homosexuality, anbominations, and June.  Abominations First of all, I find it prudent to discuss what God calls abominations . What is an abomination, anyway?  The dictionary defines it as " a thing that causes  disgust  or  hatred ." The Bible has a few different lists of sins that are defined as abominations (or detestable in some translations).  Proverbs 3:31-32 (CSB) Do not envy a man of violence and d...

  Before you tell a woman to submit… Read this   1 John 4:16 - God is love. Exodus 34:6 … The LORD — the LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, Love- proof of Christ in us If we are to know what love is, we must then know God. And any display of “love” that isn’t Christlike is not actually love. (Speaking the truth “in love” while being rude, harsh, and unkind). This also applies to marriage. I see too often men constantly reminding the woman/wife to submit while he is in no way showing love. If you think you can take the two verses that tell wives to submit while ignoring the rest of the Bible, then you do not understand love or submission. I want to briefly point you to what the Bible has to say about love, and it is in no way gendered but is a command given to all of those who claim the name of Christ. Love is also given by God, it is a fruit of the Spirit and is a sign that a person is united to Christ. Submission ...

  We do not grieve as those who have no hope. We encourage one another with these words. (1Thess. 4:13-18)   I am currently watching so many collectively mourn the death of a man they never met, yet who greatly impacted their lives for the better. I am one of those people.  How is it possible to so acutely feel a loss that isn’t “close to home”, the loss of someone whose face I have never seen (aside from a picture) but only heard his voice and seen his words typed out? I have been crying on and off since I found out, and I anticipate that will not stop soon. The world is darker because he is gone.  And that proves that he was a bright light, not only in my life but I know in countless other’s lives as well. The world desperately needed his gentleness, his compassion, his love for people, for truth, and for Jesus. He was a balm to the soul and an oasis for many, myself included.  He helped me to see that not all pastors are the same. That not all men are the sam...

 So many-in fact the majority of- social media interactions I have seen on the topics of gender equality in marriage and abuse: Woman: I believe in equality.  Man: No. Rebellious feminist! (Insert many Bible references out of context) Woman: I have been abused. These are the implications of this teaching. Man: Because you didn’t submit and are rebellious. Woman: I just want to be treated as an equal. Man: No can do because…Bible… (again out of context). I get to rule over you and if you don’t like it you are rebellious and an evil feminist and hate God and His word. Woman: But the Bible says _______. What about these passages?  Man: {ignores the passages and once again lists the same 4 verses without commentary}  Woman: Once again, what about _____ passages? And ____ examples? And my experience and that of my children and others I know and love? Man: There is no abuse, there is only insubordination and rebellion. Stop your slander and feminist victim mentality. ...

  "We receive the righteousness of God through the ministry of Christ when God imputes his perfect obedience to us by faith alone." ~J.V. Fesko Imputation   I truly believe that understanding (or not) double imputation will deeply impact our view of God, how we think He sees us, and how we see and treat others.  You may ask, what is double imputation, or imputed righteousness?  “God imputes Adam’s sin to all people, the sins of the redeemed to Christ, and Christ’s righteousness to the redeemed, to those who are in Christ. “ J.V. Fesko  The Doctrine of Imputation - The Gospel Coalition “It’s not enough merely to have our sins forgiven; we need the positive merit of Christ reckoned to our account if we are to be declared just before a holy God.” “Justification is not only the non-imputation of sin but the imputation of righteousness. It’s not enough merely to have our sins forgiven; we need the positive merit of Christ reckoned to our account if we are to be decl...

*Content warning for explicit language in this post* “Equal but different” is most often followed by a non sequitur.  At least in the ways I have seen it used.  To say we are equal but then go on to describe our differences in ways that mean we aren’t actually equal, is to then invalidate the phrase “equal but different”.  It really is ok to say we are equal without then following it up with “but….…” Yes, God made men and women different, and we are not the same. But our physical differences aside, we are equally the image of God, given the command to rule over the earth, equally sinners (and I cannot be convinced that there are pink and blue sins….), equally in need of redemption and God’s grace, and equally coheirs of the kingdom, and (*gasp*) equally sexual beings. Men can nurture and women can provide, women lust and men can gossip. Our differences are truly not all based on our gender but on our unique, God given personalities. The Bible doesn’t spend time really dis...