All Have Sinned... (2 posts in one day! What?!!?) :)

Check out this email. It is an exerpt that a girl friend of mine forwarded to me and Brian.

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She received it from her guy friend, Matt. He is asking a ton of really good questions that as a Christian, I am asked ALL the time. Thankfully God knows that. Therefore, these are also questions that the bible addresses. Brian response is at the bottom.

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From Matt:

So you wouldn't marry a guy unless he has the same views and commitment toward religion as you? That's crazy. That's only 1 aspect of a whole person. There is no perfect person, so if you find someone that is perfect in every other way except for being devout in religion, you would pass him up? I'm speaking in general terms here of course, nothing directed toward you at all, but one thing that gets me is how hypocritical Christians can be. Like those who promise before God in marriage, yet they get divorced and still consider themselves to be Christians? It's like they preach it but when it comes to actually following through they only want to follow the ways that are convienent to them.

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I mean, go through the church and see what % of them are divorced. How can that be? It's supposed to not be allowed isn't it? (I went to see my mother's pastor one time for some marriage counseling and even he had been divorced before - so how can he take the easy way out but then preach the opposite?) THere are so many of them that sin every day yet they go to church on Sunday and talk the talk so that makes them all good in God's book? What do they say to the evidence that supports evolution? what are they going to say if life is found on other planets? "Oh, that God put that there too?" How can Christians say that their religion is the right religion and every other faith's religion is buk if they don't know anything about it? Because there can't be 20 different Gods if all of them are right. How can Christians 'accept' that there are other religions if they feel theirs is the Truth? How can so much faith be put into a book whose stories can't be verified? New religions seem to pop up everyday. How do you know that isn't what happened with Christianity? I know God apparently works in mysterious ways, but how do you explain any good coming out of a 2 year old being killed that doesn't even make a ripple in the world?

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So now that I've probably REALLY gotten you fired up...I'm not really against religion and I guess I'm not really for it either. I'm on the fence as you would say. Not sure one way or the other. Maybe like you said, one day I will have a life-changing experience that will put me on one side or the other.

BRIAN'S RESPONSE:

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Wow...a lot of questions, and a lot of good questions at that. I would have to say that I agree whole heartedly with Brandi on only marrying a Christian, like herself. The bible says that we should be 'equally yoked'. That can be interpreted many ways, but if you search the rest of the bible on this topic, it is pretty clear.

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2 Corinthians 6:14: 'Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.' That last word, 'unbelievers' is of key importance.

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2 Corinthians 6:14 TLB: 'Do not be mismated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?'

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Deuteronomy 7:1-6 tells the Israelites to destroy all the inhabitants of the Canaan land and not to intermarry with them--because they would 'turn your sons away from following Me, that they may serve other gods.' The same key concern of 2 Corinthians 6:14 is again expressed here.

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Matthew 19:5-6. "And that a man should leave his father and mother, and be forever united to his wife. The two shall become one—no longer two, but one! And no man may divorce what God has joined together.” If we are to become “one”, we must be equally yoked.

I certainly agree with Matt that Christians are hypocritical. In fact, I think all humans are hypocritical. The bible even says that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” ALL. That means every Christian and non-Christian. In fact, we all sin everyday. I am a horrible sinner myself. But, my sin is why I am a Christian. My hypocrisy is why I trust Jesus. My shortcomings are why I need Him. If I wasn’t a sinner, I wouldn’t need a savior. So in answer to the question of Christians being hypocrites and divorcing (or anything thought to be a sin or unvirtuous), these things are why we need Christianity. Jesus doesn’t keep me from sin…..he saves me from sin. The bible says “the wages of sin is death”. If I don’t have a savior, I am dead spiritually.

The evolution question. That can be discussed for days. I am certainly no scientist, and by no means an apologetics expert, but I have done a little research on this. Evolution was started by Charles Darwin (others have tweaked and added to it). It is certainly only a theory. As DNA complexity and cell complexity have been studied in recent years, more and more scientists have come out and stated that there has to be a creator. That this complexity could not just happen or evolve. Certainly there is evolution within species, but the more the complexities of DNA and cell structure are studied, the more we are learning about the intricacies and impossibilities of Darwin’s theory. Evolutionist fail to admit that no species has ever been proven to have evolved in any way. Evolution is simply a theory without scientific proof. Many will ask, then why has our society started to accept it and teach it. The answer is that if one will not believe in the supernatural, then he must find his own explanation. The scientists that are currently coming out and stating that they believe in “Intelligent Design” are being ostracized from the scientific community (See the movie “Expelled”). Honestly, I can see why the scientific community is trying to quiet them. Because, if they get the word out that many scientists are believing in intelligent design, then the scientific community will be in shambles. More scientists believe in intelligent design now, than ever. I know a Dr. that once told me, that no one can convince him that there is not a creator. Why did he say that? Through his studies of human anatomy, everything pointed toward intelligent design. He said that he could not get past the human eye. The intricacies and complexities do not fit the evolutionary explanation. Evolution vs. Creation could be discussed for a long time……my little explanation leaves a lot to be desired, and leaves out a lot of strong points and hot topics (from both sides). See www.apologetics.org for some great info. Also, check out the movie Expelled www.expelledthemovie.com

About the question of the 2 year old being killed by her crackhead mother. I agree….this is a very tough pill to swallow. But according to the bible, God gave man free will and we brought sin into the world. That sin (murder included) is why we need a savior. That is why we need Christianity. That is why we need Jesus. The sin itself strengthens my belief and trust in God.

These are just a few short answers (definitely not exhaustive) to some very deep questions. But, I would encourage anyone who didn’t believe, to search and ask questions. I did that and came up with 2 conclusions: 1). There is a creator. 2).The creator sent His Son to die for sinners like me, so that I can spend eternity with Him.

Thanks,
Brian

The first, of 2000 rides down the slide.

Oops...flippy flip.

She didn't seem to mind.

Maybe, Baby had just ONE toooo many rides down the slide...

The girls slept like 2 ROCKSTARS.