Garments of Grace

The bible says, “we were born into sin and shaped in iniquity.” If sin is like clothes then iniquity would be the person the clothes cover. Likewise if the grace of God is like clothes, underneath the those clothes is skin, a sinner. You cannot get rid of iniquity because we are born with it, just like you cannot get away from being a sinner. Inherently, from birth, I am a sinner, and I sin because I am a sinner, and the effects of sin are death (Romans 5:12).

Sin comes easy for us. Think about when you were a child or raising your own child. You have to teach or be taught to do what’s right or else you (or your child) lean toward doing what’s wrong. I see it in children all the time and I can remember things I had to be taught not to do because it was wrong, like taking something from the store without paying for it. If we are not taught right and wrong and are left to our own reasoning we grow up becoming dysfunctional members of society. Even the natural law of man, enforced by police, understands this. There would be no such thing as crime if mankind weren’t inclined or bent toward doing evil actions.

So we come into this world with a bent toward sin. Even after learning right and wrong, I still have a struggle with the nature of my humanness. I may want to steal when I don’t have money, or I want to fight and cuss when I don’t get my way. I may lust after a woman and want to commit fornication or adultery (if I were married). All these things rise up in me because my nature at its core is sinful.

Now there was I time I believed homosexuality was a choice and that no one was born with an inclination to be sexually attracted to the same-sex. But given what I just stated in the previous paragraphs that we were born with a bent toward sin, isn’t possible that a person could be born with a sexual attraction toward the same-sex? If engaging in homosexual acts is sin and we as human beings are born with an inclination to sin (thus all of us being sinners) then I find it very possible that some people are born with this sexual attraction for the same-sex just as I was born with a sexual attraction to the opposite sex. [Notice the sin is not in the attraction or desire. Those rise up in us because we are human. The sin happens when we act wrongly on those desires.] Sin is sin and as soon as we start ranking sins we fall into the trap of judging our fellow brothers and sisters and not looking at ourselves in the mirror. If I sleep around and have a bunch of premarital sex and that is my lifestyle, I am living a lifestyle of fornication. God sees that sin of fornication as an offense just like he sees a homosexual relationship as an offense. No greater, no less! Our souls will both be in hell for eternity if we don’t accept the gift of salvation and allow the grace of God to cover us, and work on that sin. If we believe God to be all-powerful and the God of miracles, we should believe he can give a gay man/woman an inclination toward the opposite sex if they both (God and said person) desire it to be so. If all sin is an offense to God then God’s grace is equally sufficient and powerful to cover a gay man/woman’s sin as it is to cover a straight man/woman’s sin. Simply put, to put the sins of a homosexual person above the sins of a heterosexual person is wrong and not supported in the Bible. (Read 1 John 1:8-10)

Back to our metaphor of clothes….just like sin can be put on so can the grace of God. The grace of God covers us and it hides our iniquity. You remember those signs on the outside of store buildings that said, “No shoes, no shirt, no business,” that’s how Heaven is. If you are not clothed with the grace of God, which is Jesus, you can’t get in. The clothes are just a covering but without the covering your nakedness is exposed to the public and nobody wants to see that!

I hope that my heart is heard in this post that we must continue to show love to those who haven’t yet been dressed with the garments of grace. I pray that my love for my friends and family is viewed by them as real and strong whether they are saved or unsaved, gay or straight, male or female. Spewing hateful messages doesn’t win people to the marvelous life in Christ. Love is not always the compassionate, soft, and delicate word but it sometimes comes as harsh and stern. But I guarantee if it is done in the spirit of true love the person(s) it is directed to will be able to tell the difference; even if they don’t accept it right away or ever at all. God’s word has a way of tearing us down and building us back up to a state better than we were before, and that’s what I love about it. This was a long post but, I am interested to hear your thoughts.

BBCOG. Peace.

Motivation, Pt. 2

As a Christian who makes music should my only motivation be to glorify God, even if that means making no money? What if you are Christian who’s an architect, should you then just design houses, buildings, etc. to glorify God regardless of money? To some, these questions may seem quite ridiculous as if the answer is clear and to others questions like these are a stumbling block in their faith walk (or prevents them to start that faith walk).

The truth is the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (New Living Translation)” and it also says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “…Those unwilling to work, will not get to eat (New Living Translation).”

So what I conclude from those two verses is that my number one motivation in anything I do is to glorify God. Yes, even in eating and drinking, I should do so that it glorifies the One who allows me to eat and drink. When I go to my job(s) I should work in such a way that brings glory to God. Here’s the point: When I’m motivated to do all that I do for the glory of God I give my best effort in everything because God deserves that “giving my everything” type effort! He knows that you need to make a living to provide for your family and to sustain yourself but the end goal of your actions shouldn’t be for earthly needs. God knows what you need so He provides those things when you seek to glorify Him first!

So if you make beats, use the gift God gave you and make the sickest beats the world has ever heard! But don’t do it for the approval of men (and women) but direct that praise you get from people back to where it is rightfully deserved…back to the Father! If you work on Wall Street be the most sought after man/woman in the financial world! But do it so you can tell everyone that seeks you out that the gift comes from God and the glory belongs to Him and that you do it to the glory of God! Be motivated to impact someone’s life to the glory of God, everything good comes from Him (that includes your knowledge to make wealth to sustain life)!

So in conclusion, get paid! God gave you the means earn and make wealth but don’t let money become your god! When money is our god, we put ourself in situations that don’t bring the glory to God but to ourselves.  We continue in the age-old/historic mistake when we worship the creation and instead of the Creator. Let’s keep our motivation and focus correctly focused on the One whom blessings flow.

BBCOG. Peace.