What Is The Gospel and what does it do?

Faith & Science Conversation
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On the contrary, from Matt 25:31-46 we see that God measures fulfilling the first commandment by how well we do the second.

31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

I am sorry but I don’t see any mention of lip service, flattery, worship, and religious gatherings in this division between the sheep and goats. On the contrary we have God’s word on such things in Isaiah chapter 1 (and Psalm 78:36 on flattering God), where He makes it clear they do nothing for Him.

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Behold! The Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.

Oh the wisdom, justice and mercy and redemption of God in the Good News.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Behold His wisdom that He has revealed in the cross of Jesus. No one could have ever conceived of it on their own. Who could have ever imagined that through the cross of Jesus, we would become the very righteousness of God in Christ? It was through God’s wisdom that the Lamb was slain for our sin. He, who knew no sin, became sin for us, so that through Him, we would become the righteousness of God. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord”. Through wisdom God executed His son. The Lamb became sin, our sin and died the death of a sinner, the death that we justly deserved. In Christ I have been crucified to the world and the world to me.

The justice of God that was exacted in the execution of Jesus was the justice that was due us. Our lives were forfeit because of our lawlessness and ungodliness. We were destined to be sentenced to everlasting condemnation. No amount of good works could save us, no power that we had could deliver us from the justice of the Almighty. Our condemnation was certain and we were powerless to stop it. But God made Jesus to be sin, in our place the just judgment was executed on Jesus. He suffered the judgment that belonged to us.

The mercy of God is revealed in the cross of Jesus. Though judgment was due us, instead His mercy poured it out onto Jesus. The unmerited favor of God caused Jesus to become our sin and to experience and pay our penalty. And through us dying in Christ and being raised with Christ, we are now a new creation in Christ, born of God, a child of the Most High. By God’s mercy, we who were a slave to sin are now a child of God, created in Christ Jesus, with the righteousness of God in us. And through that new creation and God’s indwelling righteousness we are receiving the salvation of our soul. Mercy made a slave of sin, a free man. It was for freedom sake that Christ set us free.

And through the cross and blood of Christ, God has redeemed us. Jesus entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. Look at the power of the blood of Christ, He who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God to cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God. Since we have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect, who was chosen before the creation of the world but has been revealed in these last times for our sake; let us live our lives here as strangers in reverent fear.

The results of the cross of Christ only become effective in those who place all their trust (faith) in Him. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

In the message of the Good News of the cross of Christ it is made known to us the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Through Jesus’s death and resurrection we who have faith in Him have become new creations.

May God bless you with a deeper and clearer understanding of what He has done, through the cross of His son Jesus.

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We really, really need a psychologist here to analyse out what’s really going on with us all. Mine would be perfect as he’s a fi[r]st [what a Freudian slip!] rate, full on Rogerian Ph.D. AND a a fundamentalist creationist bishop : ) Only in America!

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Is the gospel then about the magical power of human sacrifices and cannibalism? That is one of the many problems with taking this stuff too literally. God endorsing the use of patsies to get innocent people to pay for the crimes of guilty people is another. And then there are the theological contradictions such as in this whole idea of paying for sins. If Jesus can do it then why not us with a few donations to the church perhaps we can even pay for them in advance.

In the justice system, talking about paying for crimes is really a metaphor, because it is not really about paying for things. If an innocent person is punished for a crime, does that mean it is ok for him to go and do that crime after all because it is already paid for? No. Double jeopardy doesn’t apply because they are not the same crime (same place and time). It is not really about payment but about deterrence and behavior modification. The point is getting people to stop doing things which are destructive of our well being. If we had a better and more effective way to do this, we would take it don’t you think?

P.S. The suggestion of one science fiction novel, “Player of Games,” was to have the convicted person followed by a drone (robot) to prevent them from doing the crime again. Even today, for some crimes, judges will sentence the convicted to some kind of education program or psychiatric treatment.

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I started to respond to this by quoting the Law, prophets, Jesus and the apostles, but I realized I would have to cut and paste way too much stuff. I suggested in an earlier post that people should look up certain terms that would help them to understand the Gospel better, if I recall, you responded with how scholarly you, others and even the atheist are. And since I have already in previous post quoted scripture to establish the truth of the Gospel that Jesus, Paul and other apostles proclaimed and yet you still don’t believe, I concluded that it would not be received by you anyway.

You have placed your knowledge, understanding and wisdom above that of God, Jesus and the Spirit. You cast aside the plain declared truths of the Gospel by your degrading attitude toward it when you talk about magical power of human sacrifices and cannibalism and your human ideas about mankind’s justice system.

Just to make it clear, it is not me declaring the following but it is what YOU have said in opposition to the Gospel of Jesus that the scripture makes clear, that you by your beliefs place yourself in this position.

BY YOUR OWN DECLARED OPPOSTION AND UNBELIEF of the true Gospel that has been preached, YOU, BY YOUR OWN DECISION, have set yourself outside of that Gospel which has been shown to be from Christ, so therefore you have set yourself outside of the New Covenant that is in His blood, therefore you have not been born again by the Spirit of the Father’s will. You cannot be a New Creation in Christ Jesus because you are not In Him through His cross. You do not glory in the cross of Christ as Paul does, so by YOUR OWN CHOICE , you establish that you have not died to the world and the world to you. Since YOU have chosen to not accept the body and blood of Christ which was taken into the Holy Place in Heaven, the blood of the New Covenant which Jesus is the mediator and High Priest of, it is by YOUR OWN CHOICE that this Gospel of Christ is not in effect with you.

Though my presentation of the true Gospel of Christ is surly lacking some things, it is sufficient to point the way to the humble and repentant. Those who are wise in their own eyes will not see, not because the Gospel is hidden now, but because they reject the wisdom of God. 1 Cor 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” 1 Cor 1:18- For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

The New Covenant in His atoning blood, the offering of His body, being crucified In Christ, being raised up now as a New Creation in Christ, the Father’s graciousness by writing His laws on our hearts by being Born Again by the Father’s will, Jesus who knew no sin becoming sin that we would become the righteousness of God in Christ, all of this and more is in the Gospel that I have proclaimed, that is plainly in the scripture for all to see and place their faith in as I have.

Gal 6:14- May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation . 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.

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So… you are teaching a Gnostic gospel of salvation by knowledge or ideology… that one has to think, talk, and understand like you do in order to be saved?

What about my response to my own post?

No, it is not. It is about God’s work to change human beings from those who create hell around them with the self-destructive habits of sin to those create a heavenly place by good habits which reflect the character of God and Jesus.

None of these passages in the Bible is about a justice system which support innocent people paying for the crimes of the guilty or indeed about literally paying for sins at all. They are metaphors to help us understand God’s work to change human beings for the better not just in this life but in an eternal relationship with Him afterwards. Jesus never required any fancy song and dance for the forgiveness of sins. He would simply say, “your sins are forgiven, so go and sin no more.” The latter was always the whole point – to change and leave behind these bad habits which are destroying us. But it is not difficult to see that sometimes changing people isn’t easy. Often they do not change until innocent people have suffered because of what they have done. Likewise we can look at the cross and see what we have done in order to change.

Thus I believe in all the same passages you have quoted. I just don’t understand them the same way you do. As a Pascal’s wager or some kind of exchange of your own rationality or integrity for salvation this is a deal with the devil and has nothing to do with any God I believe in or ever will.

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It is the Good News that the moment I placed my trust in what Jesus did through His cross this came into effect in me. The Word became flesh, took me into Himself, carried me through His crucifixion in Him where I died to this present age. He became sin which I by nature was so that I would be the righteousness of God in Him, I was judged in Him, I was justified in Him, I was raised in Him and I was seated in the Heavenlies in Him. It is no longer I that lives but Christ that lives in me and the life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who gave Himself for me. In Him I became a new creation and thats what matters. I was born again by the Father’s will in Christ. I entered the New Covenant that is in His blood, that was taken to the Heavenly Holy Place, which Jesus is the High Priest of. And the grace of the Father that did all this in Christ is now active in my new spirit and the Father is at work in me both to will and do His good pleasure, which is bringing about the salvation of my soul. And all this causes me to long for and desire the quick return of Jesus where He will reward those who have this faith and cast those who dont believe in the cross of Christ into the Lake of Fire with the Devil and his angels. And those who have placed all their confidence in what Jesus did on His cross and because of that faith, loved and obeyed Him will recieve an entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, where we will abide with the Father and the Son and worship and praise Them for eternity. I now have eternal life abiding in me, for He who is life abides in me and me in Him. This is the Good News, believe it and live, reject it and you will be condemned.

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Where’s that shrink?

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Hear the Good News and believe it. There is no greater work that God has done for mankind then what He has done through the Cross of Jesus. CHRIST IN US, THE HOPE OF GLORY.

2 Cor 4:1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, ( those who have faith in Christ have died to sin ) and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Heb 2:1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

The Word became flesh to suffer death for us, not as an example to make us feel sad and make us want to be good, but He suffered death for us, to destroy him who holds the power of death, that is the devil. Through faith in the cross of Christ we die to sin and the world, so the devil loses his power over us. We are set free from our slavery to sin and the devil. Rom 6:6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin — 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.”

We have died to sin by being in Christ through His death and resurrection. This is what God did by His own will and power and for those who have faith in Christ this death to sin becomes effective. Rom 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Through the cross we are Born Again, New Creations in Christ. Through the cross, God by His power and grace saves us and makes us His righteousness. But the god of this world blinds those who don’t believe as the above scripture stated. The power that God exerted in the raising of Christ from the dead is what freed me from sins mastery and the devils dominion. Not an example, metaphor, allegory, but actual divine power causing me to die to sin and raised me up a New Creation. This is the Gospel. This is Salvation. This is what Jesus came to do. He Saves us through the cross. If you reject this, you reject the only way of freedom and safety. You reject the blood of Christ that was offered up to redeem us. This is the grace of God, the unmerited favor that He has shown towards those who are dead in their sins.

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I would like all those who have truly believed that Jesus rose from the dead and have professed their allegiance to Him by acknowledging Him as their Lord to reread a previous post of mine. The first sentence says, “Through the Good News, those who place all their trust in Jesus, become ambassadors for Him”. It is then followed by this next statement. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” There are other scriptures that establish the fact that true believers have, “died to this world and the world to them,” that by faith in Christ we are born again, made to be new creations in Christ and so on. These statements are factual, real and true. This is what actually happens to a person who places their trust wholly in Christ.
So, let your mind linger on these realities. Consider what they mean and how this affects who you are and how you should live in this world that is not our home, it is just a temporary dwelling place, just as these bodies are a temporary dwelling place for us.

We Have Died In Christ But We Live, But It Is Not Us That Lives But Christ That Lives In Us.

Our spirits that were once united to the nature of the flesh have died to it. We have been circumcised; the flesh has been cut away from our spirits, from the hidden man of the heart (as Paul calls it). We Died! You Died! Dead to this present age. Now citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Dead to the flesh!

What freedom this brings. What authority over the flesh and the devil. What liberty from the cares of life. What freedom from the love of self, the pride of life, the lust of the eyes and all the lusts of the flesh.

Mull it over and over in your mind. YOU HAVE DIED………AND BEEN RAISED TO LIFE IN CHRIST!

The more that is understood, the more the Spirit reveals that to you, the more you will understand your freedom. And the more you will see and understand the Power that is in the Good News of Jesus and what He did on the cross.

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Cody - as for asking people to re-read long, prior, cut-and-and-pasted scripture posts of yours … it may well be that nobody has read your post for the first time. I know you want to see the basic gospel preached everywhere, but generally, people who drop in here have already read the entire Bible - probably many times. We have wrestled over it, processed it, read what scholars have to say about hard parts. In short, I would guess that most here know the Bible at least as well as you do, and maybe even better. And yes - many of us have Christ as Lord too, but even those who don’t are generally more-than-familiar with the basic salvation message as you present it. In fact, it’s probably all they heard growing up … and that likely bound up with certain politics and anti-science, anti-intellectual baggage as well. All of this may explain why you find so little attraction or engagement here.

It isn’t that what you post doesn’t have value - and quite probably it may be just what somebody somewhere needs to hear. All I’m saying is that those somebodies aren’t likely to be found here. People here are ready to engage in the next levels: so you can find a verse that says xyz. Okay then … so what do you do with that … and how do you apply it to the reality of God’s world around us?

[Note … I don’t underestimate the increasing biblical illiteracy currently exploding in our culture at large today, but again, those who have never ever cared about scriptures at all are probably not the types who come hang out at sites like this one.]

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Ok, so with the knowledge that most everyone here has an in-depth and full reality that they are dead to sins power and have been born again as children of the Most Holy God, let’s look at different aspects of our so-journey here.
I brought this up earlier. Should we as holy children of God who have been created in Christ, involve ourselves with the entertainment of this world? Things like movies, TV shows, books, songs. Knowing that they are expressions of the flesh, the carnal mind which is at enmity (hostility) against God, should we allow those things into our souls or the souls of those around us?
Did God circumcise us from the flesh so that we could partake of it pouring out of others?

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The only message I am getting here, Cody, is that you don’t value anyone but yourself or anything but your religion… and yes that includes your own particular notion of God. But God is much much much bigger than this. We can see that much from the vast universe which God has created – and why should we not see God in this largest of windows God Himself has created. You have made yourself such a tiny window for a tiny view of God and that may feel safe to you but to myself and many others it looks like you are shutting out life itself, particularly if you are taking this all as literally as it appears you are. That looks more like death than life to me, as well as a devil’s bargain of exchanging anything of value in life for something promised later.

Matthew 25:14 “For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; 15 to one he gave five talents,[b] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. 17 So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’

It does not pay to hide fearfully only willing to return everything as received unchanged. To choose life is to accept the challenge of life to learn more, to build and create, to give all the love and joy you can to others. To label everything as evil when there is so much good inspired by the Holy Spirit is to commit an unforgivable sin.

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So are you saying it is ok to fill your mind with the fruit and works of the flesh that comes from those who have made themselves enemies of God by their thoughts and behavior?

Rom 8:6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." This scripture describes very clearly what is the nature and the content of the entertainment of this age. I know for I was involved with it, but God has liberated me from such worldly pleasures.

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In this I hear the voice of the Pharisees who said that Jesus was the enemy of God and thus named all His good works evil. This Jesus said was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

You remind me of Augustine. Just because you indulged in depravity and was liberated from this does not mean that everything everyone else has done is likewise depraved and without the inspiration of God.

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So, are you saying that because I say the works of the flesh that are displayed in this worlds entertainment are opposite of God makes me a Pharisee? And are you comparing the works of the flesh with all the good works of Jesus?

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Eph 4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more." This is displayed in most story lined shows.

20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds ( does worldly entertainment help you be made new in the attitude of your mind?) 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Worldly entertainment does not help you put of the old and put on the new self that was created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,( shows are full of it) but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice ( the previous characteristics are what worldly shows are filled with).

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Eph 5: Be imitators of God, ( worldly shows do not imitate God) therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Worldly entertainment does not put off an aroma of a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.)

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place,(talk about hitting the nail on the head) but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, (I wont, how about you?) for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them. (If you enjoy entertainment produced by the flesh, you are a partner with it.)

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth 10 and find out what pleases the Lord (no way in worldly entertainment). 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them (that is just what I am doing for the benefit of the meek and humble). 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret (let alone watch, read and listen to it).

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I am saying that when you say everything people do create is evil without any discernment, then yes you are like the Pharisees blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

But let us take a particular example to nail all this down: the works of Christian apology, fantasy, and science fiction by renowned Christian C. S. Lewis, which have turned millions of people to Jesus. So are all these people depraved because they read “works of the flesh” and all damned because they to not speak as you do, quoting only the Bible and nothing else?

No because I do not label all things written and created by human beings “works of the flesh.”

And why would you identify this with all people, who in fact have great sensitivity for many profound stories about human struggles against injustice for compassion and service to others.

A black and white treatment of the world is EXACTLY like the Pharisees who said of Jesus ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

God is a creator of worlds and thus I do think we imitate God when we likewise create worlds in our stories, art, and films.

So… how do we judge?

We don’t.

We don’t judge other people. We only judge for ourselves how to lead a Godly life. And for you, like an alcoholic, this may be a life of total abstinence. That is for you to decide.

Is there too much sex in modern entertainment? Yes, there is. I personally don’t find it so much offensive as simply boring.

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Does the gospel mean something different for different people and at different times? Our pastor mentioned that the angel who came to to Mary said she brought “good news” and it is the same word translated gospel elsewhere. To her, perhaps the gospel had a bit different meaning, perhaps filled with fear and wonder. In Jesus’ earthly ministry, perhaps many saw the good news as being freed physically from Roman rule by the Messiah. To some now, perhaps it means being freed from guilt, or being freed from compulsive acts of sin or addiction. Or perhaps it is the promise of peace beyond this life. Or perhaps the knowledge that there is purpose in this life working in God’s kingdom.

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