There is No Other Sacrifice for Sins

This is a continuation of the conversation from last week. We recap the previous week's discussion about how the one sacrifice of Jesus took away all our sin and we move on to discussing what we do when we sin, because after all, we do still sin! Looking at some more encouraging words from the book of Hebrews, we talk about how we don't need to live with a consciousness of sin, wallowing around in guilt and condemnation, but rather we can "hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful," resting in God's grace, knowing that where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more!

There is nothing we can do to take away our own sins. There has only been one sacrifice for all sins, once and for all, and it was sufficient! Our conversation this week ends up with a look at how all this relates to a misunderstood verse that so very often gets taken out of context:

Heb 10:26 "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins..."

We hope you'll be encouraged as we look at this in the context of the previous chapters - taking into account all of what the writer of Hebrews has previously said about the "sacrifice for sins."

gigcast.graceroots.org

Sin Taken Away - Living With a Consciousness of Righteousness

Latest Growing in Grace program is available for download. In Christ we've received the righteousness of God as a gift. The Old Testament sacrifices ("the blood of bulls and goats") could never take away sin. In fact, the book of Hebrews says that all they really did was to bring a reminder of sin. This week Mike and Joel talk about how the once-for-all, far-superior sacrifice of Christ has taken sin away, and how we can live with a consciousness of righteousness rather than a consciousness of sin. Let your heart and mind be set free as the truth from scripture reminds you of your true standing with God in Christ!

gigcast.graceroots.org

It's a Sin

I barely remembered this song from the 80's. I liked the music of the Pet Shop Boys and I mostly remember their bigger hits such as Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money), West End Girls, and their popular version of Always On My Mind (see below). As I listened to It's a Sin today, the music and the lyrics came back to me, and I can say that I was much more struck by the lyrics today than I was back then!

One example of a verse that really stuck out to me was:

At school they taught me how to be
So pure in thought and word and deed
They didn't quite succeed...

(That's just one small part. See all the lyrics here.)

Judging from the video, the lyrics appear to be referring to a Catholic school experience, but I suppose it could refer to any type of private (or public) school experience in which morals were legalistically taught/stressed/enforced... and of course my mind quickly made the legalistic church connection in regards to this terrible obsession with SIN!

It's sad, but I think it's true that this song probably represents the mindset of many people in the world today in regards to their understanding of how God sees them. I pray for the truth of the righteousness that comes by faith, not our own efforts at righteousness, and the truth of the new life and the new identity that God gives us in Christ in which we don't live with a sin consciousness but with a righteousness consciousness and with peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, to continue to be spread all around the world and to FREE people instead of keeping them in the bondage of a focus on sin!

Pet Shop Boys - It's a Sin


For Aida... Pet Shop Boys' version of Always On My Mind :)

"I'm a bilingual illiterate. I can't read in two languages." LOL :)