en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/320918 Comments by John http://dewde.com/2009/06/rerun-god-and-darwin-and-me-on-one-knee/#IDComment24600369 You win! Happy anniversary bro... Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:12:33 +0000 http://dewde.com/2009/06/rerun-god-and-darwin-and-me-on-one-knee/#IDComment24600369 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/28/walking-in-a-continuous-state-of-sin/#IDComment16838417 Great point, Wesley. I agree, as much as thoughts and actions are a full expression of sin. However, to my point, it is not thoughts and actions that damn us, but rather the broken state of affairs into which every human is born. Sinful thought and deed are evidence of the deeper state of sin. That state is not made more real by those thoughts and deeds just exposed. Fri, 13 Mar 2009 02:05:31 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/28/walking-in-a-continuous-state-of-sin/#IDComment16838417 http://dewde.com/2009/03/am-i-a-husband-or-a-project/#IDComment16398929 I don't think there are any rollbacks in life...as with any of Chris' software releases! Fri, 6 Mar 2009 18:41:11 +0000 http://dewde.com/2009/03/am-i-a-husband-or-a-project/#IDComment16398929 http://dewde.com/2009/03/am-i-a-husband-or-a-project/#IDComment16398806 This is one of the nerdiest things I have read in a long time...and I understood every word! Yikes!!! Fri, 6 Mar 2009 18:40:21 +0000 http://dewde.com/2009/03/am-i-a-husband-or-a-project/#IDComment16398806 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/28/walking-in-a-continuous-state-of-sin/#IDComment16121283 I agree with you. I have come to believe that "missing the mark" is at its core living apart from Christ and not merely having a bad thought or a bad action. Those are just outward expression of a heart attitude that says, "I can do it on my own." Tue, 3 Mar 2009 20:33:15 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/28/walking-in-a-continuous-state-of-sin/#IDComment16121283 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/28/walking-in-a-continuous-state-of-sin/#IDComment16056865 If you define sin only as an action, then I completely agree with you. However, I do not think this view appropriately describes the depth of human depravity. What you are describing is the external expression of sin: behavior. There are more internal expressions of sin, thoughts, but again, those are an expression of a deeper issue. When I do not behave like a sinner externally, but am living apart from Christ I am living in the flesh, which is sin. As Christians, we are indeed regenerated. We have been made perfect in our spiritual union with Christ. He has taken up residence by the Holy Spirit within our spirits. However, we are still unregenerated in our minds and in need of progressive sanctification. The flesh is still present and needs to be dealt with mercilessly where we discover its influence. Simply describing sin as actions and thoughts puts us into the moral wranglings of, "How close can I get to the line without going over?" Understanding sin as the state of a broken relationship with God cuts through all of that mess. It is the only standard by which we can truly judge our thoughts and behaviors. There are no gray areas in our relationship with Jesus. In this sense, I do not believe that quoting Rom. 14:23 is incorrect. Paul is describing our conduct among other believers and how we may violate each others conscience based upon various practices. Again, these are the externals. The internal bottom-line is can I engage in them by faith? That is to say, can I with a clean conscience profess that what I am doing is a genuine expression of my relationship with Christ. If not...it is sin. Mon, 2 Mar 2009 13:22:06 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/28/walking-in-a-continuous-state-of-sin/#IDComment16056865 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/28/walking-in-a-continuous-state-of-sin/#IDComment16002107 Thanks Peter. There is so much to say on this topic. Obviously, McVey has written several books on it! Sun, 1 Mar 2009 13:19:44 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/28/walking-in-a-continuous-state-of-sin/#IDComment16002107 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/25/the-sins-of-my-youth/#IDComment15840538 I was going through some recovery material last night that talked very succinctly about this. It put it this way... God gives us a crisis of truth in our lives. That crisis comes in a couple of ways: 1. Crisis of conscience 2. Crisis of circumstance A crisis of conscience can easily be ignored. However, a crisis of circumstance cannot. Where it gets confusion is in the time God allows us to repent after bringing the crisis of conscience. We are confronted with a truth and our conscience alerts us to its veracity. However, because the consequence is not immediate, we may choose to ignore that truth. What is actually happening is God is allowing us time to repent, a grace period, before he lifts his hand of protection and allows the crisis of circumstance to manifest. An example might be as follows: My conscience tells me that I should not use porn; that it will damage my marriage. However, because I can seemingly control the behavior and it isn't producing negative consequences I choose to ignore my conscience and continue in the behavior. In effect, I mistakenly interpreted the lack of consequences as permission to continue the behavior. Eventually I become more ensnared by the behavior and one day look around and realize that my marriage and life is deteriorating. I am plainly no longer able to control the behavior and my marriage is suffering. I thought this was really profound! Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:38:20 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/25/the-sins-of-my-youth/#IDComment15840538 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/25/the-sins-of-my-youth/#IDComment15808178 My recovery efforts have also made an enormous difference. I don't want to leave the impression from this post that things are just horrible. They aren't. I wrote it out of some current pain. My wife and I are closer than we have every been, in large part because of the work that the Holy Spirit has done in my heart through my recovery journey. Thanks for the comment, Kelly! Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:37:16 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/25/the-sins-of-my-youth/#IDComment15808178 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/20/help-for-the-sexually-desperate/#IDComment15798395 Hey Luke...thanks for the comment. I didn't know you had a blog. I'm definitely following you now! Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:35:45 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/20/help-for-the-sexually-desperate/#IDComment15798395 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/19/changing-the-pornography-landscape/#IDComment15531893 Indeed, it is a debate. I am of the opinion that it is a slippery slope to begin regulating forms of speech. Regardless of what the founding fathers intended, we have to re-contextualize the constitution into contemporary issues. Thus far, it has proved an enduring document and the principles contained in it have translated well into our post-modern society. Ultimately, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness looks different to different people. There are lots of things that people engage in that I believe lead to bondage rather than freedom. However, their right to choose is something that I would never want to remove from them. If I condone removing such a right to choose from others, what is going to prevent others from removing rights from me that they deem distasteful, such as my religious freedom? Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:07:35 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/19/changing-the-pornography-landscape/#IDComment15531893 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/14/hope-in-the-healing-process/#IDComment15281456 I believe that aside from the grace of God I would be in the same boat as you. I have just come out of a nearly year-long battle with a chronic health condition. During that condition, I prayed and prayed and became angry at God along the way for not changing my health situation. It was another example, though with physical health as the object-lesson, of how I have felt about addiction at times. I too have wanted to be "zapped" and delivered from my lustful thoughts and resultant behavior. Just the same as my health struggle persisted beyond my prayers, so did my lust. Both have taken diligence and searching for answers beyond my frustration. In another twist, the ultimate motivation at times for searching for those answers was not God and my relationship to him, but my family and my desire to be the best I can be for them. That is not directly related to what we are talking about, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Mon, 16 Feb 2009 03:33:53 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/14/hope-in-the-healing-process/#IDComment15281456 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/14/hope-in-the-healing-process/#IDComment15278538 That is a good insight into that verse in the context of this article. It again underscores that transformation isn't typically the result of a point-in-time, miraculous occurrence, But rather is an ongoing process where our hearts are changed as we search and discover deeper insights about ourselves, God and our role in His story (read history). Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:02:34 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/14/hope-in-the-healing-process/#IDComment15278538 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/14/the-gift-of-sexual-freedom/#IDComment15249391 Interesting...I never perceived that the doctor was drawing a correlation between contraceptives and depression, but rather to convey a hypothesis of a possible correlation between sexual activity in young women and depression. His statement is that "...broken hearts can cause depressed minds." Not that oral contraceptives can cause them. It seems clear to me that Leap's intention is to share his personal opinion rather than make a scientific assertion, evidenced by his sharing of this information on his personal blog rather than a scientific medical journal. I apparently am not reading as deeply into this as others. Sun, 15 Feb 2009 03:31:10 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/14/the-gift-of-sexual-freedom/#IDComment15249391 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/14/the-gift-of-sexual-freedom/#IDComment15210801 Some consolation prize... (sarcasm intended) Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:34:54 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/14/the-gift-of-sexual-freedom/#IDComment15210801 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/10/nurturing-the-soul/#IDComment15044045 Not at all. Porn is a counterfeit. There is no question that the human form is beautiful. Porn exploits that beauty for selfish gain. We have a deep need for nurturing, whether we are in touch with it or not. That is what I was trying to convey. Beauty that nurtures the heart is not exploited but is enjoyed within the boundaries of God's design. Great point, Peter! Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:07:28 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/10/nurturing-the-soul/#IDComment15044045 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/10/nurturing-the-soul/#IDComment14974304 After thinking more about it, I believe that maybe God nurtures us through beauty, in whatever form that takes. That is surely in part why pornography is so captivating to so many. Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:32:50 +0000 http://www.purecommunity.org/2009/02/10/nurturing-the-soul/#IDComment14974304