Comments on: Maintaining a Pure Spirit

By: AG

AG — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:51:12 +0000

Exactly. It's easier to refrain from a sin when you have something else, something good, to occupy your attention. AG's last blog post..Growing Pains

By: MInTheGap

MInTheGap — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:14:54 +0000

Ok, how did we go from Scripture to discussing weed?

You’re right though– most sin needs to be replaced with positive things. Nature abhors a vacuum and other such good sayings inserted here.

By: AG

AG — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:50:50 +0000

Hubby and I were just talking about marijuana last night and now it's a habit-drug, meaning you can't just quit it. You've got to replace it with something. That's why many former-potheads are alcoholics or have other habitual behaviour. The trick is to replace it with something good like exercise. AG's last blog post..Growing Pains

By: MInTheGap

MInTheGap — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:58:38 +0000

Amazing how strong scripture is on this– Eph 4 and Col 3 speak to this very truth. Both talk not just about putting off something, but with replacing it with a good thing. For example, don’t just stop stealing, but give. Don’t just stop lying, but tell the truth. The Word is powerful.

By: AG

AG — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:53:56 +0000

Claudia, so right. If we aren't passionate about the good, how can we expect to be strong enough to stay from the bad? AG's last blog post..Growing Pains

By: Claudia

Claudia — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:22:00 +0000

Great post and great discussion! The farther we stay from the flame, the less likely we are to get burned.
One of the quotes I found in doing my own research on passion comes form Larry Crabb. He says "The core problem is not that we are too passionate about bad things, but that we are not passionate enough about good things." - Larry Crabb in Finding God
It is not enough to only flee from the bad, we must instead flee to the good - that is God. Claudia's last blog post..Loving Sunshine

By: AG

AG — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:39:54 +0000

That’s a really good point. I’ve been a hard core purity-activist because sexual purity is a struggle I have. Others are hard core sobriety-activists because that’s where their struggles would be if they weren’t so deliberate about being sober. Interesting to think about – thanks.

AG’s last blog post..The Truth About Porn

By: MInTheGap

MInTheGap — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:26:57 +0000

I think you’ve touched on the heart of passages like Romans 14 where it talks about the weaker and stronger brothers and the different reasons for the different restrictions. Great way to tie that in.

By: AG

AG — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:08:51 +0000

Right. And to flee from temptation… not just mosey away from temptation.
Motive has everything to do with it. If you’re erecting legalistic laws and opposing them on other people for self-righteousness, then you’re wrong. Bad pharasee… go sit in the corner.
But if you’re strict with yourself (not judging others) because you’re passionate about pleasing God, I think you’re good to go.

AG’s last blog post..The Truth About Porn

By: MInTheGap

MInTheGap — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:01:44 +0000

This is one of the reasons that I find it hard to be really rough with the Pharisees sometimes. In some ways, they’re like us today– erecting fences to keep themselves from even getting close to sin. Except they began to confuse this with power. They went from doing this (possibly) out of a heart of concern for obeying the law and obeying God to creating laws just to enact control.

But Jesus called for radical things in order to remain pure: If you’re eye offend you, pluck it out! If your hand offend you, cut it off! He wasn’t suggesting self mutilation as much as He was calling us to be serious about sin. It was something that you shouldn’t even get close to– whereas we live in a culture where Christians see just how close they can get to the line without going over.