Sin and the Rejection of Jesus

This was aimed at the Jews, but the target today are those Christians who set poor examples!

Romans 2:24 "For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

The Jews were (in the previous verses) criticized for doing things against which they teach not to do!  Jesus called those Jews who did that "vipers". I would guess that Jesus was comparing them to the serpent because they twisted God's Law such that their deeds failed to meet God's expectations.

God does EXPECT us to keep his Laws! We are not bound to the law because we are no longer in bondage; that is if we're born again because the born again experience takes the old person who was a slave to sin and makes that person a free born person, if the born-again experience is viable and never terminated!

Apostasy is the abortion of the new creation sometimes after the new birth. For Simon the Magician his spiritual abortion was immediate. For others it's when they feel comfortable in their spiritual womb, not even wary that the menacing evil doctor is taking their life!

Sin isn't the death-cause for faith; but faith is diminishes as we sin!  Satan uses sin to steal faith because he cannot steal faith directly. God protects you and that is the hope of salvation.

Weak Christians, those with little faith, sin. The weaker the faith, the more the sin. Just as the Gentiles saw the Jews preach against sin, then do the sin they condemn, their spiritual credibility was at stake. Just as the Gentiles blasphemed against the Jews whose sins were many, unbelievers today blaspheme against Jesus Christ when they see Christians sin!

Blasphemy is showing disrespect for God and is a rejection of Jesus' propitiation for our sins.

1 John 2:2 "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. ³ And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments."

First off, Jesus is the propitiation for our sins! That means that since we can never please God because we ALL are sinners, Jesus, who was and is without sin,  did it for us! He took all the sins of everyone who ever lived or will live on his own shoulders and paid the penalty which we deserved!  Jesus becoming the sacrifice is the greatest hope ever given to mankind because if we accept his sacrifice as efficacious we get to love forever!

Apostasy is failure to accept that propitiation by creeping loss of faith as Satan works on those without the whole armor of God.

However, the second point above (1 John 2:2) is the recognition that even those born-again (little children) still sin. For those who still sin, and we all do, Jesus goes to the Father on our behalf, but while he is doing that, the Gentiles (infidels) around us blaspheme Jesus. Therefore, although Jesus is quick to forgive sin as we repent, sin does have consequences. Not only are we like the Hebrews (appear as hypocrites), but Jesus is ridiculed because of the sins which we do, but know that we must not!

Look at it like this: We sin, and if we repent, Jesus forgives us, but at the same time it makes Jesus appear to be weak because those who are against him mistake grace for weakness. Likewise, rather than recognizing the Almighty God in Jesus, they perceive that his followers aren't even sincere!

There was a movie several years ago called I Know What You Did Last Summer with Jennifer Love Hewett. One of the women was stalked by a killer who saw her cover up an accidental killing. He knew what she did last summer.

This situation applies to Christians as well. When they see us do wrong, it seems to justify their own misdeeds. When Christians sin, the implication is that they don't love and honor Jesus. When others see and know their sin, the question arises, "Why should I honor Jesus!" The non-Christian becomes the slasher and those in Jennifer Love Hewett's role are the cause of all the turmoil.

We all need to be careful as Christians when we sin, because we dishonor God, but also influence others to reject Jesus!

Paul made it plain that "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak", but there are consequences because of weak flesh. We must repent, but recognize the damage it does to belief in Jesus!

The solution: Don't sin! Not because it's a violation of the Law, but because that's how we are to love Jesus. When we love Jesus, then others are influenced to love him also!