In politics there are certain issues known as ‘hot-button’ issues. These are things that resonate amongst a large percentage of the voters, and are usually somewhat controversial issues. For example, a lot of people feel very strongly about immigration: Some feel that we let way too many people into this country, and some feel that we should have an open border policy; a lot people feel very strongly about healthcare: Some feel that every American should have health insurance, even if the government has to pay for it, and some feel that they shouldn’t have to pay for other people’s healthcare (whether through higher taxes or higher insurance rates as insurance companies are mandated to cover those that can’t pay). Some people feel very strongly about capital punishment. Some feel very strongly about abortion. The war in Iraq stirs up strong feelings. Global warming. The list goes on.
I think most of us have hot-button issues of our own. Some people are bothered by all of the things I listed in the first paragraph, some aren’t bothered by any of them but are bothered by other things that I didn’t think of. It’s only natural that some things are going to get under your skin, and cause you act with less rationality than you normally would. That doesn’t make it right. Ephesians 4:26 says to be angry, and sin not. Getting angry is not a sin, in and of itself, but letting the anger (or any other strong emotion) control you, is. Does this mean that we should all becomes stoics? No, of course not. God gave us emotions for a reason. Jesus, our perfect example, even showed us His anger, on more than one occasion, but He committed no sin.
The point is, we have been delivered from sin. We don’t have to commit sin any more. We will, because we are human, and we make mistakes; but nothing can force us to sin. It’s almost like being delivered from sin means that we have no excuse for sinning. In Romans 8:38-39, Apostle Paul gives a list of things that cannot separate us from God. I have had people tell me that it is an all-inclusive list, that there is absolutely nothing that can come between us and God, once we have made the profession of faith, but, if you look, it doesn’t list one’s self, and it doesn’t list sin. Of course, none of the things on that list can make you sin, either, so, whatever is between us and God, is strictly between us and God. We cannot blame anyone else, we cannot blame our circumstance, our environment, our culture… God is greater than all of that.
I think most of us have hot-button issues of our own. Some people are bothered by all of the things I listed in the first paragraph, some aren’t bothered by any of them but are bothered by other things that I didn’t think of. It’s only natural that some things are going to get under your skin, and cause you act with less rationality than you normally would. That doesn’t make it right. Ephesians 4:26 says to be angry, and sin not. Getting angry is not a sin, in and of itself, but letting the anger (or any other strong emotion) control you, is. Does this mean that we should all becomes stoics? No, of course not. God gave us emotions for a reason. Jesus, our perfect example, even showed us His anger, on more than one occasion, but He committed no sin.
The point is, we have been delivered from sin. We don’t have to commit sin any more. We will, because we are human, and we make mistakes; but nothing can force us to sin. It’s almost like being delivered from sin means that we have no excuse for sinning. In Romans 8:38-39, Apostle Paul gives a list of things that cannot separate us from God. I have had people tell me that it is an all-inclusive list, that there is absolutely nothing that can come between us and God, once we have made the profession of faith, but, if you look, it doesn’t list one’s self, and it doesn’t list sin. Of course, none of the things on that list can make you sin, either, so, whatever is between us and God, is strictly between us and God. We cannot blame anyone else, we cannot blame our circumstance, our environment, our culture… God is greater than all of that.
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