tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post3810475717422014280..comments2024-02-29T19:21:32.831-05:00Comments on Possible Worlds: Christ and Sin RevisitedRandy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-7844345997322172462016-02-20T20:20:25.987-05:002016-02-20T20:20:25.987-05:00OK thanks for the help Randy :)OK thanks for the help Randy :)Jamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-47336159060033489842016-02-20T16:37:10.654-05:002016-02-20T16:37:10.654-05:00Hey man, glad to hear from you!
Definitely some t...Hey man, glad to hear from you!<br /><br />Definitely some thoughts can be sinful. While temptation *of itself* is not sinful, there are two considerations: 1. Temptations, so long as they're not directly the result of sinful actions/attitudes on the part of a person, are not a desirable state of affairs. Consider someone who does their level best to take care of themselves, and yet gets a type of cancer. The cancer is not their fault, and yet it is still not a desirable state of affairs. 2. Once the temptation is presented, if entertained beyond the immediate temptation, it is a sin. So, suppose it occurs to you that your finances would go much smoother if you accepted this computer passcode presented to you that allows you to take about $100k per year from a conglomerate of billionaires. If you dismiss it out of hand, you have not sinned. If, however, due to greed, you consider it, weighing the pros and cons, *even after understanding that the action is wrong*, then it seems to me you have sinned. Why? <br /><br />Because you have taken something presented to you that you understand to be wrong, and you let an attitude (in our example, greed) battle in your mind.<br /><br />So, to answer your question, a Christian who was never tempted wouldn't be of better character or proven morality (this is part of the reason Christ faced such temptation--to demonstrate his sinlessness!), but a Christian who, when faced with a temptation, and upon understanding that the act is wrong, dismisses it out of hand--that is moral character!<br /><br />Lust is not itself a temptation: lust is an attitude we can cultivate or not, and it results from a temptation. Lust is not mere desire, but is more like greed for sexual sin. I hope this helps!Randy Everisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-53672034619636979002016-02-19T16:45:05.538-05:002016-02-19T16:45:05.538-05:00Hi Randy,
I was asked a question by someone about...Hi Randy,<br /><br />I was asked a question by someone about the issue of temptation and whether thoughts are sinful. I wasn't completely sure how to answer so thought you could help :). It'd seem that Hebrews 4:15 teaches that it is not a sin to be tempted, so therefore someone who, say, considers cheating on his spouse but in the end holds fast and remains faithful, has not sinned. Is that right? But, if so, would it also be correct to say that a Christian who finds himself in such a situation would've been more faithful to God had he not even considered cheating? If he had never been tempted to do wrong would that not show he has a better character than one who is tempted and, if so, would that not show temptation can be wrong in some sense? But then what about sinful thoughts such as lusting and hating? They seem to be regarded as sin even if we don't physically act on them.Jamesnoreply@blogger.com