WISE COUNSEL FROM THE MASTER: CLICK THAT BUTTON CHARITY

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I WAS ASKED TO DEFINE GRACE AND SIN: And I look at terms in the theological, scriptural point of view:

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GRACE

Grace is a term that has a variety of connotations and nuances. For the purpose of this article its meaning is that of undeserved blessing freely bestowed on man by God.

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I was given grace to preach the unfathomable riches of Christ. And, of course, the riches of Christ are connected to the work of Christ and the work of Christ is a cross work by which saving grace is granted to penitent believing sinners. And so doing, Paul says in Ephesians 3 verse 9, God used me to bring to light what is the administration, or the stewardship of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things, in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenlies. That is an amazing statement.
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God showed grace to me in order that I might preach the gospel of grace, in order that the manifold wisdom of God exhibited in grace might be made known through the church which is the product of that saving grace to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places...angels...angels. God allowed sin from the very beginning, planned it in without being responsible for it, so that He could display His grace to the holy angels who would otherwise not be able to worship Him fully for who He is, not having any demonstration of the massive significance of grace with all its components, were it not put on display. God then enacts a gracious salvation so that angels can give Him full glory and full expression of worship consistent with all His attributes.

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SIN

Footnote:
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• Sin is not only an act of doing wrong but a state of falling out from God. Sin is much more than the violation of a forbidden or the transgression of an extenral ordiance.
• Sin in the mind is a fruit of the same moral defect that produces deeds of sin.
  

When Jesus said hatred carries the same kind of guilt as murder, and lust is the very essence of adultery, He was not suggesting that there is no difference in degree between sin that takes place in the mind and sin that is acted out. Scripture does not teach that all sins are of equal enormity.
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That some sins are worse than others is both patently obvious and thoroughly biblical. Scripture plainly teaches this, for example, when it tells us the sin of Judas was greater than the sin of Pilate (John 19:11).
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But in His Sermon on the Mount Jesus was pointing out that anger arises from the same moral defect as murder; and the one who lusts suffers from the same character flaw as the adulterer.

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Furthermore, those who engage in thought-sins are guilty of violating the same moral precepts as those who commit acts of murder and adultery.
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In other words, secret sins of the heart are morally tantamount to the worst kind of evil deeds—even if they are sins of a lesser degree. The lustful person has no right to feel morally superior to a wanton fornicator. The fact that she indulges in lust is proof she is capable of immoral acts as well. The fact that he hates his brother shows that he has murder lurking in his heart.
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Christ was teaching us to view our own secret sins with the same moral revulsion we feel for wanton acts of public sin.
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Believers need to be aware that secret sins can have the same effects as public sins.
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Whereas in unbelievers, they have sin that only grace can change: And sin in their heart will and can lead to action of sinful acts.

This morning we read where a young man was accused of plotting to bomb his school. In his mind there is anger, hatred and then there is lurking in his heart murder, the killing of students in his school.

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18-year-old S.C. student accused of plotting to bomb school
May 20, 2008

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Students arriving Monday at a small South Carolina high school face newly installed metal detectors and extra police after a student was arrested in what authorities said was a plan to carry out a Columbine-inspired attack.
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Bomb-sniffing dogs have already checked the hallways and classrooms at Chesterfield High School, authorities said. Metal detectors were borrowed from a courthouse.
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The alleged plotter, Ryan Schallenberger, 18, was arrested Saturday. His parents called police after 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate were delivered to their home in Chesterfield and they discovered a disturbing journal.
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"He seemed to hate the world. He hated people different from him — the rich boys with good-looking girlfriends," said the town's police chief, Randall Lear.
Schallenberger was one of the top students at the high school of about 580 students and had not caused any serious problems before his arrest, principal Scott Radkin said.

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THEREFORE

• SIN is the principle that corrupts the mindset of mankind, GRACE is the principle that will produce saving grace.
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