Tag Archives: Christian

Answering Hard Questions

Can Someone Embrace Homosexuality And Still Be Saved?

2 Comments

I know this is a tough topic. There are a lot of emotions tied up in this subject. Some of us likely have gay friends or family. Some of us may even identify as LBGTQIAP ourselves.

Before we go any further I have to tell you something very important. God loves everyone. He loves the Lesbian the same as he loves the straight dude the same as he loves the asian little person. These labels are ours, not His. He loves you for you just as you are.

Also there are people who can do this message so much better than me. Check out this talk by Jonathan Pokluda or this one by David Marvin.

My Answer

I decided to breakdown this question in order to get a more unbiased look at it. As a result my two new questions will put the spotlight on all people not conforming to the standard of the bible, in other words… everyone.

This is tough so I’m going to start with a prayer.

Father, let the words that I’m typing be true and if they are not true would you encourage the readers to overlook them or to challenge me with scripture so that I may be sharpened in my understanding of you. Please help our defenses to go down and let your word cut its way into our life. Help me to yield Your Word with grace and mercy and please forgive me where/if I have misused it. I need you! Amen

A Breakdown

The question ‘can someone embrace homosexuality and still be saved’ can be split into two more generalized questions: 1) What does it take to be saved? 2) Can someone embracing sin still be saved?

What Does It Take To Be Saved?

There are several scriptures that lay out what is required in order to be saved. John 3:16 is world famous, but the another good verse is Romans 10:9 NIV: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

You might ask, “don’t you need to repent and be saved?”

The interesting part about these verses is the absence of the term repentance. However, when we study the book of Acts particularly focusing on the narratives regarding people coming to salvation we start to notice a trend. Acts 2:38, 3:19, 11:18, 17:30; 20:21; 26:20. Do you see it? Where there was salvation there was repentance!

Therefore, I have come to conclusion that salvation and repentance are two side of the same coin. In order to get salvation you must have repentance. Thus, one is saved when they declare Jesus as Lord and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead and as a result of that salvation we should see some level, even a tiny amount, of repentances as evidence of one’s new faith.

Can Someone Embracing Sin Still Be Saved?

To embrace an idea is to believe something is true or make the concept one with us. For example, if we say Bryan has really embraced vulnerability we would mean that Bryan has taken the concept of vulnerability and applied it to his life. If Bryan did this well we would be able to say, “Bryan is a vulnerable person.” The embraced concept becomes a part of who he is, so to embrace sin is to make it part of our identity.

As stated at the beginning of this post I wanted to remove the focus on homosexuality and focus on how this question affects all people. When we generalize the original question we can turn it into a fill in the blank.

Can someone embracing (___INSERT SIN___) still be saved?

We need to really think about this question. How does this apply to us? Can I really keep embracing my disrespectful attitude toward my boss and still be saved? Can I continue pursuing these lustful fantasies and still be saved? Your questions could also look like the following?

  • Can someone embrace gossiping and still be saved?
  • Can someone embrace stealing time at work and still be saved?
  • Can someone embrace sex before marriage and still be saved?
  • Can someone embrace homosexuality and still be saved?
  • Can someone embrace coveting others possessions and still be saved?

Conclusion

When we believe in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and declare Him as Lord we are instantly saved. We are made completely new in the eyes of God, but we still have many, if not all, of our flaws. We don’t just stop sinning the moment we are saved. We are continually convicted and shown our old and new sin in a process of sanctification. We are saved, but we continue to sin through moments of weakness/ignorance/disobedience. We live our lives and then when we are confronted with our sin we should confess it (sometimes over and over again) and find healing. We should not see our sin, justify its existence, then accept it as who we are. When we embrace sin we are declaring our desires as Lord, rather than Jesus.

However, if one can be ignorant to God’s teaching then maybe they can be saved while embracing their sin. However, I have deep concern for anyone’s salvation who knows they are sinning and chooses to keep sinning anyways. That reaction to Jesus seems like the response of a person who is choosing a life of what they want rather than surrendering to God’s wants for their life. In essence they believe in God, but they declare themselves as Lord.

~ Daniel F. Grey

MORE ANSWERING HARD QUESTIONS
Is My Unbelieving Loved One In Hell?
How Can A Good God Allow Suffering?
How Do You Admonish Someone Who Is Not A Believer?
How Do You Direct A Stranger Who Wants To Take The Next Step As A Believer?
Why Do Christians Obey Some OT Laws & Ignore Others?

OUTLINE

  1. What does it take to be saved?
    1. John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9 – If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
    2. What about repentance?
      1. Whenever I was looking through Acts on how people got saved I saw a trend – where there was salvation there was often repentance. Acts 2:38, 3:19, 11:18, 17:30; 20:21; 26:20.
      2. We also see that bible warns against unrepentance and the result of unrepentance. It also says that we are suppose to cut sin from our lives. Romans 6:1,12,15; 8:2; 1 Corinthians 6:18, 15:32; 2 Corinthians 12:21; 1 Timothy 3:20; Hebrews 10:26, 12:4
    3. Considering a and b together I have come to the conclusion that salvation and repentance are two sides of the same coin. In order to get salvation you must have repentance.
      1. Therefore one is saved when they declare Jesus as Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead and as a result of that salvation we should see some level, even a tiny amount, of repentance as evidence of their new faith.
  2. Can someone embrace sin and still be saved?
    1. I have now generalized the question so that we can apply this to everyone. So the new question might read as such 
      1. Can someone embrace gossiping and still be saved?
      2. Can someone embrace stealing time at work and still be saved?
      3. Can someone embrace sex before marriage and still be saved?
      4. Can someone embrace coveting others possessions and still be saved?
      5. Can someone embrace homosexuality and still be saved?
      6. Can someone embrace _____sin______ and still be saved?
        1. I’m not including addictions on this list on purpose because at the point when someone is addicted I don’t know if that person is capable of choosing what is right and what is wrong.
    2. To embrace an idea is to believe something is true or to make the concept one with us (for example if we were to say Bryan has really embraced vulnerability, we would mean that Bryan has taken the concept of vulnerability and applied it to his life so that one could easily say, “Bryan is such a vulnerable person” – the embraced concept becomes a part of who he is) so to embrace sin is to make it part of our identity.
    3. When we believe in Jesus resurrection from the dead and declare Him as Lord we are instantly saved. We are made completely new in the eyes of God, but we still have many if not all of our flaws. We don’t just stop sinning the moment we are saved. We are continually convicted and shown our old and new sin in a process of sanctification. We are saved, but we continue to sin through moments of weakness/ignorance/disobedience. We live our lives and then when we are confronted with our sin we confess it (sometimes over and over again) and find healing. We should not see our sin, justify its existence, then accept it as who we are. When we embrace sin we are declaring our desires as Lord rather than Jesus. However, if one can be ignorant to God’s teaching then maybe they can be saved while embracing their sin. I would have deep concern for someone’s salvation if they know they are sinning and choose to sin anyways. That response to Jesus seems like the response of a person who is choosing a life of what they want rather than surrendering to God. In essence they believe in God but they declare themselves as Lord.

SOURCES

The Bible (NIV)
Matthew 5:48
John 3:16
Romans 10:9
Acts 2:38,3:19,11:18,17:30,20:21,26:20
2 Corinthians 5:17
Romans 3:23, 6:1-2
James 5:16
1 John 1:8-10
https://www.theporch.live/messages/3066
https://www.theporch.live/messages/5610

Nathan Dooley

The Psychology Of A Spiritual Relationship | Spiritual Insight | #9

Leave a comment

Oh Lord, bless me with words you would find pleasing to read and that will reveal Yourself in them. It’s amazing to think about writing in a way that doesn’t just say something about me as your writer, but rather, the ‘Spirit’ giving utterance to inspire me to write with words that communicate information about what only the Spirit can know.  Do we understand the personal nature of the relationship between the Spirit, Writer, and Reader? Let’s find out, yes?

As your writer, I think of a question and way for me to relate to you (my reader). This can actually compromise the relationship because it depends upon the heart trying to figure out a way of gaining insight about information without the relationship of the Spirit, therefore not providing truth that builds trust, but an agenda which outcome is to be manipulative for personal gain.

Let us bear in mind that the Spirit is not of flesh and blood, so that changes the dynamic between us three. And if we understand the meaning of a relationship then we’ll know that there is a force of nature at work for a relationship to be possible. So… This is about to get interesting because there is an authority that governs between two different wills, of which gives us the freedom to choose who we are in a relationship with and why.

There is a ‘Spirit of Truth’ and a ‘spirit of lies’, now why did I capitalize the ‘S’ and ‘T’ and not the ‘s’ and ‘l’? This is a way of me (Nathan) as your writer, claiming to have a relationship with truth while identifying, in fact, that there are two different Spirit’s. Why? Because this is how we learn who we are in a relationship with although not seeing the “Who”. As a couple quick examples:

I’m not always with my wife (Laura), but when I’m away (not physically seeing her) can still hear her presence with me; such as driving, as I go above the speed limit her telling me to, “slow down”.

You are reading this with all that defines you. but not writing it, because there is a spiritual structure in place for us to have purpose and discern the who, what, when, where, why, and how the relationship is possible between us even though we don’t see each other.

It’s 3:32am, March 11, 2020! It’s crazy to think about so many years before leading up to these moments, expecting 3:45, then tomorrow, and then the rest of our lives… until the reality of death comes without even knocking. That is what keeps me up at night; the thought of my next moment to live when it’s someone else’s next moment to die, inspiring me to wonder about the reason why. This state of thought has me changing colors because the reason is life changing, and that reason is… Love!

It’s 3:45, the truth is in our relationship with Jesus Christ, the testimony about Jesus demonstrating the love of God for all people through His crucifixion on the cross is how we understand the relationship between Spirit, Writer, and Reader. I am called to tell you about the relationship because the spirit of lies is eventually going to be taken out of the way for the truth of salvation revealed in Jesus Christ at His coming. So here comes the conflict between us sense we’ve developed a relationship since the beginning of this post.

Are you in a relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ, through the Spirit of Truth? Or. Are you in a relationship with the Father of Lies, The Satan, through the spirit of lies?

What information would I learn about your heart that testifies to the relationship you have in truth, or, in lying?

God Speed.

Disclaimer: I (Nathan) am not a psychiatrist or psychologist.

Nathan Dooley, Spiritual Insights

Spiritual Insight | #8

Leave a comment

Do any of you learn by experience, also known as experiential learning (EXL) according to my quick google search? When asked how I learn, I’ve always just said, “I learn hands-on”. Click “hands-on learner” to see more about experiential education.

Capture

“Experiential learning at Cascades Academy is implemented at all levels of our curriculum and revolves around the central idea of learning by doing. The central tenets of this methodology include engaging students in a cycle of (1) activity/experience, (2) reflection, (3) conceptualization, and (4) application of desired learning outcomes. While the classroom affords many opportunities for students to engage in experiential education, the school also employs this learning methodology outside the traditional classroom.“

So apparently ‘hands-on learning‘ is a form of ‘experiential learning‘, but there is so much more information to delve deeper through the links provided above. Check’em out!

Keep reading
Nathan Dooley

Spiritual Insight|#5

Leave a comment

I know what you’re thinking, “…skipped 4”. But I didn’t, that one actually turned out to be a very personal one that I may publish eventually…we’ll see. So I’m doing a study on the Holy Spirit of God, and I must say, it’s quite literally an enlightenment every step of the way. I was listening to my wife the other day in our little Toyota Corolla on the way to church criticizing the way I explain things sometimes; she was very encouraging, the fact is, I take leaps in logic when trying to transition two different forms of thought in my mind that are conflicted with feelings. It’s like my brain ‘short circuits’ thinking of the necessary transition for a proper explanation to the feeling and insight at hand, but skips the entire transition all together leaving the person scratching their head like…. “what just happened” (haha). All together, It’s frustrating.

keep reading
Nathan Dooley

Spiritual Insight | #2

Leave a comment

At the tick tock of 2:40 in the morning listening to the sound of rain gracefully hit our house and the deep steady breathing laying next to me… It’s peaceful. I reach over to get my phone to read some scripture from the famous YouVersion Bible app, but “where should I read?”, I wonder, and meditate as the options of New or Old are presented before me; I choose Old and land in Leviticus at first, but it seemed off of how I needed to be fed spiritually until I found myself in Deuteronomy 4 to get my nutrition, but why? Why here?

keep reading
Uncategorized
Leave a comment

Freewill is an interesting aspect of our reality and topic controversial. Why do we have a ‘will’ that’s “free” if grounded by gravity? I experience limitation and vulnerability. I’m taught and educated by a system that seems built on captivity, not freedom, but by the spiritual illness of greed and selfishness. Freedom…is perverted.

Speaking from experience. I lived a life where my will to be free was perverted. I idolized people and myself, and God. I’ve heard a true message or teaching from a false prophet or preacher. How can that be? The human heart is desperately wicked because of what it desires, it desires the will to be God. And so the human race works hard for this goal because of a teaching that dates back to the beginning of unrighteousness (Ezekiel 28:15).

When reality is so noisy it’s very easy to hear what gives you attention and fall prey to an evil deception. Preachers are as human as the humans receiving what is preached, but don’t be mistaken, false teachers will not go unpunished.

“Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” James 3:1

If you come to recognize that you are in a bad spiritual environment, know there is hope, keep your faith. Truth is in the power of the Holy Spirit if you believe in Jesus Christ to understand salvation and the kingdom of God.

Emotions to Logic, Nathan Dooley, T4P

Atheist Christian Entrapment

Leave a comment

Atheist Christian Entrapment

B2B37315-FB6F-414B-A82A-1C7C5DF3B186


So an Atheist and Christian walk into an elevator. The Atheist hits “6” while the Christian does not hit a number to indicate which floor. While the elevator is in transit the lights flicker, screen displays a red “•” dot where there should be a “#” number to indicate the passing floor’s, but the elevator continues to move to unknown floors eventually reaching a stopping point, possibly between floors. The Christian obnoxiously says to the Atheist, “Don’t worry, there’s a God!” And hits the “help” button to alert the elevator company of the entrapment while the Atheist rudely “rolls their eyes” and hits the “Alarm” button a few times to hopefully alert someone from outside the entrapment. But no button appears to be working for anyone to know about the entrapment, so the Atheist and Christian hug until they both die…

See that’s what happens when you construct and form a “bias” that projects on another person unfairly, you get a joke of an ending.

It is no simple or ordinary “task” when removing a background of experiential information including but not limited to (geographical location, education, influence, etc.) what you’re born into, for understanding someone else’s information. But in doing so will provide and establish equal ground for understanding a different perspective. You can read in the “elevator” scenario above two separate claims by the label’s “Atheist” and “Christian” to culminate war by a misunderstanding built on personal experience through (background, geographical location, education, influence, etc.).

The true and pure reason a person of belief aims at convincing a person of unbelief is because of a mysterious perspective to enlightenment that only comes by understanding the condition of the human heart. Acknowledging our present condition of illness means to yearn for and seek out the remedy. Here is where it gets interesting by conflict and clashing occurs between a difference in perspective’s; a true believer will understand illness represents a spiritual condition of the heart that only the Spiritual Creator or Life Giver (God), can remedy; Whereas the unbeliever reasons by logic and determines the remedy hopeless to eventually decide there is no remedy worth believing in, because there’s no evidence for one.

Both of the above perspectives are true, but one is superior in nature not because of the person, but divinity—believing and trusting in the “remedial cure” for a spiritual condition. Again, not the believer, the true believer acknowledges the same condition of illness as everyone else in the world. But by choosing to believe in the Spiritual Creator for yourself, “exercises faith”, that provides the remedy. The person that truly believes, is transmitting by the inspiration of the one who has the remedy, the Holy Spirit of God. The true believer’s wifi password is ____________?

If you learn about the “anointed cherub who covers” in the book of Ezekiel found in the Bible and understand the meaning, you’ll discover how freewill works (knowledge of good and evil) and trust that God is good (John 17). Because by choosing to be unreasonable and not understand this meaning, is willfully choosing to be given a spirit of ignorance that is consequential to eternal judgement. Don’t let “unrighteousness be found in you” (Ezekiel 28:15).

Trust that God is good through the Holy Spirit link in the wifi password “Jesus Christ”.

In love,

Nathan Dooley

P.S. choose an eternal perspective over your carnal reality (the elevator landed on the “7th” floor)