#Christian Liberty

[banana-with-a-bow-tie]

Is it sinful for Christian’s to play secular games or watch secular tv? Is that loving the things of the world(secular)?

It can be sinful, but it is not automatically sinful. Certain things are obviously wrong, shows and games that glorify immoral content and graphically display things no Christian should set their eyes on (Job 31:1). It is also unwise for Christians to fill their minds uncritically with the lies inherent in the worldviews being shared in certain shows and games like "follow your heart."

Philippians 4:8 is a good rule to follow here.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things."

Does whatever media you want to consume help you do these things? Does it help you grow closer to Christ? There are several movies made by secular people that I have found very inspiring and reflecting His goodness (Iroh forgiving Zuko, my beloved). Because we are made in the image of God we all have the ability to reflect Him in what we make, but we still have to turn to Him for wisdom in how we evaluate them.

Consuming shows and games can turn into loving things of the world when we depend on them for our comfort and joy. Are we looking to them more than Christ? Are they where we put the majority of our time and energy instead of the things God wants us to focus on? Do they prevent us from serving others, praying, sleeping, studying His Word, making friends, or sharing the gospel? It's not that we have to do these things 24/7, but certain things are simply better for us and are worthy of more of our time.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Let us never surrender our judgments or our consciences to be at the disposal and opinions of others, and to be subjected to the sentences and determinations of men.

Samuel Bolton

[hobbitsetal]

why shouldn’t christians swear? I understand not taking God’s name in vain, but some swear words are just expletives and aren’t related to God’s name

You know, if you had asked me this question 3-4 years ago, I'd have answered very differently and more legalistically.

I swear. A lot. My husband and I keep saying we gotta tone it down because our son is about to learn language, and we will be dead ducks if our son says the S word in front of either set of grandparents. And yet today it slipped out in front of my Sunday school kids because I dropped something. (I don't think they heard me, which is good because they would be way too delighted...)

I didn't used to swear. I used to believe (not least because I was raised to believe this) that swearing was a moral offense and forbidden by the Bible, and I'd point to Ephesians 4:29 as my proof: "Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear."

But this begs the question: is swearing necessarily unwholesome? If I use the S word rather than "poop" or "crap" or "oh phooey" (depending on context), how is that worse? If I say "screwed" rather than the F word (whether referring to the act or saying "we're toast), how is that worse?

Language evolves. What was considered shocking and foul a hundred years ago is acceptable nowadays, and what was a common phrase a hundred years ago means something vastly different and may indeed be offensive nowadays.

With all that said, I do think Paul's injunctions from Romans for believers to be mindful of each other's convictions would apply to this. I don't swear around my in-laws or my parents because I know they would be offended. I don't swear in front of my Sunday school because I know they would take that as permission to curse, and I don't think their parents want them cursing at their age.

I censor posts with swear words and I don't use them on Tumblr because I know I have followers who are offended by swearing.

But personally? I don't care. (It would've been stylistically funny to say I don't give a $&%, but it would've undermined my point about being mindful of others...sad day.)

Follow your own convictions, my friend, and be aware of social settings and the needs and preferences of those around you.

Or, in other words, do to others as you would have them treat you, and live in peace.

[walkingthroughthisworld]

“The liberty which Christ has purchased for believers under the gospel, consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the rigor and curse of the law, and in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin, from the evil of afflictions, the fear and sting of death, the victory of the grave, and everlasting damnation: as also in their free access to God, and their yielding obedience unto Him, not out of slavish fear, but a child-like love and willing mind.”

The Second London Confession of Faith 21.1

[thinkingonscripture]

When Christians Sin Habitually

Most Christians I know would admit to committing at least one sin per day (such as speeding, unwarranted fear, laziness, worry, lying, gossip, cursing, lust, and so on). If a Christian lived for 50 years and sinned once a day, that would amount to 18,250 sins (not counting leap years). That’s a lot. But let’s say a Christian is very spiritual and sins only once a week over that same period, it…

[psalmonesermons]

Lessons from Galatians Part 5a

Galatians 5:1-15 Christian Liberty

Jesus Christ has set us wonderfully free from a difficult set of rules that always seemed to leave us defeated. Jesus has given us a new and living way in that the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in each believer. The Holy Spirit working in us with the Word of God leads and guides us into the abundant life and all good things.

5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

The believer must walk in the freedom that Christ has purchased for them. The believer must not submit to legalism in any of its forms all of which bring bondages. This includes the legalism of the Judaizing teachers who wanted to circumcise them as part of keeping the whole law.

4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

You can have either salvation by grace or try to earn it by keeping the Law and the choice is yours. However you will not manage to keep the Law and hence you can fall away from grace! The believer must highly prize the grace of God as a gift for this is what makes the difference in a believer’s walk of faith. Our faith is demonstrated by love in action towards God and our fellow man.

Love Fulfils the Law

7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. 12 I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!

Paul here alludes to the Judaizing teachers who were hindering the believers, trying to dissuade them from the true faith, and they were troubling the Galatian Christians. Paul in reference to those preaching circumcision says that he wishes that they would go the whole hog and emasculate themselves!

13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

The whole point of Christian liberty is not to remove the moral constraints of the Law but to give us the opportunity to serve one another in love. The constraints of love are the highest form of constraint. The goal of our liberty is to be of loving service to other people.

Amen

Your Prayer

[jamestippins]

Just Worship the Devil Why Don't You...

The Spiritual History of Halloween Originally, Halloween traces its roots back to the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced “sah-win”). The Celts, who lived in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and parts of France, celebrated their new year on November 1st. This festival was crucial because it marked the end of the harvest season and the onset of winter, a time associated with death. It…

[re4med]

The Morning Devotional: WCF 20.1 (Part Two)

The Morning Devotional for July 4, 2023 The Westminster Confession of Faith 20.1 (Part Two) I. The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the curse of the moral law;a and in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin,bfrom the evil of…

[socialistexan]

We need to stop talking about how conservatives don't want their kids to know LGBTQ people exist. They do want their kids to know we exist, but we will suffer for it.

They don't want their kids to know that it is okay and acceptable to be LGBTQ, that society will allow them to exist in peace and happiness. That at times LGBTQ people will be accepted.

They want their kids to know that LGBTQ is not okay or acceptable. That if they are LGBTQ they will be persecuted, marginalized, beaten, and scorned. That if they are they will have a terrible life, so they better g-ddamn be the good little cishet Christian soldier that Mommy and Daddy wanted.

They aren't actually scared that a couple rainbow displays will turn their kids gay or an affirming book will forcibly transition them. They're scared that their already LGBTQ kid will know that them being themselves is a just as valid life and not a one way ticket to misery and then hell.

They want to not just eradicate LGBTQ from existence, they want to have everyone else watch us suffer as a warning to stay in line.

Or maybe that's just LGBTQ survivor of an entire childhood and adolescence under an extreme abusive homophobe of a parent in me, idk why listen to me on this stuff.

[blorbocedes]

team principals reacting to f1 manhole cover:

fred vasseur:

toto wolff:

christian horner:

[my-midlife-crisis]

[shinobicyrus]

This week, Supreme Court Justice Samuel "goes on expensive fishing trips with republican megadonors" Alito decided to use an official Supreme Court order to once again rail against same-sex marriage and the entire concept of safeguarding queer rights.

It was all in response to a case the Supreme Court declined to hear involving the dismissal of 3 potential jurors who claimed that they had been unfairly passed over (yes they're complaining about not being selected for jury duty) due to their religious beliefs. The case involved a woman who was suing her employer for sexual discrimination and retaliation after she started dating the ex-girlfriend of a male coworker. The 3 potential jurors that had not been selected had stated a belief to the court that homosexuality is a sin.

Rather than commenting on the obvious bias three potential jurors had against a party in the case, Alito instead spent five pages ranting about the sheer injustice that had been done to them. The case, he said, fully exemplified the "danger" that he'd predicted back in 2015, when the Supreme Court had legalized same sex marriage nationwide (in a slim 5-4 vote, I will remind):

"Namely, that Americans who do not hide their adherence to traditional religious beliefs about homo-sexual conduct will be labeled as bigots and treated as such by the government."

Again this was a case in which a court ultimately decided that maybe people who believed that homosexuals were sinful shouldn't sit on a case in which one of the parties was one such "sinner." That sounds pretty fair to me; they didn't call them bigots, or evil, or throw them in jail. The court just decided that maybe they weren't a good fit for that particular case. For that particular plaintiff.

But no, a Supreme Court Justice, someone who is supposed to be a scholar of law, turned it in his mind into a government assault against "people of good will."

Never forget how narrow that marriage equality decision had been. Never forget Alito and Thomas are still salty about it 9 years later and have stated in public multiple times they want to revisit this decision. Just like Roe, just like Miranda Rights, just like the Voting Rights Act - they will gut civil rights and established precedent on the altar of their Originalism and make us beholden to the tenets of their personal Gods.

And they're doing it in public too, so they can signal to everyone who thinks like them to keep trying, you have friends here. You have a sure chance of victory.

At the very least, the lesbian with mad game won her case.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Greg Owen at LGBTQ Nation:

The night before his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Donald Trump joined a nationwide “prayer call” sponsored by a Washington-based Christian group in support of the former president. As in his sputtering debate performance, on the call, Trump blamed America’s woes on a “flood” of “millions and millions of illegal aliens” entering the country. For the Christians praying for Trump, he said an effort by Harris to naturalize these “criminals,” “mental patients,” and “rapists” – his words – would come at Christians’ expense.

“Every day, she is flooding our country with millions and millions of illegal aliens. She wants to make them citizens, she wants to have them vote,” Trump said. “Which will destroy the voting powers of Christian conservatives forever.” “And once that starts happening, and once you get those numbers involved, you lose everything,” he said. [...] But Trump also doubled down on a more insidious past promise to provide legal cover for Christians to discriminate, a pledge he avoided repeating in public on the debate stage Tuesday night. “When I win, I will stop the weaponization of our government against Christians, will defend religious liberty at the highest level, and I’ll create a task force of anti-Christian bias,” Trump shared on the prayer call. “We will fight it like nobody has ever fought it before. I’ll protect Christians in our schools, our government, public square, and we’ll bring our country back together as ‘one nation under God.’ We will make America great again.”

Want more proof that Donald Trump is in bed with Christian Nationalist theocrats? His proposal to create a task force to protect their “religious liberty” at the expense of others.

[philosophybits]

They have no right to speak for freedom, who recognize freedom only for themselves and their friends.

Nikolai Berdyaev, Christian Existentialism

[productomag]

liberty ross for dior addict

[sher-ee]

Project 2025 is no joke and many every day Republicans are going to regret ever supporting Trump and his maniacal GOP should he be re-elected.