13 November 2022
Two-Minute Features | 20 November 2022 | 06 November 2022

One Sin Taints the Whole Person, Part 1 (TMF:1985)

Friday, November 18, 2022
Peace to Live By: One Sin Taints the Whole Person, Part 1 (TMF:1985) - Daniel Litton
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       Continuing in James, he says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law” (ESV). The concept behind what James says here really is the whole foundation for the doctrine of the fallen nature of mankind. So, God considers that if we sin just once, even if we didn’t sin anymore, we are completely guilty and deserving of his everlasting punishment. Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not for God. We are looking at the commandants of God independently of one another. That understanding, though, is foreign to God. When we sin, the entirety of ourselves becomes tainted. Think of it like this. If we get a disease in our blood, all of our blood is tainted with that disease, not just part of it.

The Earthly Life Has to be Given Up (TMF:1984)

Thursday, November 17, 2022
Peace to Live By: The Earthly Life Has to be Given Up (TMF:1984) - Daniel Litton
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       So, people no matter their wealth have trusted in Jesus. That’s why the people with less are to be welcomed as equals. God isn’t so concerned about monetary wealth because, as we’ve been talking about, any wealth we accumulate in this world has to be someday relinquished when we transcend into the next life. Our wealth, whatever it is, has to go to someone else. For a lot of us it will be our children. But we cannot take it with us, and it wouldn’t do us any good even if we could. The US dollar has no value in the kingdom of Heaven. What has value for us are the rewards that are waiting for us when we get there, those rewards that we have been accumulating by doing things right in this life (namely, following God and his ways, and not doing things in sinful ways). Remember, all of us have a 401k per se in Heaven, and we get to choose what percentage we want to contribute to that 401k right now.

Why is Favoring the Wealthy a Sin? (TMF:1983)

Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Peace to Live By: Why is Favoring the Wealthy a Sin? (TMF:1983) - Daniel Litton
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       I think it’s important to be conducting business off of the views of everyone, not just the highly educated. You get the drift though and how this could relate in the same way to wealth within the church. Why is this sin, though? Why does God see it as sin to favor the wealthy? It is because Christianity is offered to all, no matter what one’s monetary status is. Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32, ESV). Both the wealthy and those with less are sinners. We’ve all sinned and are in need of a Savior. The only Savior available to take care of our problems is God the Creator, Jesus Christ, who came to the earth and paid the sacrifice acceptable to God for our sins. It is only through his blood that we are made righteous. So, people no matter their wealth have trusted in Jesus. That’s why the people with less are to be welcomed as equals.

Not Judging by External Appearances, Part 2 (TMF:1982)

Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Peace to Live By: Not Judging by External Appearances, Part 2 (TMF:1982) - Daniel Litton
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       A person can look like he’s a normal, average individual and yet be very rich. Likewise, a person can spend more than should to appear to be wealthy when in fact they are really not. The point is, though, is that we are not supposed to be judging on these external appearances, showing favor to those whom we think are rich. God sees this kind of behavior, favoring the wealthy, as sin. I remember when I was creating a church constitution for possible future use someday that I made the distinct that a certain percentage of elders were forbidden from having a college education, or at least an advanced college education, like a Masters degree. Why is that? Why would I do such a thing? Because I sure wouldn’t want a group of elders who are only highly schooled while leaving out the views of the regular people who have four-year degrees and less. I think it’s important to be conducting business off of the views of everyone, not just the highly educated.

Not Judging by External Appearances, Part 1 (TMF:1981)

Monday, November 14, 2022
Peace to Live By: Not Judging by External Appearances, Part 1 (TMF:1981) - Daniel Litton
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       Again, James says, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (ESV). Going roundabout back to what we were talking about last week, it is how we treat those who we perceive have wealth within the church versus those we perceive do not. Now in American church-life, we really may not know who has the wealth and who does not as the lines have become even more blurred in recent times. That is, the rich don’t always let everyone know they are rich. A person can look like he’s a normal, average individual and yet be very rich. Likewise, a person can spend more than should to appear to be wealthy when in fact they are really not. The point is, though, is that we are not supposed to be judging on these external appearances, showing favor to those whom we think are rich.