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Author
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Topic: Abraham and Habitual Sin
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clark
Advanced Member
Member # 10632
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posted
If his sin was a big problem they should have asked to step away for a time to fix the sin because his walk with God is more important than a job. If the sin was behind him then they should not have asked him to step down unless they may have been legal results because of his sin.
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God's word is truth
Posts: 303 | From: TN | Registered: Mar 2013
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Carol Swenson
Admin
Member # 6929
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posted
We would need to know the details of what the man did, and what procedure the church followed when they asked him to leave. It's pretty difficult to believe that he made one small mistake and was told to leave. It had to be something serious, or something on-going. We really don't know enough about this situation to offer any thoughts.
Concerning Abraham,
A casual observer of this episode might conclude, "What happened to Abraham wasn't all bad. Pharaoh gave Abraham a lot of wealth (Gen. 12:16; 13:2), and Sarah was given her own maid, Hagar (16:1). God forgave Abraham's sin, and he started over again. So, what's the big problem?"
The "big problem" is that everything Abraham received in Egypt later caused trouble. Because of their great wealth, Abraham and Lot could not live together and had to separate (13:5-6). Hagar, the Egyptian maidservant, brought division and sorrow into the home (Gen. 16). Having had a taste of Egypt (the world), Lot started measuring everything by what he saw there (13:10-11); and this led to his downfall and the ruin of his family.
There are no benefits from disobedience.
(Wiersbe)
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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Hashe
Advanced Member
Member # 11273
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posted
Of course, however each one thinks he is being loving in the way they treat others. Was the church really being loving? Or were they pursuing some other agenda?
Posts: 23 | From: South Africa | Registered: Feb 2014
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clark
Advanced Member
Member # 10632
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posted
God wants us to treat all people with His love.
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God's word is truth
Posts: 303 | From: TN | Registered: Mar 2013
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Hashe
Advanced Member
Member # 11273
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posted
A little while ago a friend of mine in ministry did something wrong – he sinned! The church he was working for asked him to step down from ministry and go find another job. I was sad for my friend that he had made a mistake, but more so for the church’s reaction. I wonder sometimes if people are too quick to come down ‘harsh on sin’.
Let’s consider Abraham. Twice (Gen 12:11-20, Gen 20) he lies about his wife Sarah. Twice Sarah is taken by a king. Twice Abraham is enriched by the king. Twice God intervenes to save the marriage. In these two stories, Abraham gets rich by lying about his wife. Was it a habitual sin?
I don’t think the lesson of the story is God wants us to lie to get rich! However, it does seem that God still shows his support and care for Abraham through bringing blessings out of his failures. It doesn’t seem like God is shaming Abraham. It doesn’t seem like God is undermining Abraham.
Now I know there are times where God is very strict with sin, in the Old and New Testaments. And sin is a serious problem. However it does make me wonder who much grace, care and support I give to people, whether in ministry or not, who struggle with a particular sin like Abraham did. Do I want to get rid of people who fall? Do I shame them? How does God want me to treat people who ‘fall’?
Taken from http://ontoxenos.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/abraham-and-habitual-sin/
Used with permission
Posts: 23 | From: South Africa | Registered: Feb 2014
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