Digging Up Bones and Other People's Sins

December 13 2006 at 10:25 PM

-----By God? YES! By man??? That is uncertain but unnecessary for the person to be forgiven of God. …

…………I received a forward once that went something like this::::::::::::::::::::::::.

There once was a young man in a church who decided that he wanted to marry a young lady who had been a member of his church for over a year. This young man was strongly reprimanded by the elders of the church for his choice for a bride. During a meeting one night, the young man spoke up and said, “I would like to offer you gentlemen my resignation.” They were all shocked. One man dared to break the silence and asked, “May we ask why you’ve made this decision?” The young man cleared his throat and began, “Well sirs, it has come to my attention that things have changed. You see, I have come to understand that the doctrines that I once believed in and stood for are no longer applicable.” An elder stood and said,” Could we ask what you mean by that?” The young man replied, “I regret to say that it has come to my attention that the cross no longer covers all sins.” “Young man, are you well?” asked another man. While another stood and said, “I think I see what is going on here gentlemen.” A white haired man said, “Well I wish you would explain!” The gentleman began to elaborate, “This young man made an announcement of his future plans to marry a young lady in our congregation. Many of you approached him with strong discouragement. You told him that this woman was simply not good enough for him due to her past. You totally discounted her conversion in Christ. You also threw out her testimony as a member of this church for the past year. Instead, you chose to dwell on the sins of this young lady that are under the blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore, you nullified the cross and the power of forgiveness of sins.” The men hung their heads, realizing that they had not judged righteously in this matter. And of course, the point was made to all involved……………………

…………….In 1Cor 10:29, Paul ask, “for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?” He was speaking of eating and food in this verse, but this phrase could stand alone. If we are free and forgiven and at “liberty”, why is it right for another to judge us based on their conscience and what they think is right? If a person is saved and forgiven, who are we to judge them by their past and hold them to their past, if they are a new creature in Christ Jesus? We know we are to forgive others as we have been forgiven....

1 Cor 12:25 says, “the members should have the same care one for another”. It goes on to say that if one member suffers, that they all suffer and if one member is honored, they all rejoice. Do we do that? Or do we fuss and backbite and condemn and gossip? We are warned against that here: “Gal 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” And told rather to do this; “Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”………

……..In 1Tim5 we are told, “neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure”. Are we pure when we dig up the sins of others? Are we pure when we make up sins against others based on our suspicions? Are we partakers of their sins when we use the sin of gossip to further the mark and stain of their sin? ...Doesn’t the Bible say; “love covereth all sins”? Yes, and it also says that hatred stirs up strife in the same verse. It is NOT love that digs up sin and strife, it is hatred. 1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.