From The Vanishing Conscience by John MacArthur, page 224.

For the Christian, the life of slavery to sin is past.  Sin cannot continue to be the chief characteristic of our lives.  Fleshly disobedience interrupts the new life frequently and we do sin.  At times sin may appear to dominate a Christian’s life completely (as was the case when David sinned).  But all true believers still have a new and holy nature. They hate their sin and love righteousness. They cannot live in unbroken sin or hardened rebellion against God and enjoy it. That would be a contradiction of who they are (cf. I Jn. 3:9).

Throughout Scripture, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Messiah Jesus, there is a consistent thread of warnings against the shedding of innocent blood.  These warnings are accompanied with consequences for shedding innocent blood.

Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.           II Kings 24:3 & 4

Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. Psalms 106:38

If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three: That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.  But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.  Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. Deuteronomy 19:9-13

Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge.  And the blood shall be forgiven them. Deuteronomy 21:8

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.  If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Proverbs 1:10 & 11

Judas Iscariot speaking: Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.  And they said, What is that to us?  See thou to that. Matthew 27:4

They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. Psalms 94:21

These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, Proverbs 6:16,17 & 18

If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Jeremiah 7:6

And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father. I Kings 2:31

Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. Joel 3:19

Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. II Kings 21:16

But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears. Jeremiah 26:15

But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it. Jeremiah 22:17

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. Isaiah 59:7

Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. Jeremiah 22:3

For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?  I Samuel 19:5

So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.  Deuteronomy 21:9

When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.  Matthew 27:24

Let’s put the shedding of innocent blood into perspective.  Hitler killed six million innocent Jews;  Stalin slaughtered twenty million of his fellow Russians; and the United States of America has terminated the lives of nearly sixty million innocent defenseless human babies in their mother’s womb.  Aren’t we something?

The DNA of that baby in the womb at conception is not the DNA of a dog or a cat.  It is the DNA of a human being. The only difference between the baby in the womb and any other human being outside the womb is the degree of development.  Would you kill a child because that child has not developed into an adult?

I believe that God’s judgment for the shedding of innocent blood  is already upon our country.  God will give those up who continually resist Him.  At some point the Holy Spirit will stop striving with men and women who continually resist His convicting power.  God can and will give them up to do or be whatever it is that their wicked heart desires.  The evidence  of this condition is clear today.  As a nation, we are no longer able to define what is morally correct.  As a nation we are losing the ability to discern right from wrong.

Repentance is the only thing that can turn God away from judgment.  Repentance is a changing of the mind.  The changing of the mind results in a change of direction.

Note:  ...at fertilization, a new individual with traits from both its mother and father is created.  Scientific American article – How Are Traits Passed on Through DNA?  by Stuart E. Ravnik

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Grace Greater Than Our Sin

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

 Refrain:
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide;
What can we do to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

Grace Greater than Our Sin
Julia H. Johnston, pub.1910, copyright status is Public Domain

Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scripture: Romans 5:20-21

As a young person I took pains to fit in, and as a professing “Christian” I was a chameleon.  I changed colors to blend in with whatever group I found myself.   When I was nineteen God drew me to His Son, and I received Christ as my own personal Savior.   Change came as I began to identify with those who loved the Lord, with those who loved His Word, and with those who were not ashamed to obey His commandments.

I sometimes wondered as I grew older if I really understood salvation back then.  I wondered if I really was obedient to Christ.  I thought of those days of stocking shelves in the grocery stores while attending Bible school.  I remember being referred to as the “preacher”.  I recall my eyes welling up with tears when a manager took it on himself to challenge my faith.  The emotion came not from being confronted, but from seeing him spiritually blind, unable to see the truth, and me being so young in the faith that I didn’t know how to answer him.  When he saw my response, he hesitated and then said to me; I just wanted to see if it was real.  He never tested me again.

The chameleon kid became bold in the faith.  I quit trying to hide when my sister gave a gospel tract to a store cashier.  One time I filled up with gas at the Georgia state line and drove two miles  beyond, before I returned to the gas station and passed out gospel tracts to the rural men who had assembled for coffee.  I told them that I came back because someone there apparently needed what was in those tracts.  Another time I stopped along a road in Georgia and distributed gospel tracts to a motorcycle gang who had pulled over to rest.  When giving the tracts out, I made them promise to read it before I would let them have one.

I speak as a fool when I speak of my actions,  because it is all about what God did, in my heart and in my life.   He changed me!  He replaced my fear with faith.  He replaced the shame I felt with boldness.  He replaced my dread with expectation!  He replaced my sadness with rejoicing!  He took my sin and forgave me!  He lifted me from the darkness into the light!  He took my death and gave me life!  He took my guilt and soiled garments and replaced them with the  righteousness of His dear Son!

How can I not speak of Him?

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  II Corinthians 5:17

Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul!  Psalm 66:16

Somewhere in this blog, the following statement can be found; If you believe in evolution, god is man’s idea. If you believe in creation, man was God’s idea.

The Creator God is the living God.  He is the great I AM.  I AM is in the present tense which means that the past, present and future are all alike to Him.  He is not confined or restricted by time.

Time is His creation and and as His creatures, we function within the confines of His creation.  The living God stands outside of time, observing everything that is taking place within, while bringing to pass His sovereign will according to His sovereign purpose.  

We are the participants, who knowingly or unknowingly walk according to His sovereign purpose.  I recall a certain person who said something to me over forty-five years ago that redirected my life’s path.

This individual doesn’t remember what he said to me.  To my knowledge he does not know the God that used his words to direct me.  He was just a sign post.  How sad!  God will accomplish His purposes using even unwilling, unknowing, and rebellious participants.  How much better it is to be a willing, knowing, and submissive participant!

Not long ago I had a conversation with a man with whom I had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol, while working a summer job when we were teenagers.  When I tried to convey to him how God had changed my life through Christ, he said to me; If I had it to do over again, I wouldn’t change a thing!  

After trying different approaches without success, I finally explained to him, what I have conveyed in the second and third paragraphs above, about who God is.  The man’s countenance changed, his belligerent confidence seemed to disappear, and then we were interrupted.  We never finished that conversation, but I pray that he will become a knowing and willing participant in God’s kingdom through Jesus Christ, who can change a heart of stone to a heart of flesh.

The living God can make Himself known to whomever He chooses, by His Spirit, His written word, and through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The lego god is whatever you want it to be, kinda like picking out food on a smorgasbord.  A couple of these, one of those, and oh, I will try this as well.  Isn’t this nice!  This god can be whatever you want it to be, because after all, this god is man’s idea.  Build a god to your liking and see if it can satisfy the deep craving of your soul.

From The Vanishing Conscience by John MacArthur, page 79.

The blind man can see no difference between a masterpiece of Titian or Raphael and the queen’s head on a village signboard. The deaf man cannot distinguish between a penny whistle and a cathedral organ. The very animals whose smell is most offensive to us have no idea that they are offensive and are not offensive to one another.  And man, fallen man, I believe, can have no just idea what a vile thing sin is in the sight of that God whose handiwork is absolutely perfect.

J. C. Ryle, Holiness (Durham, England: Evangelical Press,1979 reprint)

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But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.  Isaiah 64:6

There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.  Romans 3:11&12

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  I Corinthians 2:14

No man can come to me (Jesus Christ), except the Father which hath sent me draw him………. John 6:44

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In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.  And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.  Isaiah 6:1-7

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.  Isaiah 1:18

Until we see the King as He is, we will not see ourselves as we are.

Have we included the Lord in everything we have done today?

In all thy ways acknowledge him,……..  Proverbs 3:6

I carry a copy of My Testimony in my back pocket to share with people whenever I get the chance.  My Testimony is the account of how God worked in my life to bring me into a relationship with Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.

I also give it to those who profess to be Christian, in hopes of encouraging them in their faith, and encouraging them in the sharing of their own testimony.  The long and the short of it is that I will share My Testimony with anyone who is interested in reading or hearing it.

I do not know who is a genuine believer and who is not.   Scripture teaches that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Since the Bible repeats the fallen condition of man over and over throughout it’s pages, I have to assume that everyone is unsaved from the start. 

Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised by an individual’s response.  Recently I shared My Testimony with an Urgent Care doctor.  I mentioned to him that I can lead a horse to water but I cannot make him drink.  The doctor graciously received My Testimony and replied; I have been to the trough and have drunk deeply.

I cannot know anyone’s true spiritual condition.  Sharing the life changing message of Jesus Christ with those who also claim to be a Christian is a good and right practice even though some “Christians” are  offended by this. 

Their offense justifies this practice.  Taking offense at the hearing of another’s testimony of salvation reveals a person’s true spiritual condition.  I come away from situations like this deeply saddened, but at least I know how to pray for them.

My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. Psalm 34:2

A pure conscience is the result of having no unconfessed sin.

Conscience – that faculty by which we apprehend the will of God, as that which is designed to govern our lives.  That process of thought which distinguishes what it considers morally good or bad, commending the good, condemning the bad, and so prompting to do the former, and avoid the latter.*

To what standard is our conscience trained?   Is our standard political correctness, cultural practice, peer pressure, family tradition, church tradition, the Bible or something else?

Since God wrote the book, the Bible should be the Christian’s only standard for faith and practice.  If we find that our conscience is not trained to the biblical standard, it can be retrained by letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly.   The goal for the Christian is to think biblically with a pure conscience.

Confess – to speak the same thing, to assent, accord, agree with, to admit.  To confess by way of admitting oneself guilty of what one is accused of, the result of inward conviction.*  In other words, confessing one’s sin is to say the same thing about it that God says. It is to agree with God against oneself.

To whom should we confess our sins?

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;  I Timothy 2:5

What is the result of our confession of sin to our one and only Savior and Mediator, Jesus Christ?

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I John 1:8-10

Now the end of the commandment is charity (love) out of             a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:              I Timothy 1:5

*Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of  Old and New Testament Words by Unger & White.  Copyright 1984, 1996  Thomas Nelson, Inc.

How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

It appears from this section of Scripture that the Corinthian church services were scenes of chaos.  From the statement concerning every one of you having something to contribute, to the limitations on the number of speakers, and Paul’s exhortation to let everything be done decently and in order, scenes of chaos are apparent.  In such an atmosphere, edification of the church body was practically impossible.*

If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.  But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

The rules for speaking in tongues are laid down by the apostle Paul.  Only two should speak, at the most three, and those should speak by course or one at a time.  It should be known ahead of time whether or not there is an interpreter.  If there is no interpreter, then those two or three who would speak in tongues should remain silent in the church.

Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.  If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.  For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.

The office of the prophet appears to have faded from the early church with the completion of the canon of Scripture.  The office of the prophet was given to forth tell the truth of God and to declare  God’s plans for the future.  Once the canon of Scripture came to completion, the office of prophet faded away and the gift of teaching the completed revelation came to the forefront.**

The rules for the prophet as set out by the apostle Paul were similar to the rules for speaking in tongues.  At the most two or three were to speak and one at a time.  The others were to judge.  If one of the others received a revelation, the first was to remain quiet.  In this orderly manner all would be edified.

And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. 

  The participants should be in complete control of their faculties at all times.  There should be no involuntary speaking or acting out.  Letting go or giving up control of one’s faculties is a dangerous practice and can lead to behavior not condoned by Scripture nor authored by the Holy Spirit.*

Living by faith is not a leap in the dark.  Faith is a firm persuasion or conviction based upon hearing the Word of God.***  Giving control of oneself over to emotional experiences or opening oneself up to what could possibly be demonic influence is not living by faith or walking in the Spirit.*  God is not the author of confusion.

As in all churches of the saints, let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.  And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

The phrase as in all churches of the saints is printed in the KJV as part of the previous verse.  It actually fits better as the opening to the following verse.**  The chapter and verse breaks were added to the translations later to facilitate the reading and studying of the Scriptures and are not to be considered unchangeable.

The context of I Corinthians 14 is dealing with speaking in tongues and their proper place in the church.  The command for women to keep silence in the churches is in this context.  The apostle Paul’s instruction is that women are not to speak in tongues.

God puts the responsibility for spiritual leadership squarely upon the shoulders of Christian men.  It is a shame for women to speak in tongues because it is a reflection upon the absence of male spiritual leadership within the church.

When it comes to spiritual leadership, men are lazy.  If women take up the responsibility that God has placed on the men, they are enabling their men to shirk their responsibility to God.  King Saul took upon himself a responsibility that God had assigned to the priesthood and God judged him for it.

Asking the husband at home, as Paul states it, enables the husband to exercise his God given responsibilities.  It is not a poor reflection on women for them to ask their husbands about spiritual things.  It is honoring to God and enables the husband to grow into the spiritual leader God intended him to be.

What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?  If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.  

The apostle Paul, who founded and nourished the Corinthian church from its beginning, now challenges the Corinthians sarcastically.**  Did the Word of God originate with you?  Are you the only recipient of His revelation?  Following this rebuke he follows up with a strong assertion of his apostolic authority by challenging those who think themselves to be spiritual to acknowledge that his instructions are the commandments of the Lord.

The leaders of tongues speaking churches today must also acknowledge Paul’s apostolic authority and the text of his letter to the Corinthians as instructions from God.  To believe that the sign gifts are for today is one thing, but to refuse to order worship that involves these “gifts” according to the rules set forth in Paul’s letter is to identify themselves with the Corinthian church and against the commandments of the Lord.

But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

Don’t argue, just state the facts.  If that man or woman refuses to acknowledge the truth, let them alone.

Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.

To desire the greatest gift is to desire the gift of prophecy.

God’s judgment would not fall upon Israel until 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans.  The apostle Paul is writing in 55 AD, so the sign gifts still had purpose and meaning to Israel and the unbelieving Jew.  This is why Paul stated in 55 AD, the time of this writing, and forbid not to speak with tongues.  In 70 AD the nation was judged and dispersed, and the sign gifts ceased.

Perhaps after reading this series on speaking in tongues, you are still convinced in your own mind that a gift of speaking in tongues is still for today.  Please be reminded that as Christians we are obligated to obey Scripture.  God never leads anyone to practice anything contrary to His Word.

If your church and church leaders still practice a gift of speaking in tongues, the rules that the apostle Paul laid out in I Corinthians 14 must be followed.  If the rules from Scripture are ignored or pushed aside, you have no assurance that what you are practicing is from the Lord.

                              Let all things be done decently and in order. 

I Corinthians 14:26-40

……let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…..

For a more complete study of this topic, please read: *The Corinthian Catastrophe by George E. Gardner; copyright 1974 by Kregel Publications.

**The MacArthur Study Bible, Copyright 1997 by Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson.  Study notes on I Corinthians 12, 13, &14

***Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of  Old and New Testament Words by Unger & White.  Copyright 1984, 1996  Thomas Nelson, Inc