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Sree
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Joined: 2011/8/20
Posts: 1953


 Pride is More Dangerous than Adultery - Zac Poonen

In Obadiah Chapter 1, Obadiah spoke about God’s judgment on Edom. Edom is a type of our flesh. So this prophecy symbolises the destruction of the flesh. It speaks here about the pride of Edom. “You are proud because you live in those high, inaccessible cliffs. `Who can ever reach us way up here!' you boast. Don't fool yourselves! Though you soar as high as eagles, and build your nest among the stars, I will bring you plummeting down, says the Lord.” (v.3,4).

The flesh always seeks to exalt itself. But God is determined to destroy that pride completely. If thieves came at night and robbed you they would not take everything. But here, "every nook and cranny will be searched and robbed, and every treasure found and taken” (v.6). The application of this for us is that every little corner that is called “flesh” in us, every lust of the flesh, will be totally destroyed and overcome by the power of the Spirit.

Edom was being punished because of the violence that they did to their close relatives, Israel, because in the time of Israel’s greatest need, when they were being taken captive, they “deserted Israel in their time of need and stood aloof, refusing to lift a finger to help them when invaders carried off their wealth” (v.10,11). They had acted as if they too were Israel’s enemies. Edom did nothing to help Israel.

There are sins of commission as well as sins of omission. Often when we think of sin, we think only of the sins that have been committed. Notice, in the story of the Good Samaritan, that the priest and Levite did not commit any sin. They did not beat up the wounded man. Their sin was that they did not lift a finger to help that needy man. Do we realise that not helping a needy person is a sin? That is a sin of omission. Edom did NOT do what they should have done - and the Lord took it seriously. Edom’s second sin was that they gloated over Israel’s capture (v.12). When something bad happens to somebody you don’t like, do you feel happy? That is sin. We are not to rejoice over someone else’s misfortune. But that was not all. Edom attacked those helpless Israelites and cut them down at the crossroads (v.14). They cooperated with Israel’s enemies. Finally, the Lord spoke about the restoration of Israel. Almost all the prophets spoke about restoration. “Jerusalem will become a refuge for those who escape” one day (v.17). It will be a holy place. And the people of Israel will come back to reclaim their inheritance. At that time Israel will become a flaming fire for the Lord, and Edom a field of dry stubble. “Deliverers will come to Jerusalem and rule all Edom (the flesh). And the Lord shall be King!”(v.21). Today, God has called us to be those deliverers, proclaiming to God’s backslidden people, “Behold your King,” and inviting them to come back to Him.

What was the cause of Edom’s fall? “The pride of your heart has deceived you” (v.3). When we are proud, we open ourselves to spiritual deception - because pride is the very nature of Satan, the deceiver. The moment you become proud of something - good looks, intelligence, spirituality, Bible knowledge, anything - immediately the devil holds your hand and says, “You and I are in fellowship now.” Jesus Christ, on the other hand, was the humblest Man that walked on earth; and the moment you humble yourself, you come into fellowship with Him.

Pride is more dangerous than adultery because adultery is an outward sin - and sins that are outward and obvious are not as serious as sins that are hidden. Obadiah warns those who are complacent in their pride that they are deceived. Let us learn from his brief exhortation to be concerned about those around us, who are in captivity to their flesh, and to proclaim to them that Jesus can deliver them completely.


_________________
Sreeram

 2012/3/9 10:44Profile









 Re: Pride is More Dangerous than Adultery - Zac Poonen

Quote:
Pride is more dangerous than adultery because adultery is an outward sin - and sins that are outward and obvious are not as serious as sins that are hidden.




So being 'proud' is more dangerous than a "humble adulterer" who also 'hides' his sin?

Phew. A prime example of why I believe we need to be Bereans, rather than "followers of men's teachings".



Rom 1:29-32 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, PROUD, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.


1Co 6:9,10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

1Co 6:15,16 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

1Co 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.


Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things
shall not inherit the kingdom of God.


Eph 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.



According to The Word - all of these sins are lumped together as being EQUAL and keep men out of the Kingdom.
They're ALL EQUAL. None "worse than the other" - including Pride.


GOD have mercy on us - that we learn to listen ONLY to HIS WORD!

 2012/3/9 11:01
Sree
Member



Joined: 2011/8/20
Posts: 1953


 Re:

Quote:

So being 'proud' is more dangerous than a "humble adulterer" who also 'hides' his sin?



I will recommend you to read Parable of 'The Pharisee and the Publican' from Luke 18:9. And then answer this question.
Who went home Justified according to the story? The humble adulterer who knew his true state went home justified. Not the proud Pharisee who did not commit any open Sin but was proud of his state.
A humble adulterer might try to hide his sin from others but cannot hide it from God if he is born again. He will definitely cry out to God for help beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ If he is not crying then he is not even born again and this article is not applicable to him.


_________________
Sreeram

 2012/3/9 11:42Profile









 Re:


The 'title' alone of this message is inaccurate & Dangerous.

I recommend you read the passages quoted above.



 2012/3/9 11:58









 Re:


Brother, I don't think you understood my mind when I said, "humble adulterers".

I don't consider any adulterer "humble". Do you?

 2012/3/9 12:08
Sree
Member



Joined: 2011/8/20
Posts: 1953


 Re:

Quote:

Brother, I don't think you understood my mind when I said, "humble adulterers".

I don't consider any adulterer "humble". Do you?



True, an adulterer can be proud. But cannot be proud of his spirituality if he is born again. He will surely have the conviction of Sin that is in his life that will keep him humble at least spiritually.

The point here is both Adultery and Pride are dangerous and no question about it. But comparatively spiritual pride is much dangerous because we might not even know that we have it. We might be deceived by our outside purity.

One thing that I always WANT TO apply in my life is when I see someone openly living a sinful life style like homosexual or adulterer or drugaddict, to think that I could be one of those if not for the grace of God. There by Glory goes to God and not for us.


_________________
Sreeram

 2012/3/9 12:22Profile









 Re:

Brother, I understand your heart and it's intended toward good.

"Pride" is merely "self" or self on the throne.

The Edomites are the decendents of Esau. They cannot be compared to 'saved' people. Their final judgment is seen in many of the future-tense prophecies in the O.T. - but so also is the fate of those sins that are seen equally lethal, from His perspective in the verses given above.

All sin is Equal and equally as dangerous - from those verses and GOD puts "pride" right in the middle of all the other sins - in Romans 1 and Mar 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, PRIDE, foolishness: All these evil things **come from within**, and defile the man.


2Ti 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, PROUD, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Bless you!

 2012/3/9 12:52









 Re:

Quote:
True, an adulterer can be proud. But cannot be proud of his spirituality if he is born again. He will surely have the conviction of Sin that is in his life that will keep him humble at least spiritually.



Many "Ministers" practice adultery and worse because of "spiritual pride". They feel that they are so great that they can compare themselves to King David and "get away with it" because of their spiritual greatness. So yes, one can be so deceived that their "good outweighs their bad". That it is in fact their "spiritual pride" that excuses their sins of the flesh and causes them to feel exempt from the sins of the flesh. Some have even been so spiritually proud to permit homosexuality, because they see themselves as "more spiritual" and those others who oppose these sins of the flesh as "legalists".
That's the "spiritual pride" of the last days that Jesus warned us would come.



The LORD Bless and Keep us all.


 2012/3/9 12:59
Sree
Member



Joined: 2011/8/20
Posts: 1953


 Re:

Quote:

Many "Ministers" practice adultery and worse because of "spiritual pride". They feel that they are so great that they can compare themselves to King David and "get away with it" because of their spiritual greatness. So yes, one can be so deceived that their "good outweighs their bad". That it is in fact their "spiritual pride" that excuses their sins of the flesh and causes them to feel exempt from the sins of the flesh. Some have even been so spiritually proud to permit homosexuality, because they see themselves as "more spiritual" and those others who oppose these sins of the flesh as "legalists".
That's the "spiritual pride" of the last days that Jesus warned us would come.



True. I agree we have witnessed many such Ministers. You and I know that such ministers are no longer with Christ. They are never born again because they lack the fear of God. That is what made them think that they can escape from evil deeds without repenting. There are also other possibilities in which they were once Born again and were faithful and then fell from their faith. I would better not go in that road as it will hurt many of our Calvinist posters.

In short this article will apply only for those who are following Christ and have the fear of Lord in them. But they do not see Pride as a sin and think that they are fine as they have a good external testimony. I personally believe I can fall into this deception if I stop giving glory to God for what God has blessed me.

Again this article states Pride is dangerous from human perspective because we may not even know the existence of it and hence never get a chance to repent. But from God's point of view Sin is always sin.


_________________
Sreeram

 2012/3/9 15:04Profile









 Re:

Only GOD can show us our pride. I do believe that 'pride' is our 'self'.
David's prayer in Ps 139:23,24 is our need as well. I think that we're in agreement. I just had trouble with the title and a bit of the article.
That does not mean I find fault with your reasoning.


But as for these sins of the flesh that we're now quoting - what do we say of whole denominations that go astray?
Are they 'still' saved?

This quote from an article posted on the News section of late ...

"Dozens of churches have left the PC(USA) over the past few years, citing the denomination's liberal direction on scriptural authority and homosexuality. Most recently in 2008, the General Assembly – the denomination's highest governing body – approved a proposal to delete from its constitution a requirement that clergy live in "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between and a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness."
The ban on partnered homosexual clergy was officially lifted last summer after a majority of the denomination's 173 presbyteries approved the measure."


The slippery slope of Romans 1, is it not?
And again, reminds us of 2Tim chpt 3.



His Peace to you, Brother

 2012/3/9 15:32





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