All posts by Sam Hazleton
Don’t Cross the Climate Nazis
See this article about a Democrat scientist who dared question the establishment
Al Gore famously stated, before the debate had even begun, that “the debate was over”. Now we see what he meant by this. If you as a credentialed scientist don’t toe the party line regarding man-made global warming, you will be dealt with!
Pray that this man turns to the Lord and becomes a powerful spokesman for truth against the lies of Satan’s slaves.
Romans 7 – Are We Reading it Correctly?
Most Christians teach that Paul in Romans 7:14-25 is referring to his seemingly hopeless struggles against sin as a Christian believer.
Personally, I have found this interpretation to be discouraging to the Christian who is desirous to walk worthy of his calling. It also seems to completely contradict the surrounding passages in chapters 6 and 8 of the same letter, and to be completely out of character with the rest of the writings of Paul in the New Testament.
Instead, it would appear to me that Paul is continuing his explanation from the first thirteen verses of the chapter which describes the relationship between indwelling Sin, the Law of God and the Carnal (unregenerate) man. When he uses the personal pronoun “I”, he is posing in the first person as a representative of unregenerate humanity. Verse 14 says “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold into bondage to sin”. The notion that a Christian believer who has DIED to sin, been FREED from sin and has been REDEEMED from sin, as we read everywhere else in the New Testament would be described as being “sold into bondage to sin”, is to me an irreconcilable contradiction.
Then in verse 23, after 8 eight verses of excruciatingly describing his complete inability to do what is right and powerlessness to refrain from evil (which again, if applied to a believer, totally contradicts EVERYTHING Paul has written in all of his epistles), Paul says “but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and MAKING ME A PRISONER OF THE LAW OF SIN which is in my members”. Somebody please explain to me how it is possible for Paul to be describing himself as a Christian as being a “prisoner of the law of sin”, and then, exactly four verses later, in Romans 8:2, he says (to his Christian audience), “For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has SET YOU FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN and death”. So for crying out loud, which is it??? It can’t be both — sorry — not according to the laws of logic. The Christian is either FREE from the law of sin or he is a PRISONER to the law of sin. Which is it? Romans 6:14 says “For sin shall not be master over you…” then Romans 7:19 says “For the good that I want I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want”, in essence, saying “sin IS master over me”. Paul is either describing the plight of the unregenerate man in Romans 7, or he is suffering from the worst kind of bipolar disorder known to man.
I understand the principle of sanctification, wherein a Christian believer is purified and made mature in this life through suffering and trials and learning by faith to please the Lord. I understand that no Christian believer in this life can make the claim that he has already been perfected. I understand that we are awaiting the redemption and transformation of our bodies that will happen after Christ’s return. However, I don’t think that there is evidence that Paul is referring to any of these things in this particular passage.
People claim to find “hope” in this passage, even with the classic interpretation. They say things like “well if Paul himself had these struggles with sin, then I should be encouraged! It’s OK that I too am living a defeated life. In fact, that is what is expected…” WHAT??? I’ll be the first to admit that Christians can and do sin, and that there is plenteous grace under the blood of the glorious New Covenant to cover all of our sins, past, present and future. But living a life of defeat to sin is NOT God’s plan A for any believer. And our failures do NOT constitute a deficiency in the resurrection power of Christ that allows us as believers to overcome sin. If we’re being continually defeated by the same sin, it’s on us. The answer is not to go to Romans 7 and wallow in it thinking that Paul shared our plight as a believer and that some day in the sweet by and by we’ll be taken out of this body and then we’ll be free from this sin. That is the worst kind of defeatism and it says, essentially, that the gospel is too weak to have any positive effect in this life. My copy of Romans says that the gospel is THE POWER OF GOD. And God is not weak. And if His power lives in us, then we absolutely have the power, by faith, to do good things and say no to evil.
I’ve searched the New Testament high and low. While there are (thankfully) plenty of passages that proclaim the forgiveness, mercy and grace that are available to Christian believers IF they sin, there are ZERO statements that offer an EXCUSE for a Christian to sin. I fear that believers mistakenly turn to Romans 7 as an excuse for continuing a life of defeatedness. We should be looking for victory, not for excuses.
Here’s the 1990 Master’s Thesis of a theological student who seems to agree with me on this topic…
They told me I was gullible, and I believed them
For years I’ve questioned the following notion, which seems to be taken as gospel by nearly everyone. It goes something like this: 1) Plaque, which is made out of cholesterol, clogs arteries. 2) If you have an elevated level of cholesterol in your bloodstream, your arteries will become clogged. 3) If you eat foods that are high in cholesterol, you will have an elevated level of cholesterol in your bloodstream and you are more likely to have your arteries clogged. 4) You should avoid eating egg yolks and cheese, and stay away from red meat and whole milk. 5) You should have your cholesterol checked regularly and should take statins to reduce your cholesterol levels.
I’ve always wondered — where’s the proof of this? Is it just one of those things that sounds reasonable so people just accept it without any hard evidence?
I was thrilled today to see this book review in the Wall Street Journal that demonstrates that I am not the only one who questions these things. I haven’t read the book so I cannot vouch for anything it says. But it is refreshing to see anyone who thinks critically and independently and doesn’t just blindly accept the party line. It really bothers me when people just bend over and accept hook, line and sinker whatever the medical/pharmaceutical cabal and its army of vested devotees say.
This looks like an interesting read…
This happened to my son
My son was profiled by a NYS trooper when he first got his drivers’ license. Although my son had broken no laws, he was stopped by a trooper who accused him of using his cell phone while driving. After my son proved to the officer that he had not in fact used his cell phone, the officer changed his story and issued a ticket to my son anyway for failing to use his directional when changing lanes even though my son DID use his directional.
After reading this article, the whole event makes more sense. The police are being told by their superiors to “raise revenue” by targeting younger drivers who will be too intimidated by the police to challenge their false accusations.
Is this why we have police? To raise revenue? These people should be making license plates.
Conflict heats up on Bible confiscation in school
The school in Broward County, FL that confiscated a Bible from a fifth grader during a “free” reading period is now caught lying about it.
I’m not ashamed to admit it. When Tim Tebow was playing, I was on the bandwagon. I thought it was awesome that as a backup, Tim Tebow stepped in for the struggling 1-4 Denver Broncos and reeled off a string of remarkable fourth quarter comebacks enroute to a berth (and a first round win over mighty Pittsburgh) in the 2011 AFC playoffs. After that season, the former Heisman trophy winner who had led his college team to not one, but two national championships, and who held career SEC passing records, and was a first round NFL draft pick, was traded away to the New York Jets, where he was put on ice and never allowed to start another game. Many Christian sports fans, including my own flesh and blood son, tend to side with the majority of sports analysts who say that Tim Tebow wasn’t a skilled quarterback and doesn’t belong in the NFL, blah blah blah. Personally, I have never seen a player with such incredible college credentials and with such a promising introduction within the NFL as a starting quarterback, be kicked to the curb so quickly and with such finality as Tim Tebow. I am old enough to remember when Troy Aikman, also a first round draft pick, who ultimately became a celebrated three time Super Bowl winner, was a rookie in the NFL. He was terrible and the team (my team the Dallas Cowboys) was 1-15. He got sacked about a zillion times per game and had a bunch of concussions. But as the years progressed he got better and better and was ultimately acclaimed as one of the game’s best quarterbacks. I am a huge Troy Aikman fan, but I wonder why Tim Tebow, who arguably started his career with more visible success than Troy, was so thoroughly discarded by the league and never given a chance to progress. His record as a starting quarterback was 7-4. He never even got a chance to demonstrate that he wasn’t a good quarterback. All he did was win! The only explanation (aside from the dubious claims about his lack of talent) that the sports world comes up with for Tebow’s rejection is a desire to avoid the so-called “media circus” and “controversy” that followed him. The only “media circus” was due to his popularity because he was an outspoken Christian believer who was winning games with miraculous fourth quarter comebacks. Sidebar: I think God likes doing this (the 4th quarter comeback thing). I’ll never forget Frank Reich’s 2nd half comeback for the Bills against the Oilers after being down 35-3 at half time to win the game 38-35. He was also an outspoken Christian believer, who was the backup to Jim Kelly (who also became a believer later in life and is now battling cancer). The only controversy with Tim Tebow was the controversy whipped up by the media when they asked him questions about his faith. I guess the NFL just doesn’t want to be upstaged by God, no matter how good or how popular a player might be. Now we have Michael Sam, the first “openly gay” player. He was drafted in the seventh round this year by the Rams. His college team never won a national championship. However, the NFL is pulling out all the stops to glorify this very controversial figure (quite the opposite as with Tebow). During the draft they televised Michael Sam (quite disgustingly I might add) planting a huge, sloppy kiss on the lips of his boyfriend. When a couple of players tweeted their disgust, the NFL quickly fined them. To me, it would appear that the NFL has made its official position on Christian beliefs quite clear. By embracing sodomy and rejecting Christian expression, they have clearly taken a side. Therefore, I, as one person who holds those beliefs, am taking a side. I am henceforth boycotting the NFL. I’m not going to watch the games, follow the playoffs, watch the Superbowl, play fantasy football, etc. etc. And I would bet that I won’t be alone. There may not be enough of us left to make a difference, but that doesn’t make a difference to me. I’m out. Check out this Fox News Article about Warren Buffett’s huge donations to Planned Parenthood. Buffett and others like him are sadly ignorant and in darkness. They actually think they are doing good by killing “unwanted” babies in the womb. A stark reminder that the sensibilities that garner and amass this world’s riches are very different from the ones that hold promise for the world to come. Wow you’d think that 50 years of responsible citizenship would earn ME a spot on the TSA’s “hands off” list… But alas, I guess that you have to be linked to Hezbollah and Hamas to get special red carpet treatment from this administration.Tim Tebow vs. Michael Sam
Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also
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