ramar

Well, I am versed in Greek, and I have found that the KJV is a great deal closer in translation to the original Greek of the NT than most of the newer versions that have come to be favoured by people. But I do agree that NO translation is God-inspired. Only the original works are. Whatever translation works best for each individual is the one that should be used. There is no right or wrong translation for anyone, as long as each person does his/her level best to understand what the message is, and to GROW in learning more and more about God's Word each time to read it. It truly is the LIVING Word of God, and you must learn to accept that your understanding of it should grow stronger every day, if you are seeking God's counsel in it. I don't accept that some people avoid their Bibles by saying, "it's just too hard to understand, so what's the use?" If you truly wish to understand it, you will. If you seek wisdom with a faithful heart, God will help you to comprehend His Word. Imagine that you have a child who has been kidnapped. And the person who took your child wants no money, he just wants to play a game. He sends you an obscure map, and unusual clues directing you to the location of your child, and claims that you have 24 hours to find your child or else he/she dies. Would you look at the map and the clues, and say, "I don't understand these, so why bother?" ??? I doubt it!! You would do WHATEVER it takes to figure out the meaning of that map and those clues. Think of your understanding of the Bible in the same way. Think of it as life and death (for your soul) based on whether or not you understand it. Then you'll do whatever is necessary to glean the meaning of the words. If that means finding the easiest version for you, then that's what you should do. But ask God to come into your heart and your thoughts to assist you, rather than just attempt it yourself. Without God, you can do nothing!! I love the KJV, but it's not the only one I've used. No matter what, though, I sit down and ask God to point me to what He wishes me to learn from His Word today, before reading the Bible. And I ask Him to help me understand the words I am reading. And by the way, interlinear Bibles are great!! You'll likely see things you never saw before, just by the small difference in wording. And a LITTLE understanding of the original languages could be wonderful too. As you see from the following two examples, a little change in wording can make for a big change in meaning: When Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, He asked him three times. That is significant, but not as big as it seems just from what we read in English. In the Greek, Jesus uses the word "agapao" for love, the first time and the second time, but the word "fileo" for love, the third time. Peter used only the "fileo" word to reply about his love for Jesus. "Agape" love is an all-encompassing, perfect, "do anything for you" love. "Fileo" love is what you feel for a brother. When Jesus saw that Peter could not commit to a perfect love, He condescended to seek only what Peter would offer. He seeks more than He knows we will give to Him, but He brings Himself down to the level we offer. When Jesus said to Peter that the devil looks to "sift you like wheat", that's not ACTUALLY what is stated there. We see this as the devil looking to sift Peter, and that Jesus has prayed to the Father for Peter's defense. In Greek, the word that Jesus uses for "you" (sift you like wheat) is plural. So the devil seeks to sift you ALL like wheat...all of the disciples. But He prays for PETER'S protection specifically. Peter is the rock on which the church will be built. Jesus knew the devil was after them all, but sought protection specifically for Peter. All others could perhaps benefit from that, as Peter would be the strength of the group.

With regards to what I think about women, I would have to say that I would be lost completely without the women that are in my life. I grew up very close to my mother, in spite of wanting to be all I could be for my father. As a boy, I was fully into sports, rough-housing, building, etc. (all the things you normally associate with being a boy/man). Yet through it all, I was closer to my mother. She gave me my foundation as a human being, making me the person I am today - which I would consider a loving, generous, patient, kind, discerning person. She gave me my foundation as a Christian!! It was through my mother that I sought and found Jesus Christ early on in my childhood. I am still very close to both of my parents, but I would sit and spend a whole day with my mother before I would my father. My wife has been a strong, warm, loving, patient, giving, inspirational wonder for me. Through Nathalie, I have walked the last several years of my life in a way I feel I can be proud of. They say that behind every successful man is a woman...well, I am not successful (by definition), but I know what that saying means. I am successful in the ways that TRULY count in life, and my wife stands behind much of that because she stands beside me. Women provide many of the qualities in life that I just cannot find in men. I have not a single male friend - NOT ONE - that I would feel comfortable sitting down and confiding in. But at least a dozen female friends that I could. I cannot say it is so for every male, or every female...generalising is wrong. But women will sit down and listen to your deepest concerns, allow you to cry if you must, and will not judge you in the least. That doesn't normally go for men. What do I think of women??? I think they are the stronger gender. I think they are the braver gender. I think they provide me with all the gentle, understanding, honest, kind, patient, wonderful aspects in life that no man (or very few) could ever come close to. Anyone who thinks along the same lines as me would agree that we men feel fine getting together with other guys - and being one of the guys. But we don't feel truly at ease, or at peace, or that we can truly be ourselves. Only my time spent with a woman (my mother, my wife, my sister, a friend) can make me feel fully at peace. I can do anything, say anything, and be myself in her presence.

Of course homosexuality is a sin. You CANNOT read and believe in the Bible, without fully seeing that it is considered a sin. Many people do, in fact, twist the meaning of the words (as was pointed out above), to accomodate their own choices in life. One of the most common things that people say is that homosexuality is an OLD Testament thing ONLY, and no longer considered a sin because of the New Testament. My first reply to that is that NOTHING that is from the Old Testament can be ignored due to the New...everything remains the same. Jesus said that He did not come to CHANGE the law, but to fulfill it. The New Testament does not alter the laws at all, it merely alters the way that our sins are atoned for. However, if one does need a New Testament quote as proof of the sin of homosexuality, you can read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. I have read and studied the Bible in its original Greek (NT) and Hebrew (OT), and there is no second-guessing this point. Even in its original language, the Bible is quite clear on this fact. Many will say that you cannot definitively say what the Bible says about a subject based on the translations we have, but there is truly very little that our English translations state that can be misconstrued. We have very GOOD translations from the original languages, although there is SOME things that are best read with understanding of the Greek text (for example, the HUGE difference in reading the Greek text with regards to Jesus asking Peter three times if he loves Him. The two different words for "love" in Greek that are used here make a very interesting twist to the whole thing that cannot be seen in English...but that's a subject for another time - which perhaps I'll post later). The simple fact is, whether you look only at the New Testament, or read the entire Bible; whether you study the Word in English or Greek (or Hebrew for the Old Testament); homosexuality is a sin, plain and simple. And truly, only coming to God with it will allow you to turn away from it.

Egregiously... (edited by moderator) No you are not wrong at all about this. I too believe in having the funding made for these guys and their ministry, but I agree that it has gone WAY overboard. Truly I admire those who go around the world spreading the gospel, but not at the expense of requiring such luxurious lifestyles. One doesn't need a private jet to do such ministry. One doesn't need a five-star hotel each night, or $200 meals in the finest restaurants. If Jesus were with these guys, he would overturn their tables in anger. I'm all for them asking for donations to help fund their cause, but I feel as though that money should be put to use for them ONLY SO FAR AS REQUIRED. They should be spending that money for their cause as minimally as needed (a simple flight rather than their own jet; worthy meals and accomodations rather than the finest of both...). Then they should be funded themselves (yes, they need to earn a living for their families); but nothing extravagant. Excess funds beyond the NEEDS of their ministry should go towards a good cause (starving people as you mentioned...). It kind of defeats the whole purpose of spreading the gospel (where the whole thing revolves around Jesus Christ) when those who are doing it live as they do. They could take a lesson from the one they are preaching about, and the way He lived.

Yes I firmly believe that we will recognize and know each other, and I don't think this just includes those we knew in life. I believe that EVERYONE will be known to everyone else. Heaven will be a place of not just friendship, but of relationship; we will all be family. During the Transfiguration, when Jesus took three of his disciples up the mountain, and saw Moses and Elijah there, I think that through the power of the Lord, his disciples instantly knew who the two figures were (Moses and Elijah) - even though they had no inkling of what the two "strangers" looked like. I believe it will be the same for all of us in heaven. No one will have the body they held in life (so we will not look like we used to anyway), but we will have the Spirit of the Lord shining so strongly on us, the Light of God shining so strongly upon us, that we will be instantly recognizable to one and all. Our eyes will be opened to more than we could ever imagine. And I think it is THAT - the Light of God - that will make us recognize each other.

First of all, the idea of "love the sinner, hate the sin" is NOT a misconception at all. It is truth, and, as much as we would not like to think that way all the time, it is how God thinks. Yes, He does love Satan. No matter what we do (anyone!!), God always loves us, and ALWAYS offers a way home to Him. As long as we still hold a single breath in our lungs, it is never too late to come back to the Lord. And yes, there will be sinners in heaven. No there will not be sin, but there will be sinners (every human being that has ever lived has been a sinner). God does not deny access to His kingdom because we have sinned, it is due ONLY to not having our sin paid for - through the gift of payment that Jesus' blood has given us. If we don't accept that gift by simply accepting Christ as our Lord and Saviour, then our sin has not been paid for. Second point (with reagrds to Sierra), if these homosexuals KNOW they are doing wrong, even if they don't advertise their homosexuality, does it not still indicate that they are proud of their sin? Fine, they don't advertise it, but they know it's wrong, so they seem to be saying that they know better than God. Just my opinion. I agree with the folks that don't feel that one sin is any more grave than another. They are ALL equal, because they are all sins against God. In man's eyes, yes we do like to make comparisons...I might say I'm better than my neighbour because my lie is nothing like his adulterous affairs. But God does not compare me to my neighbour, He compares me to what He knows I am capable of. And He does not compare my sin to my neighbour's sin; He holds my sin up to His standards (which are perfect), so I fall short of His glory as much as anyone else does. Homosexuals are not greater sinners than adulterers, and vice versa. And I don't really believe that society has ever made it out that way. I think it is the individuals themselves that have made their adultery seem less severe, by rationalizing it away. They say that they are unhappy in their marriage, and God surely wants them to be happy; therefore, God will surely forget about the divorce in lieu of happiness for His child. I do believe that God is willing to forgive these (and ALL) sins, but I also believe He expects us to right the wrong as well. I think an adulterous affair can be forgotten (God has promised to "forget" our sins when we plunge ourselves beneath the blood of Christ), but He wants it to STOP there. We cannot CONTINUE to sin in this way. The commandments (rules) we must follow come down to just two...honouring God and honouring each other. Why is that? Because ALL other sins are included in there already. If we honour God and each other, we would not murder, we would not steal, we would not bear false witness, we would not commit adultery, etc. A continuation of that homosexual lifestyle or adulterous lifestyle is not honouring God. You are forgiven, but....CEASE IMMEDIATELY!! To continue is to spit in the Lord's face, and to tell Him, "I know what's best for me, not You. One last point...I did mention that all of ours sins can be forgiven. But that is not altogether true. The one and only thing that we can do that cannot be forgiven is to deny the Lord and the Holy Spirit. If we deny Him, He will deny us. God bless, Randy-man

I say go ahead and get the license, and don't worry about your fingerprint. This is not the mark of the beast, nor is it even getting close to it. The "mark" identifies you as a follower of the Antichrist, a fingerprint simply identifies you. Period. The fingerprint is for your own safety and security. As a matter of fact, I am a firm believer in having one's fingerprints taken. In many instances, I think it should be strictly voluntary, but I see no problem with being ASKED to supply your prints. For high powered jobs that require Secret and Top Secret clearance, it should be (and is) mandatory. Lesser security jobs should not require this, although volunteering one's prints should not be discouraged. If we all had prints on file somewhere, there'd be less crime committed (more easily caught equals less likely to follow through). And there would be fewer people wandering around lost, not even knowing who they are (imagine a person with severe dementia who has wandered away from his home and family, unable to remember where he lives...he could be easily identified). There are many benefits to fingerprinting, and negligible down sides. But I'm not saying go ahead with it BECAUSE of the benefits; that's neither here nor there with regards to your dilemma. I simply think that if it's the law, then don't concern yourself about it, because it's not at all like taking the "mark".

Seashell, This day was not made for you. You were made for this day. You are a very special person, fully loved, fully appreciated, and you have a very special purpose. You are a child of God, and that is the very best that you could ever be. You say that your child is the only one who loves you, but that is far from true. God loves you, and that's what matters. He loves you unconditionally, which means that NO MATTER WHAT, He will ALWAYS love you. Sometimes it's not enough to say to someone that God loves you. That should be the greatest thing anyone can hear, but often times people will say it's not enough because God loves everyone, so it's not as special. It's MORE special, actually. But if it's not enough to hear that, let me say to you this: YOU ARE VERY LOVED BY MANY!! You may not believe it, but it's 100% true. There are at least two people in this world that would die for you. At least 15 people love you in some way. The only reason someone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you. Every night, someone thinks of you before going to sleep. You mean the world to others. You are special and unique. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take another look. Take some of those numbers and multiply them a thousandfold. Just knowing that the many posters here have taken the time to send their comments means that THEY all love you. It may not matter to you to hear this, but I love you. The Lord can take whatever dark corner you are in, and shine His light upon it. When you find yourself unable to get past your guilt and your worries, it is Satan whispering in your ear. And God can make him go away. Even YOU can make him go away. In Jesus' name, insist that the devil leave you alone, and he will flee from you. You know what? The power of the Lord is SOOOO great that, sometimes we don't even need speak His name. Satan is so fearful of Jesus' name, that he doesn't even want to hear it spoken. Seashell, there is always a better answer out there than suicide. You may not see it at the moment, but one day you will understand. I am a little concerned that you are worried about whether or not suicide is a sure ticket to hell. Opinions will differ on this, and until we are able to FULLY know God (when we are with Him in heaven), no one can say FOR CERTAIN. I could tell you what I think, but I cannot tell you what is fact, because nobody knows but God. But I think the concern should not be whether or not it means hell, but rather the many consequences suicide would bring. What about your child? From this day forth, for the remainder of that child's life... What about how much it would hurt God? What about your purpose in life? A new plan for that would be required. And trust me, it is a very special plan. What if your light at the end of the tunnel is just around the next corner? What about all of us who love you, and have faith in you? And more importantly, what about you? The love of others is great, but you must learn to love yourself. And you WILL learn that, given time. Your deep family secret, by the way, is not as bad as it seems. It's disgusting how people can abuse others and make the person feel it's HIS/HER fault...that you should have the guilt. IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!! IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT! IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!! Keep telling yourself that. Even the fact that it was kept a secret is not your fault. Don't let the devil make you believe it's your fault. Let God take the weight off of you, He can handle ALL of your burdens. Please seek counselling, whether it's a hot line, or a professional, or a friend, or a family member. Talk it out, and it will HELP it become easier. But also put your faith in the Lord. Because you know what?? He has faith in YOU!! You will be in my prayers. Randy-man

Well, I personally have experienced no miracles in the sense that people see them. I have been granted the miracle of grace, the miracle of salvation, and the miracle of just being given one day of life after another, with which I have a brand new opportunity to serve God, to love God more, and to try to draw nearer to Him. Each day truly is a miracle, BECAUSE it allows us those opportunities. No matter how strong we are as Christians, there is room to improve, and the Lord gives us time to do so. Here is a miracle that a friend of mine had: My friend, Carole, had just given birth to her third child, about two months after her husband had run off and left her to raise the children herself. She had already started having problems and major concerns with the two children she already had, and a third one was going to make things a lot harder for her. Carole's faith was strong, and she fully trusted in God; however, she was scared that she could no longer handle things by herself. So she vehemently prayed for God to come into her life and help her (she was starting to feel that God had backed away from her, so she felt very separated from Him). When that third child came, it was born with Down's Syndrome. Carole loved that child with all of her heart, but a Down's Syndrome child was a devastating blow to her, because of the extra attention it would require. She felt that she had not enough for the three children as it was, but to have a child born that would require EXTRA attention was enough to make her lose a lot of trust in God. "Why would God do this to me NOW?" she started thinking. While lying in her hospital bed, a priest and a nun were making their rounds to the various patients, and they stopped briefly in Carole's room. Only the priest spoke to Carole, because the nun was French. She spoke not a word of English, and Carole knew not a word of French. After the priest and nun left her room, Carole (feeling depressed and alone) prayed to God again. She said, "Lord, where are you now, in my greatest time of need?" Within seconds, the nun came back into the room. She stopped beside Carole's bed, and said to her, "I am right here, closer than ever. And I will never leave you." All of it, in PERFECT English!! Carole had her share of problems after that, as all parents do. But without that little word of encouragement from God (spoken through a nun who could speak no English), she feels as though she would not have been able to go on. It was the ONLY thing she required at her darkest moment...just knowing that God was right there with her.

When the Rapture takes place, SOME Christians will be taken, and some will be left behind. This is not a random picking and choosing, however, where the Lord simply takes or leaves us in some higgledy-piggledy way. He knows our hearts, and He knows who are the true believers - whether or not we ACT as true believers. And He will separate us Christians as the "sheep and the goats" (**) that Jesus speaks of in the Gospels. ** Many people mistake this as meaning that the sheep are God's children which will be in heaven and the goats are those who will be thrown into hell. In fact, they are BOTH believers, both are groups that are with Him in heaven. But the sheep are those believers who served the Lord well and have stored up treasures in heaven (sort of EXTRA special accomodations). The goats are believers (their HEARTS are good with God) too. A neat way to explain is...Salvation of "DO vs. DONE". Many people believe they are saved based on what they "DO"; while Christians KNOW that they are saved based on what was "DONE" already. If we accept Christ's gift (what was DONE for us), we have salvation. But taking it one step further, the sheep and goats rely on "DONE", and choose to live based on that premise. The goats accept what was done for them, and are fine with that. The sheep accept what was done for them, and choose to "DO" for the Lord, many things in return. They serve the Lord, not because they HAVE TO, but because they WANT TO!! Okay, back to the Rapture (sorry for getting off track). We Christians will be separated during the Rapture in the same way. The "sheep" will be taken up with the Lord after the dead in Christ (those Christians who died before the Rapture) have been taken first. The "goats" will be left behind. The "backslidden", the "unsure", the "undecided", etc. The goats may not be Christians who have failed to serve, but for one reason or another, they are not yet RIGHT with the Lord. References to the Rapture and the Tribulation can be found throughout Scripture, but you can start with 1Thessalonians 4:13-18, and Revelation (especially chapter 20 for the Trib). I would not like to be in the middle of all that takes place during the Tribulation, but wouldn't it be amazing to be there to witness much of what God will do during this time? If you've been raptured, you will not witness most of what He does (there will be a moment at the end when everything in heaven stops, and everyone will witness the miraculous on earth). WHEN is it coming? Nobody knows, not even the Son. Only the Father knows for sure. We can all make guesses (the times now would surely indicate that it is close), but we could be making those guesses for an awfully long time (the times have OFTEN before indicated that the time is near). Personally, I would guess that it will happen in my lifetime (hopefully I have 40 or more years left), but I might be very very wrong.

There is nothing in the Bible that troubles me. From time to time, I meet something that I don't understand, or that seems to contradict something else - but the next time I come across such a passage, it speaks differently to me, and it doesn't bother me any more. That is why the Bible is called "The LIVING Word", it is as true to us today as it was when it was written, and we can glean different ideas from it based on where we are in our faith. Nothing in the Bible ever changes, God (and His Word) is the same today as He ever was. But what we can pick up from one reading to the next can be different. If something bothers me in the Bible, I pray on it, and I either get an immediate response to my query, or I am led to believe that, if I am patient (and perhaps ready to read the same thing again at a different time), the answer will come to me later. With regards to the comment that some people in the world will never get the opportunity to hear the Good News, I contend that EVERYONE will be touched by God in His own way, such that we all have the same opportunity to make the right choice. Can we say that anyone who lived before Christ was automatically sent to hell because they never had the chance to accept Christ? By no means!! The Bible states that Jesus will descend to the depths (where those who have died before Him) to take His children home with Him. We all have an intrinsic knowledge of good and evil, which God placed within us. And I believe that one way or another (whether we have been fortunate enough to have HEARD the truth, or if the Spirit has placed it within us, or whether God has reached us another way) the Good News is given to us. How about the difference between the God of the OT and that of the NT? Frankly, I see no difference. The blood that was required by God in the Old, is STILL required in the New - but the source of that blood is different. To receive forgiveness for sin, the OT sinners had to shed the blood of an innocent animal. In the NT, we are taught that we need to plunge ourselves beneath the shed blood of an innocent Christ. That was God's plan all along! He knew from before time began, before Adam, that the blood of His Son would be required for us all. Christ's blood is not merely for the repayment of all of our sins, but also as a way to worship the Son and the Father. God seeks our worship, our honour, our total reliance on Him - and the blood that is required is both a sign that we accept the fact we have sinned, and that we worship His Son as our Saviour. We all fall short of the glory of God, and we must all (yes, those who end up in hell too) bend our knees to the Saviour. Jesus did not come to change the word, but to fulfill it. The OT God is the same as the NT God, but "fulfilled" in His plan which was set into motion in the OT.

First, with regards to the babies... I don't think that their potential to grow up and repent of their sins, and end up in God's presence in heaven was taken away by killing them. I don't believe that the death of ANY baby would ever prevent him/her from going to heaven, just because repentance was not done. God does not banish us to hell because of our failure to repent; it is because of our CHOICE to not repent - i.e. our choice to not accept Christ as our Saviour. By that, I mean that we, as adults, who have learned the truth, choose to accept or deny Christ as our salvation. Yes, we must repent of our sins, by trusting that Jesus Christ has cleansed us of them, and accept His gracious gift, and bow down to His grace. But it's not the actual lack of repentance that "kills" us, it's the CHOICE!! We have learned the truth. But a baby, who obviously has not learned the truth, and has obviously not made the choice to deny Christ, will not be held accountable for being mired in his/her sin. The sin a baby is born with is completely cleansed by Christ's blood, and that baby will not be responsible for any sin until such time as he/she can fully make the choice to follow or not follow Christ. As with the command from God itself... God never promised us that things would be easy (He actually promised TOUGH times to His children), so I would not expect that His commands would be easy to comprehend or to obey. And often, the things asked of us are mere tests of our faith. God does not expect all of His commands to be obeyed, He expects a lot of failures in His testing. Once in a while, as a matter of fact, He will ALTER His plans and commands if He sees they are fully obeyed. He asked Abraham to do the most difficult thing in the world...to take the life of his only son, a son he waited decades to finally have. Once God saw that Abraham was going to pass His test, He changed His plans. Look at this as a test if you wish. But also look at it with faith that God knows what He's doing. He sees the whole picture, and sometimes, yes, He does punish seemingly innocent people. But there must be a reason. Maybe (since God sees the future as He sees the present - it's all the same to Him), God knew there was no repentance forthcoming in the people. Or perhaps it was just another case of God wishing to show His glory through humanity (He will use the weak among us to show His strength. He will harden a heart to show His power). Who knows why He would command such a thing. Ours is not to question why... I simply believe that God knows what He's doing; that there's a great reason for it (which we will learn during an eternity with the Father later); and that, yes, good things can come from what we may see as horrible. God will CHANGE the world, to REACH the world. Once He sets His mind to a certain will, we can sometimes expect something huge - and seemingly drastic. But there is a purpose. Let's just trust in Him!!

You want PROOF, rather than just opinion?? If you have iron-clad proof of the divinity of Christ, then where is your FAITH? How do we know that the Bible is the true Word of God, and not just some great story-teller's tale? We know because of our faith, our touch with God and our touch FROM God. What more could you want, but FAITH?? I don't believe in the divinity of Christ because of any Bible stories (which are yet important to us as Christians, mind you)...it is my faith that He existed and that He is the Saviour. Pray for the person, have him read the Word of God, and talk with him about it. But when it all comes down, you don't want proof at all. If there is no FAITH, there will be no belief, no matter how much proof you provide.

Well I certainly don't believe that suicide is a CERTAINTY to keeping one from heaven. However, I also find it hard to believe that anyone who could commit suicide is in the good graces of the Lord. God never gives us more than we can handle, and He always gives us power enough to deal with whatever evil has thrust upon us. That is not to sat that evil cannot have its way with us for a time, or that whatever has overwhelmed us will be removed immediately or completely. It simply means that God always provides us with enough strength to overcome - to His will - what has knocked us down. Which is why I find it hard to believe that someone who commits suicide is even near to God at the time. Call upon the name of the Lord and He will remove the very idea of suicide from your mind. This is not to be judgemental, but just an observation. If you are nigh to God, and you LOVE Him, doesn't it follow that you would WANT TO live your life for Him? We all have lapses in judgement, and nobody is perfect, so we cannot expect to live our lives FULLY and COMPLETELY as the Lord would wish us to. But suicide requires a thought process - rarely is it a spur of the moment thing - so committing suicide would seem to me, to be a purposeful disregard for God's wishes for you. It's also like you're saying that you don't have faith that He can help you in your time of need. Does that keep you out of heaven? Probably not. Many suicidal people likely ARE very close to God, I cannot say (only He can). But it seems to be equal to saying, "I know murder (adultery, stealing, etc. ...take your pick) is a sin, but I am going to do it anyway". A person who has truly accepted Christ just doesn't have this in him/her, in my opinion.