Shop on Sunday, Miss the Rapture?

[PrisonerOfHope]

As the Scripture says, "if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8) Obviously, if we love Jesus we're to keep His commandments, but we know that's impossible - since we're in the flesh we're going to stumble at times.

Now, I'm not talking about "greasy grace" - sinning freely and making the excuse that Jesus' sacrifice covered all our sins, past, present, and future - but about realizing that we're still imperfect. I don't think someone can be genuinely saved and continue in intentional sin (sleeping around, living with someone they're not married to, leading a homosexual lifestyle, etc.), but let's face it - as long as there's traffic and bad drivers, we're going to sin, even if it's just some cussing! (Guilty!)

I was listening to Joseph Chambers' Open Bible Dialogue radio program the other day. I like him, but can't say I agree with everything he teaches; for example, his church (Holiness Pentecostal) believes that women must wear long dresses/skirts (no pants of any kind), not cut or color their hair, and not wear jewelry or makeup. (It occurred to me earlier that the restrictions are all on women...I don't know what men can be prohibited from doing. ) Well, on this program he was saying how we need to live holy lives if we expect to be raptured. I concur, in that we should do the best we can and try to avoid sin, but he went so far as to say things like if you don't go to church you won't be raptured, or if you do things to desecrate the Sabbath - like go shopping at Walmart on Sunday - you'll miss the rapture.

To me that sounds more like a salvation by works, not by faith. What do you all think about it? The link to the program is below, if you'd like to listen to it.




www.pawcreek.org/open-bible-dialog/bible-prophecy-and-the-infallible-scripture

[ELKTOOTH]

so you are saying then that a christian then only sins by "pressures outside of ones self? by mistake?
and who is to judge what is continual? how long? is there a certain cut off point? do we not all continue to sin...in the flesh.
don't get me wrong, sin is sin, but only God knows the heart.
IN HIS TIME..not ours and our expectations..our impatience with ourselves and each other.
i completely reject what this man is teaching.
if you choose to live by the LAW you will die under it..and in it you are damned .
elktooth

[PrisonerOfHope]

I see continual sin as something that's ongoing, and that the person has no desire to change, or makes any effort to stop doing - such as someone who is leading a homosexual lifestyle, or shacked up with someone they're not married to, or getting drunk every night. Sure, all our sins are forgiven, but when Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery He told her, "Go and sin no more." If she had left Him and purposely went right back to the bed of another man, would she still be forgiven? How about what Hebrews 10:26-27 says: "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries."

Now, every time I leave the house I tell myself that I'm not going to let those idiot drivers out there get to me, and I mean it, because I do not want to get to where I'm cussing them out under my breath...same goes when I have to call someplace where I'm going to have to endure ten minutes of an automated voice before I (maybe) get to where I want after much screaming at the phone...but realistically, I know that chances are good that I'm going to fail. When that happens, I have to repent, and resolve to do better next time...and I do try.

I guess it comes down to two things: you can fall, and choose to stay down; or you can stumble, get up, and continue on in your walk with the Lord.

As for Joe Chambers, I've been listening him on and off for many years. I've met him, and he's a lovely man, but I think he's getting more and more into legalism and salvation/rapture by works. IMHO, to say someone who is a genuine Christian and who tries their best to please the Lord but got bored and went shopping on Sunday is going to be left behind should the rapture occur while they're in Walmart is tantamount to a Protestant Purgatory.