CHRISTIANS CANNOT BE TERRORISTS
Another theater shooting (this time in Nashville, Tn.). This event spurred me to address something I have been thinking about for a few days.
Not long ago, I saw a "man on the street" type interview with some Berkeley University students, addressing the problem of "Radical Islamic Terrorist" attacks. As I have heard other misinformed people say, so also one of the students boldly asserted that for every Muslim act of terrorism there are Christian acts of terrorism. When the student was asked to back up his statement with facts, HE COULDN'T. (shock and awe).
However, there are plenty of people who would be quick to refer to some white Americans (especially in the South or West) as being examples of, "Christian Terrorism."
Bwaa haaa haa, boo hoo, hehehe, boo hoo, hehehe, boo heehee. (This is me, not knowing whether to laugh or cry at such an answer). It is funny, because it is sooooo absurd. It is sad because it is so stupid. Let me explain why.
There is no such thing as a Christian Terrorist. (Christian tourist, yes, terrorist, NO). How do I know this is true? Because God says so in the Bible.
1 John 3:8-10
(8) He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
(9) Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
(10) In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
If a person is committing sin, he is not a Christian. This is because God saves His people from their sins. God enables His people to obey Him and this means He enables His people not to commit sin. Deliberately murdering someone is sin. If a person is (IS IS IS) born of God, he does not commit sin. As long as the seed of God remains (REMAINS REMAINS REMAINS) in that person, he cannot (CANNOT, CANNOT, CANNOT) sin, because he is (IS IS IS ) born of God.
Now, if a person turns from sin to Christ, in faith, and is forgiven and born again, but then that person no longer trusts Christ, and therefore goes back into sin, then that person is not (NOT NOT NOT) born again. He or she is fallen away from God. God does not promise to save anyone who does not believe and no one is saved if they are not presently born of God. (see Ezekiel passages at end of this post).
Yes, it is possible for a person who has been born again to sin after being converted, but it is not possible for that person to continue in a regenerated state and commit sin at the same time. Salvation and sin are mutually exclusive. He that commits sin is of the devil.
So, is it possible for a person who has been a Christian to become a terrorist? YES. Is it possible to be a terrorist while being a Christian? NO. This is not simply semantics. It is actuality. An actual transformation takes place when a person is saved, is born of God. The transformation is not a reformation. It is the miraculous regenerating power of God that makes a sinner into a new creation. The person who chooses to trust (which means obey) Christ, will continue, remain, abide in a relationship with God which delivers him/her from sin. The person who chooses to not trust (which means not obey) Christ, will not continue, remain, abide in a relationship with God which delivers him/her from sin.
It is also possible that the person who has trusted Christ for salvation, but then fell away and turned back to sin, it is possible for them to repent again and be restored to a right relationship with Christ.
Do not be confused, there is no such thing as a "Christian Terrorist." This is why it is important to understand that salvation is not a Divine shuffling of paperwork. It is actual regenerating, recreating, transforming, empowering, conforming, enabling, miraculous work of God that saves from sin, from the penalty of sin, from the pollution of sin, from the power of sin.
Just as Adam turned from holiness of heart and life, to sin and therefore became a corrupted and fallen creature, so a Christian becomes a corrupted and fallen creature if he turns holiness of heart and life, to a life of sin. I would guess that Adam had no idea how far his fall would take him. Likewise, a person who is following Christ, but then fails to continue, abide, remain in Christ has no idea how far his fall will take him.
So, yes, it is possible that a former Christian can be a terrorist. However, even with this consideration, the fact is that there is no evidence that such a person has ever done such a thing. If such a thing has happened or does happen, it only points out the great importance of salvation and continuing in faith.
Jude 1:20-21
(20) But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
(21) Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
AN INDIVIDUAL CHOICE
Ezekiel 3:18-21
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
ALL CAN TURN
The wicked can turn from sin to righteousness, and be saved.
The righteous can turn from righteousness to sin, and be lost.
Ezekiel 33:7-21
7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.
18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.
19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.
Another theater shooting (this time in Nashville, Tn.). This event spurred me to address something I have been thinking about for a few days.
Not long ago, I saw a "man on the street" type interview with some Berkeley University students, addressing the problem of "Radical Islamic Terrorist" attacks. As I have heard other misinformed people say, so also one of the students boldly asserted that for every Muslim act of terrorism there are Christian acts of terrorism. When the student was asked to back up his statement with facts, HE COULDN'T. (shock and awe).
However, there are plenty of people who would be quick to refer to some white Americans (especially in the South or West) as being examples of, "Christian Terrorism."
Bwaa haaa haa, boo hoo, hehehe, boo hoo, hehehe, boo heehee. (This is me, not knowing whether to laugh or cry at such an answer). It is funny, because it is sooooo absurd. It is sad because it is so stupid. Let me explain why.
There is no such thing as a Christian Terrorist. (Christian tourist, yes, terrorist, NO). How do I know this is true? Because God says so in the Bible.
1 John 3:8-10
(8) He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
(9) Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
(10) In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
If a person is committing sin, he is not a Christian. This is because God saves His people from their sins. God enables His people to obey Him and this means He enables His people not to commit sin. Deliberately murdering someone is sin. If a person is (IS IS IS) born of God, he does not commit sin. As long as the seed of God remains (REMAINS REMAINS REMAINS) in that person, he cannot (CANNOT, CANNOT, CANNOT) sin, because he is (IS IS IS ) born of God.
Now, if a person turns from sin to Christ, in faith, and is forgiven and born again, but then that person no longer trusts Christ, and therefore goes back into sin, then that person is not (NOT NOT NOT) born again. He or she is fallen away from God. God does not promise to save anyone who does not believe and no one is saved if they are not presently born of God. (see Ezekiel passages at end of this post).
Yes, it is possible for a person who has been born again to sin after being converted, but it is not possible for that person to continue in a regenerated state and commit sin at the same time. Salvation and sin are mutually exclusive. He that commits sin is of the devil.
So, is it possible for a person who has been a Christian to become a terrorist? YES. Is it possible to be a terrorist while being a Christian? NO. This is not simply semantics. It is actuality. An actual transformation takes place when a person is saved, is born of God. The transformation is not a reformation. It is the miraculous regenerating power of God that makes a sinner into a new creation. The person who chooses to trust (which means obey) Christ, will continue, remain, abide in a relationship with God which delivers him/her from sin. The person who chooses to not trust (which means not obey) Christ, will not continue, remain, abide in a relationship with God which delivers him/her from sin.
It is also possible that the person who has trusted Christ for salvation, but then fell away and turned back to sin, it is possible for them to repent again and be restored to a right relationship with Christ.
Do not be confused, there is no such thing as a "Christian Terrorist." This is why it is important to understand that salvation is not a Divine shuffling of paperwork. It is actual regenerating, recreating, transforming, empowering, conforming, enabling, miraculous work of God that saves from sin, from the penalty of sin, from the pollution of sin, from the power of sin.
Just as Adam turned from holiness of heart and life, to sin and therefore became a corrupted and fallen creature, so a Christian becomes a corrupted and fallen creature if he turns holiness of heart and life, to a life of sin. I would guess that Adam had no idea how far his fall would take him. Likewise, a person who is following Christ, but then fails to continue, abide, remain in Christ has no idea how far his fall will take him.
So, yes, it is possible that a former Christian can be a terrorist. However, even with this consideration, the fact is that there is no evidence that such a person has ever done such a thing. If such a thing has happened or does happen, it only points out the great importance of salvation and continuing in faith.
Jude 1:20-21
(20) But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
(21) Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
AN INDIVIDUAL CHOICE
Ezekiel 3:18-21
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
ALL CAN TURN
The wicked can turn from sin to righteousness, and be saved.
The righteous can turn from righteousness to sin, and be lost.
Ezekiel 33:7-21
7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.
18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.
19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.
Salvation Is Transformation, As Well As Forgiveness
As basic, important and essential as forgiveness of sin is, keep in mind, a person does not become a Christian, only to be forgiven of his sins, but to be delivered and cleansed from sin. A person becomes a Christian in order to enter the kingdom of God. Therefore, forgiveness of sins is part of redemption, salvation. Without forgiveness there is no salvation. But neither is their forgiveness if there is no regeneration, cleansing, transformation. Salvation is not a one time check-in, but a lifetime walk.
As basic, important and essential as forgiveness of sin is, keep in mind, a person does not become a Christian, only to be forgiven of his sins, but to be delivered and cleansed from sin. A person becomes a Christian in order to enter the kingdom of God. Therefore, forgiveness of sins is part of redemption, salvation. Without forgiveness there is no salvation. But neither is their forgiveness if there is no regeneration, cleansing, transformation. Salvation is not a one time check-in, but a lifetime walk.
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