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W. Davd Phillips

Integrating Missional Thinking, Living, and Culture

Posts Tagged ‘Sin’

Sunday Psalm: Ps 32

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

Psalm 32

A David Psalm

1 Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be— you get a fresh start,
your slate’s wiped clean.

2 Count yourself lucky—
God holds nothing against you
and you’re holding nothing back from him.

3 When I kept it all inside,
my bones turned to powder,
my words became daylong groans.

4 The pressure never let up;
all the juices of my life dried up.

5 Then I let it all out;
I said, “I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to God.”
Suddenly the pressure was gone—
my guilt dissolved,
my sin disappeared.

6 These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray;
when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts
we’ll be on high ground, untouched.

7 God’s my island hideaway,
keeps danger far from the shore,
throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.

8 Let me give you some good advice;
I’m looking you in the eye
and giving it to you straight:

9 “Don’t be ornery like a horse or mule
that needs bit and bridle
to stay on track.”

10 God-defiers are always in trouble;
God-affirmers find themselves loved
every time they turn around.

11 Celebrate God.
Sing together—everyone!
All you honest hearts, raise the roof!

The Message (MSG)

The loss of innocence

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

In this short video, I look at Genesis 3:1-7, the story of the temptation of Adam and Eve. In it I show how the story is a loss of innocence and is destructive of community. I also compare the temptation of the first Adam to the second Adam -- Jesus Christ.

10 minutes long…

The Gospel: God’s solution

Friday, September 4th, 2009

TheGospel

From the foundation of the world, God had a plan in place to see that we could journey back to that wholeness that humanity found in the Garden. Christianity calls this the Gospel. Embracing the gospel—the person and message of Jesus—allows for the journey towards wholeness. If sin has produced brokenness in our lives, the restoration that occurs from embracing the totality of the Gospel would enable a journey towards wholeness, towards the Garden where God met every need, our relationship with God was in perfect order and sin would no longer impact our lives.

Unfortunately, some people today preach an overly simplistic gospel: Jesus died for the sins of humanity, and if we place our faith and trust in Christ, we get to stay out of hell and live in heaven when we die.[i] However, the gospel is bigger than that. It transforms the whole life, not just one aspect. The word for salvation in the New Testament, sodzo, which is associated with the gospel, is the same word for healing – total physical, emotional and spiritual healing. It other words…wholeness.[ii] The Gospel is more about experiencing a sense of God’s shalom – wholeness and wellness[iii] – than escaping the clutches of hell. The gospel also announces a life lived under the reign of God as depicted in Isaiah.[iv] Thus, our desire to be God will no longer be necessary.

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