sickness

The Common Christian Pastor and many followers pin salvation on one thing, Original Sin. If we didn’t sin, well then, we’d have nothing to be saved from. I must ask, is the doctrine of original sin correct or not, and is everything beyond that, pinned to this one doctrine? I say, no. Original sin is an idea that was kicked around by a few back in the day. Back in the day being the 2nd through the 4th century. People like Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and others had proposed the idea, but it never stuck. That is until Augustine of Hippo began to push the idea. He was the first to suggest that the guilt of Adam’s sin was inherited. They suggest that we are dirty from birth and thus we need salvation. Let us go back in time and ask our founders what their idea about sin. I speak of course of the Hebrews or Israelites. Let us stop for a moment and recall Romans 11:17, some of the branches, Jews, have been broken off. WHY? So that the wild olive branches, Gentiles, can be grafted in. GRAFTED into the tree with the other branches remaining, Jews. There is no new Christian olive tree, just Gentiles being allowed in. Thus, what they believe, what they were taught from long ago by Moses, is our foundation. Judaism states that people have two types of desire, a good one and a bad one. This is the age-old philosophical discussion on the dualism of man. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde concept. People are born innocent, sin free. But as they age, they begin to do bad things. That is, they give in to their bad desires. A child driven by its desire to have a cookie decides to disobey mom and steal a cookie from the cookie jar. An adult gives into their sexual desires and has an affair with another person. Sex with one’s spouse is a good desire. Sex with someone else’s spouse, well, a bad desire. Here in lies the rub. Original sin, people are born sinful and act upon their sinful nature and commit adultery. People are born innocent, but as adults, they act upon their desire and commit adultery. What’s the point here? Both committed adultery. The genesis, be it original sin or just caving into one’s bad desires gets you to the same spot. Both require the same thing Repentance! Thus, the concept of salvation is not pinned on the doctrine of original sin. It is, however, a needed thing because we, what? Disobey the Lord. That is what it is all about. I want you consider; Abraham was a righteous man before the Lord. Enoch did not profess that Jesus was Lord and Savior, yet he went to heaven, and some say, without dying. Does that mean we don’t need a savior? Well, do you disobey God? I know I do no matter how hard I try not to. I go to the Lord in prayer and ask for forgiveness. If my transgression was also against a person, I seek their forgiveness. John the Baptist preached, “repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Once Jesus was baptized, he too preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Consider too, the thief on the cross who, according to Luke 23:40-43, rebuked the other thief and then asked Jesus to remember him when he got to heaven. Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” The thief did not confess Jesus as his Lord and Savior, he instead believed and had faith in the Lord. He didn’t 100% understand it all but he understood enough that Jesus was something special, something to do with God and that Jesus was innocent. Faith my friends, a deep-seated belief in God is the key. If you have this deep-seated faith, you will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength and with all your mind. You will be obedient. And when you aren’t, you will repent. Jesus is God, God is Jesus. They are one. Here O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.