To go to the heart of the matter some people I know may have a fundamental misunderstanding about salvation and what it means to accept salvation. To reduce salvation to it's basic core...
1. I accept I am a sinner.
2. I accept that Jesus is the perfect and only begotten Son of God.
3. I accept that Jesus died for my sins paying their debt.
If you pray and accept this you are saved. I'd like to talk about steps two and three but as this is already a long post I'll focus on the problem, step one.
Far too many "accept Christ" desiring eternal life, heaven, but run past "accepting I've sinned" not understanding it's significance. To believe you "sin" is to believe you do things you should not do. That you have committed immoral acts against God (and likely Man). To be saved you must first admit to yourself you need saving, that you need changing. To admit to a wrong is to admit I should not do this. One cannot be earnestly repentant and continue to sin without guilt. Christians, real Christians, still fail like everyone else but they will try to do better, to correct their sins, while the unsaved will only make excuses as to why their sins are acceptable. If you actually believe something you act on and live by it. Salvation is no different. I'll phrase it another way...
Two separate people eat, drink and carry on with a lifestyle that makes them ill. A Doctor sees them both, for free, and tells them "I'll treat your illness but if you don't change your lifestyle you'll just get sick again". One takes the treatment and tells the Doctor they will change but upon leaving says to themselves "my behavior is fine everyone does it" because it's too difficult to change and they don't want to give up their fun. So their health deteriorates and they die. The other accepts it's wrong and works to change their lifestyle. They do still fail sometimes but rather than hiding their failures they work with the Doctor to improve themselves and in so doing live a long life. Salvation (the cure) is free and not something you can do yourself but you can't be cured if you can't accept you need to change, you'll just do it again. Of course this only deals with salvation on Earth. In Heaven, providing you gave consent on Earth, your Doctor completes His treatment and changes you to not desire these things at all.
To accept salvation is to commit to a life of trying to do what is right (by God). As all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God you too will, at some time, fail in this pursuit but a Christian will still try. We were told that to go to heaven we should "become perfect". An act impossible without Christ doing it for us. Yet we were still told to pick up our cross, deny ourselves daily and follow after him. Salvation is by faith, not by our works, but if we are truly saved we will show our faith in our works, in a changed nature. Christians will try, the un-saved will excuse.
Now that I've clarified the basics I should state why I'm bringing this up. I've heard tell of some Toj, and some others who report to be Christians, acting in a manner against Biblical teachings or what should be a morality common to all Christians. This isn't about behavior on a Toj server or at Toj functions. I've not had many problems there but really it's not about Toj at all. When a Christian is in the world you are a representative of Christ. The world lacking God looks to other men for guidance and to condone their behavior, you included. Do you show the character of Christ with vulgarities, sex jokes and homosexuality? When people insult Christians how can you defend them if your behavior is no better? Even more so when you wear a Christian clan tag which says "I am a Christian". You don't have to have all the answers, no one does, or be perfect, we aren't, but if you are not ready to try to represent Christ in your behavior don't wear a tag that says "Christian".
You may say but I know this other Christian who does X why can I? He probably shouldn't but it's not about where you are in the race compared to another it's about whether you are even running toward the goal at all. Again the world looks at other men for their morality when we should look to God. God set the goalpost, the example of how we should behave, in Christ, not the Pope, not the President, not other Christians and certainly not me.
Yes there will always be a debate on some subjects of right and wrong, there is some subjectivity. The Bible doesn't cover everything directly but on some subjects it does and you should know better (and to Toj members the charter is explicitly clear on a few things http://www.toj.cc/Charter.aspx ). Taking God's name in vain, sexual immorality in words and acts these are quite clearly defined as wrong. Even if it's not clear a Christian will want to do what is right, they will seek to please God first, to ask questions and not simply do things because the world does. I'm not a learned man but I'd be willing to talk about the few things I do know. I did do a write up of the rules of our server a while back which may help a little http://www.cgalliance.org/forums/threads/server-rules-explained.45562/ but it's in no way a substitute for prayer, thought and reading a Bible (suggestion read the new testament before the old).
I've had a few people ask for admin. I believe they wouldn't abuse those rights, and in fact be helpful in combating trolls, but I know their behavior elsewhere and cannot give it to them knowing this. Two have openly supported LGBT the other has had questionable behavior on other servers. Again Christian behavior isn't just for Sunday, or for one server, it's for everywhere. If you wear the tag you represent Christianity. If you have admin you represent Christianity even more because now your behavior has the approval of others in authority. Not to mention an admin having to control their behavior would be a target for a troll pushing their buttons. Trolls actively seek to validate their lifestyle and if you cuss and return their hate you do just that. What will you tell them when you say your cursing is fine and then admin a server telling other people not to curse?
I'm reminded when DC Talk quoted Brennan Manning on one of their songs "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." Yes you will stumble and fall sometimes but you can't let it stop you from trying.
Yes I am aware of some other admins who were/are out there on some of these things. I can't vet everyone and there are no perfect admins. It just a bit more blatant on the ones I've rejected and if I've seen it others probably will too. Also, in spite of managing Toj applicants, I have no power over who changes their name to include the tag because it's just a Steam name change.
In closing I may give admin to these people some day but it's on them to show a change in themselves everywhere not just at Toj. We don't have to be in perfect agreement but God sets the standard for right and wrong. Ask Him what you should be doing and be concerned about that. The only standard I control is how much I will tolerate in an admin and comparatively it's completely unimportant.
1. I accept I am a sinner.
2. I accept that Jesus is the perfect and only begotten Son of God.
3. I accept that Jesus died for my sins paying their debt.
If you pray and accept this you are saved. I'd like to talk about steps two and three but as this is already a long post I'll focus on the problem, step one.
Far too many "accept Christ" desiring eternal life, heaven, but run past "accepting I've sinned" not understanding it's significance. To believe you "sin" is to believe you do things you should not do. That you have committed immoral acts against God (and likely Man). To be saved you must first admit to yourself you need saving, that you need changing. To admit to a wrong is to admit I should not do this. One cannot be earnestly repentant and continue to sin without guilt. Christians, real Christians, still fail like everyone else but they will try to do better, to correct their sins, while the unsaved will only make excuses as to why their sins are acceptable. If you actually believe something you act on and live by it. Salvation is no different. I'll phrase it another way...
Two separate people eat, drink and carry on with a lifestyle that makes them ill. A Doctor sees them both, for free, and tells them "I'll treat your illness but if you don't change your lifestyle you'll just get sick again". One takes the treatment and tells the Doctor they will change but upon leaving says to themselves "my behavior is fine everyone does it" because it's too difficult to change and they don't want to give up their fun. So their health deteriorates and they die. The other accepts it's wrong and works to change their lifestyle. They do still fail sometimes but rather than hiding their failures they work with the Doctor to improve themselves and in so doing live a long life. Salvation (the cure) is free and not something you can do yourself but you can't be cured if you can't accept you need to change, you'll just do it again. Of course this only deals with salvation on Earth. In Heaven, providing you gave consent on Earth, your Doctor completes His treatment and changes you to not desire these things at all.
To accept salvation is to commit to a life of trying to do what is right (by God). As all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God you too will, at some time, fail in this pursuit but a Christian will still try. We were told that to go to heaven we should "become perfect". An act impossible without Christ doing it for us. Yet we were still told to pick up our cross, deny ourselves daily and follow after him. Salvation is by faith, not by our works, but if we are truly saved we will show our faith in our works, in a changed nature. Christians will try, the un-saved will excuse.
Now that I've clarified the basics I should state why I'm bringing this up. I've heard tell of some Toj, and some others who report to be Christians, acting in a manner against Biblical teachings or what should be a morality common to all Christians. This isn't about behavior on a Toj server or at Toj functions. I've not had many problems there but really it's not about Toj at all. When a Christian is in the world you are a representative of Christ. The world lacking God looks to other men for guidance and to condone their behavior, you included. Do you show the character of Christ with vulgarities, sex jokes and homosexuality? When people insult Christians how can you defend them if your behavior is no better? Even more so when you wear a Christian clan tag which says "I am a Christian". You don't have to have all the answers, no one does, or be perfect, we aren't, but if you are not ready to try to represent Christ in your behavior don't wear a tag that says "Christian".
You may say but I know this other Christian who does X why can I? He probably shouldn't but it's not about where you are in the race compared to another it's about whether you are even running toward the goal at all. Again the world looks at other men for their morality when we should look to God. God set the goalpost, the example of how we should behave, in Christ, not the Pope, not the President, not other Christians and certainly not me.
Yes there will always be a debate on some subjects of right and wrong, there is some subjectivity. The Bible doesn't cover everything directly but on some subjects it does and you should know better (and to Toj members the charter is explicitly clear on a few things http://www.toj.cc/Charter.aspx ). Taking God's name in vain, sexual immorality in words and acts these are quite clearly defined as wrong. Even if it's not clear a Christian will want to do what is right, they will seek to please God first, to ask questions and not simply do things because the world does. I'm not a learned man but I'd be willing to talk about the few things I do know. I did do a write up of the rules of our server a while back which may help a little http://www.cgalliance.org/forums/threads/server-rules-explained.45562/ but it's in no way a substitute for prayer, thought and reading a Bible (suggestion read the new testament before the old).
I've had a few people ask for admin. I believe they wouldn't abuse those rights, and in fact be helpful in combating trolls, but I know their behavior elsewhere and cannot give it to them knowing this. Two have openly supported LGBT the other has had questionable behavior on other servers. Again Christian behavior isn't just for Sunday, or for one server, it's for everywhere. If you wear the tag you represent Christianity. If you have admin you represent Christianity even more because now your behavior has the approval of others in authority. Not to mention an admin having to control their behavior would be a target for a troll pushing their buttons. Trolls actively seek to validate their lifestyle and if you cuss and return their hate you do just that. What will you tell them when you say your cursing is fine and then admin a server telling other people not to curse?
I'm reminded when DC Talk quoted Brennan Manning on one of their songs "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." Yes you will stumble and fall sometimes but you can't let it stop you from trying.
Yes I am aware of some other admins who were/are out there on some of these things. I can't vet everyone and there are no perfect admins. It just a bit more blatant on the ones I've rejected and if I've seen it others probably will too. Also, in spite of managing Toj applicants, I have no power over who changes their name to include the tag because it's just a Steam name change.
In closing I may give admin to these people some day but it's on them to show a change in themselves everywhere not just at Toj. We don't have to be in perfect agreement but God sets the standard for right and wrong. Ask Him what you should be doing and be concerned about that. The only standard I control is how much I will tolerate in an admin and comparatively it's completely unimportant.
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