Sin is not to be considered a light matter. In other words, it is not to be mocked. Only a fool would demonstrate this kind of behaviour toward sin.
Sin and those who participate therein anger Lord. In the days of Noah, sin grieved the Lord so badly that it repented God that he had made man on the earth.
The Bible does not always paint man in a positive light, yet it always paints him accurately. According to scripture, there is no man that sinneth not.
Scripture plainly reveals that God repeatedly calls for His people to separate from the world. This separation extends to every aspect of life, especially including the marriage bond. Why? Because God knows the very real danger that unbelievers pose to believers by drawing them away from Him (Deuteronomy 7:3-4; Judges 3:6-7; 1 Kings 11:2). This is why God specifically instructed His people in both the Old and New Testament to marry among themselves (Jew with Jew and Christian with Christian). The nation of Israel was forbidden to yoke up with the surrounding nations because Israel would adopt heathen practices and the worship of false gods (Exodus 34:15-16). Though God’s commands for the New Testament believer are often different from His plan for the Jew, in this aspect they remain constant and unchangeable.
No believer should knowingly marry an unbeliever (2 Corinthians 6:14). Additionally, the unmarried should look for other strengths and weaknesses in a prospective spouse before agreeing to marriage. Oftentimes, these strengths and weaknesses can be seen by interaction with the other’s parents. Isaac lied about Rebekah (Genesis 26:6-7) just as his father Abraham lied about Sarah (Genesis 12:10-13; Genesis 20:1-2). Solomon’s weakness for women (1 Kings 11:1) was first witnessed in his father David (2 Samuel 11:1-4). Rachel learned deception (Genesis 31:32-35) by watching her father act deceptively (Genesis 29:25). A careful observation of parents can reveal prospective problems in a future spouse.
Man always seems to find a way to corrupt that which is good. Prayer was meant to give man a means of communicating with the Creator. It is to originate from the depths of the heart and never to be memorized and repeated. This is why true prayer is speaking to God from the depths of the heart. As such, God never intended for man to script His prayers to the Lord. In fact, the Lord warned His people against using “vain repetitions” while talking to Him (Matthew 6:7). Unfortunately, many people find it easier to simply repeat a prayer commonly called the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) rather than communing with God with heartfelt sincerity. God never intended this example of praying to be repeated. In fact, the Lord clearly made His intentions understood when He said, “After this manner . . . pray ye.” The Lord provided a manner (or an example) for His disciples to follow, not words for them to inattentively repeat. With this example of prayer, the Lord certainly was not instructing His followers to do the very thing that He warned against a few verses earlier.
Prayer is an important subject that has unfortunately been tainted by men’s traditions. Some teach that in order to truly pray, you must bow your head and close your eyes. Others have added that you must also kneel in order to pray properly. The problem with both of these practices is that the Bible does not demand either. In fact, in Bible times, prayer was often made by the lifting up of one’s hands (Psalm 141:2). In other Bible passages, we see that believers might both kneel and lift up their hands (1 Kings 8:54). The Bible also teaches that the bowing of the head was an act of worship (Genesis 24:26). What does all of this mean? The most important aspect of prayer is not the position of the body but the condition of the heart.
