Admitting Mistakes and Sins

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

Forgiveness (2)

Some will never admit to mistakes or sin. The Old and the New Testaments speak of the cleansing effects of admitting your mistakes WHEN you simultaneously desire to never repeat them. Everyone, not just you, will always have the need to admit to sin and mistakes, even those you vowed never to repeat.  There is only one person who never sinned here on earth and you are not that person. You cannot be healed from the disastrous effects of mistakes and sins if you do not face up to them and share with God and those who can pray with you. These verses communicate the beautiful rewards when you seek forgiveness: The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results.

Proverbs 28:13 (TLB) 13 A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.

James 5:16 (TLB) 16 Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results.

8/30/2026

Each Generation

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

The Universal Lawmaker (4)

Do you know there are 2 times the 10 Commandments were given to Israel? One is Exodus 20:1-17 and presented on Mount Sinai to those Moses lead out of Egypt. The other is Deuteronomy 5:6-21, given to the the second generation of those present at Mt. Sinai. The Old and New Testaments emphasize passing spiritual law and understanding to each generation. It is not a transfer by osmosis or assuming your example is enough. It is active, conscious teaching, as seen today in church and temple communities, structured scriptural study, social activities, and parental relationship.

Psalm 78:5-6 (NIV)  5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, 6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born and they in turn would tell their children. 

Ephesians 6:4 (AMPC) 4 Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord.

8/23/2026

No Other Gods Before Me

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

The Universal Lawmaker (3) 

The Ten Commandments

2nd Commandment

Faith and behavior is a legacy you pass on, whether you know it or not. Putting God above “idols” is the legacy you want. In Bible times, idol worshiping was the norm, and God made it clear that it would only lead to ruin. To be fair, idol worshiping is as common today as it was then. You may not bow down to a golden calf, but you and God know your thoughts and resulting behavior. Today, you have unlimited access to learning God’s way.  Yet, without the plethora of information available today, the new Christians in Corinth got it right - placing God above past idolizations (addictions, darkness and all manner of sin) makes a huge difference in you and those around you. He is faithful to work with you as you ask.

Exodus 20:4-6 (NLT) 4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

1 Thessalonians 1:8-9 (NLT} 8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, 9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God.

8/16/2026

I Am the Lord Your God

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

The Universal Lawmaker (2) 

The Ten Commandments

1st Commandment

Both testaments are consistent that if you want to escape the “place of your slavery” and live freely, you go to God. He is the one who rescues you from your “Egypt.”  In practice, you learn God’s ways, check in with him as you go about your day, and listen for his direction. His voice is different than those you hear around you and you will learn to recognize it. He is for you and he needs your full attention when he works on your behalf.  You can trust that God knows the freedom that is best for you, whether it is where you live, who you love or what you do. 

Exodus 20:2-3 (NLT)  2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me. 

1 Corinthians 8:5-6 (NLT)  5 There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. 6 But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created and through whom we live.

8/9/2026

Choose Life

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

Objective Standard of Good and Evil

 

God’s love is relentless to those who surrender to him. At the same time, Jesus said Satan is the ruler of this earthly world. The Old Testament used the term “life and death” as the choice you have to make. There is no way to navigate life here without trusting that God establishes who and what is evil and provides you with the information you need to understand the difference. The father of all lies does not care at all how heinous and horrifying his acts are as long as he gets what he thinks is a one-up on God. God is his target, you do not matter at all to him. 

Deuteronomy 30:15-16 (TLB) 15 “Look, today I have set before you life and death, depending on whether you obey or disobey. 16 I have commanded you today to love the Lord your God and to follow his paths and to keep his laws, so that you will live and become a great nation, and so that the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to possess. 

John 8:44 (TLB) 44 For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and a hater of truth—there is not an iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars.

8/2/2026