Why do some Christians not believe in luck? Whether good or bad luck.

The Dictionary defines luck thus:

good or bad fortune; advantage or disadvantage, success or failure, considered as the result of chance:

Also,

A combination of circumstances, events, etc., operating by chance to bring good or ill to a person.

So why cant I, as a Christian say 'I had some good fortune or good luck this month'?

becos as a christian your life has been surrended to God and He has control over everything that happens to you. and He uses everything to your benefit whether good or bad (Rm8:28) - so there's really no room for "luck" or "by chance".
Remember "every good and perfect gift comes from above" and He orders your steps, commands His angels concerning you as you walk by faith and causes things to happen/ not happen in your life.

Cheers!

Why do some christians still comit sin?

Ujujoan:

Why do some christians still comit sin?

becos we are still human and as long as we are still in this sinful bodies we will commit sin. It is not possible for us to be sinless here on earth, that's just our nature. The book of Romans teaches a lot on this issue.

What about the man who lived a good life, but sinned a few minutes before being killed by armed robbers. Would you not say he was unlucky?

And that other man who turned around for good at the age of 70, only to go to heaven after 69yrs of decandent sin and 1 month of righteousness. Wont you say he was lucky?

Would you say that some people were lucky to have been born into a wealthy home, while others were unlucky to be born in poverty, or perhaps with disabilities.

It is not correct to say that it is natural to commit sin. Sin is unatural, it is a negation of what God wills and whatever is against the will of God is unatural. We are not hardwired to sin. On the contrarly, we are inherently good. We sin because we choose to do so. There is nothing like chance or luck too. On the surface, some events or happenings may seem like luck, but they only seem to be so because most human beings have lost the abiltity to see the motives and thoughts of himself and that of his fellow human beings.  Gods laws are perfect and it will never permit a person to experience what he or she has not sown. The harvest will not be different from the seed. Most often people have forgotten the seed they sowed, or decieved themselves into believing that the sowed a different kind of seed than the one they actually sowed. If you sowed thorn, you will end up reaping an avalanche of thorns even if you have forgotten that you sowed thorns or made you self and others believe that you sowed sweet seeds like tomatoes, mangoes etc. In addition, the only road to forgiveness is repentance. The only proof that one has abandoned his sinful ways and has recieved Gods forgiveness is to sin no more. If we continually sin and then ask for forgiveness, sin again and ask forgiveness, we are not only deceiveing ourselfs but we are mocking the grace of God.

m_nwankwo:

It is not correct to say that it is natural to commit sin. Sin is unatural, it is a negation of what God wills and whatever is against the will of God is unatural. We are not hardwired to sin. On the contrarly, we are inherently good. We sin because we choose to do so. There is nothing like chance or luck too. On the surface, some events or happenings may seem like luck, but they only seem to be so because most human beings have lost the abiltity to see the motives and thoughts of himself and that of his fellow human beings. Gods laws are perfect and it will never permit a person to experience what he or she has not sown. The harvest will not be different from the seed. Most often people have forgotten the seed they sowed, or decieved themselves into believing that the sowed a different kind of seed than the one they actually sowed. If you sowed thorn, you will end up reaping an avalanche of thorns even if you have forgotten that you sowed thorns or made you self and others believe that you sowed sweet seeds like tomatoes, mangoes etc. In addition, the only road to forgiveness is repentance. The only proof that one has abandoned his sinful ways and has recieved Gods forgiveness is to sin no more. If we continually sin and then ask for forgiveness, sin again and ask forgiveness, we are not only deceiveing ourselfs but we are mocking the grace of God.

When you sin and ask God for forgiveness, and sin again and ask God yet again for forgiveness, might God know that you are going to sin again, and again and again; and ask for forgiveness again and again and again? If he knows, can one ask God for everlasting forgiveness once that would cover them for all their subsequent sins?

m_nwankwo:

Gods laws are perfect and it will never permit a person to experience what he or she has not sown. The harvest will not be different from the seed. Most often people have forgotten the seed they sowed, or decieved themselves into believing that the sowed a different kind of seed than the one they actually sowed.

Are you saying that a 3 year old child who gets hit by a car must have sown a bad seed before the accident. What about those born with disabilities? are you saying that in a past life, they must have sown a 'disabled' seed?

It is not correct to say that it is natural to commit sin. Sin is unatural, it is a negation of what God wills and whatever is against the will of God is unatural. We are not hardwired to sin. On the contrarly, we are inherently good. We sin because we choose to do so.

 Has thou not heard of the sinful nature my dear brotha?

    Rm6:6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
 
Rm8:10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Rm8:5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.

2 Peter 2:18
For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.

Colossians 2:13
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

  By the above verse we see that it is in our very nature to be sinful! we are not inherently good but infact evil!
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned
 
We sin becos that is our nature that was handed to us from Adam. When we accept Christ, He crucifies our sinful nature that we might begin to live by the Spirit and hence not gratify the desires of our flesh. If we weren't innately corrupt then why did Christ have to come and die for us?

Grouppoint:

Are you saying that a 3 year old child who gets hit by a car must have sown a bad seed before the accident. What about those born with disabilities? are you saying that in a past life, they must have sown a 'disabled' seed?

  GP
I disagree with Nwankwo. . . that 3yr old did not "sow" any bad seed and hence was reaping the reward. It is not true when people say when something tragic happens it's as a result of sin or something they did to deserve it - NOT TRUE!

  there are many things that have happened and will happen in life that we cannot explain or understand. But we know that God is good and that He is just. And that even though it might seem tragic to us it might not really be- in the grand scheme of things.

  For example: it would have been better for Hezekiah in the bible to have died from his sickness, and leave his legacy and soul intact than live 15yrs more and sin against God. death is not always a bad thing! we learn that from scripture my brotha. "Absent from the body is to be present with God"

Grouppoint:

Would you say that some people were lucky to have been born into a wealthy home, while others were unlucky to be born in poverty, or perhaps with disabilities.

No I wouldn't call them unlucky. . .becos what we see from a human point of view as an advantage might not necessarily be in God's sight and in God's plan for that life. Now I would consider myself tremendously blessed that I was born well off and have lived a good life - all by God's grace. But no, I wasn't lucky - just blessed!

Grouppoint:

What about the man who lived a good life, but sinned a few minutes before being killed by armed robbers. Would you not say he was unlucky?
And that other man who turned around for good at the age of 70, only to go to heaven after 69yrs of decandent sin and 1 month of righteousness. Wont you say he was lucky?

1st man: will still go to heaven becos all his sins have been washed away! As long as he was living a righteous life, falling into sin (becos we all fall sometimes) does not negate the work of salvation, as long as he is trusting in Christ to save him.
2nd man: Read the story of the workers in the bible. Mathew 20: Some had been working all day, while some worked only an hr or two BUT they were all paid the same salary at the end of the day. When some complained, Jesus said, "what is it to you what I pay others? did you not receive your rightful pay? why are you angry at my generosity?"

@tpaine

I an not sure that you are interested in my answer. All the same I will give a brief answer hoping that it will induce others to some reflection. It is the human spirit ( which you do not believe exists) that exerises the gift of free will. The brain in most cases is oblivious of this decision of the spirit. When a decision is taken by the spirit, God knows because that spiritual decision uses the power of God and the entire manifestation of such decision is known to God. If however a human spirit have not already taken a decision, then there is nothing to know. Why will God know of something that does not exist? However note clearly that it is the spirit that takes the decision not the brain. A spirit takes a decsion and for most human beings it takes years, even millenia for such decisions to be apparent to the human brain. Because the brain is unware of what the spirit has decided, many a happening appear incomprehensible to the brain. Without digressing much, when a person sins and his or her spirit asks for forgiveness, God will forgive such a person because a human spirit cannot lie, it can only ask for forgiveness when it truely meant it. It will also recieve the power to repent and sin no more. However, most of us ask for forgiveness with our brain and since the brain lacks a direct connection with the power of God, the forgiveness asked for is not truely meant, the sins are not forgiven, neither is the power to conquer sin recieved. Thus for most of us is a viscious cycle of sin, pretended asking for forgiveness, more sins until the sin overwelms the spirit and it finally dies.

A real child of GOD is a blessed child. therefore there is no probability(ies) in his life. It happens if permitted by God and nothing like luck. Lucky people are usually people without faith - they thought this would happen while that happen instead. i.e Luck.

m_nwankwo:

@tpaine

I an not sure that you are interested in my answer. All the same I will give a brief answer hoping that it will induce others to some reflection. It is the human spirit ( which you do not believe exists) that exerises the gift of free will. The brain in most cases is oblivious of this decision of the spirit. When a decision is taken by the spirit, God knows because that spiritual decision uses the power of God and the entire manifestation of such decision is known to God. If however a human spirit have not already taken a decision, then there is nothing to know. Why will God know of something that does not exist? However note clearly that it is the spirit that takes the decision not the brain. A spirit takes a decsion and for most human beings it takes years, even millenia for such decisions to be apparent to the human brain. Because the brain is unware of what the spirit has decided, many a happening appear incomprehensible to the brain. Without digressing much, when a person sins and his or her spirit asks for forgiveness, God will forgive such a person because a human spirit cannot lie, it can only ask for forgiveness when it truely meant it. It will also recieve the power to repent and sin no more. However, most of us ask for forgiveness with our brain and since the brain lacks a direct connection with the power of God, the forgiveness asked for is not truely meant, the sins are not forgiven, neither is the power to conquer sin recieved. Thus for most of us is a viscious cycle of sin, pretended asking for forgiveness, more sins until the sin overwelms the spirit and it finally dies.

how did u come by this information. is there any ways this could be validated?

tpaine:

When you sin and ask God for forgiveness, and sin again and ask God yet again for forgiveness, might God know that you are going to sin again, and again and again; and ask for forgiveness again and again and again? If he knows, can one ask God for everlasting forgiveness once that would cover them for all their subsequent sins?

My dear, when you sin and ask God for forgiveness, he forgives you because of his love for you. He dosent expect you to go tommorrow and comit that same sin. But he's grace has been made sufficient for us that even when you do that and sincerly repent of it, he still forgives you.

You'd have a clearer picture of it if you relate it with the r/ship a father has with his son.

If you steal you father's money, and repents and seeks he's forgiveness, any father, seeing your true repentanct will definitely forgive you. Even if you repeat it the next week, he might punish you  for it, but he'll definitely forgive you IF HE SEES TRUE REPENTANCE. Dont you think it'll be kind of stipid to say, 'dad, since I comit this sin always, how about you granting me enternal forgiveness, so I wont have to bother you agin?'. What will you, as a father say to such a child??

@Grouppoint

I have only stated that we reap what we sow. If we believe in justice, then there is no way one will experience what he or she has not shown. To believe that God in some cases can be unjust mocks the perfection of God. Every case is different and specific details can only be given for each individual case. The only valid generalization is that whatever happens to people good or bad is a consequnce of their decisions wheather or not they are aware of it. You do not only reap "apparently" bad things by sowing bad seeds. Some bad things can happen to you because you asked for such experince in order to mature spiritually or to make the work of God manifest. Although it does not direcly belong to your question, I will give just two examples to show how extensive sowing is. A man can prenataly accept to be born blind or have an incurable genetic  disease so that when he crosses the path of an evoy of God on earth, he or she may recieve instantenous healing. In this case, he or she did not sin but to make the power of God manifest. He sowed because he willingly accepted to be born with disability. Just another example, a very rich and good man asked God to help him to serve him better. This man has chains of stores. Spiritually, it was found that he is attached to his riches and that attachment prevents him from completely surrendering to the service of God. One day, fire gutted all his shops and the extremely rich man become poor overnight. To that man and many others, what happened is evil but the reality is that the man prayed for help and the help was mediated in the way that will help him to overcome his attachment to money even if it causes him pain and anguish. I hope that these two examples will atleast show that the word sowing is not as narrow as many of us think it is.

JeSoul:

because we are still human and as long as we are still in this sinful bodies we will commit sin. It is not possible for us to be sinless here on earth, that's just our nature. The book of Romans teaches a lot on this issue.

I'm actually om your side Jesoul, People dont live according to the scriptures, its one of the graces we pray for everyday.
maybe I shd rephrase my question, Why do some christians still comit murder

Ujujoan:

My dear, when you sin and ask God for forgiveness, he forgives you because of his love for you. He dosent expect you to go tommorrow and comit that same sin. But he's grace has been made sufficient for us that even when you do that and sincerly repent of it, he still forgives you.

You'd have a clearer picture of it if you relate it with the r/ship a father has with his son.

If you steal you father's money, and repents and seeks he's forgiveness, any father, seeing your true repentanct will definitely forgive you. Even if you repeat it the next week, he might punish you for it, but he'll definitely forgive you IF HE SEES TRUE REPENTANCE. Dont you think it'll be kind of stipid to say, 'dad, since I comit this sin always, how about you granting me enternal forgiveness, so I wont have to bother you agin?'. What will you, as a father say to such a child??

But my father is not omniscient whereas God is. An omniscient being must know that I am going to sin again. If It knows my future intentions, that cannot be free will, because he has pre-determined it.

@JeSoul

You clearly stated in your last post that God is good and just. So where do mans sinful nature come from. Did God create our sinful nature?

For those of you that are arguing about sin and christians and bla bla, I think you should read this. It's from a ministry that believes and teaches christian perfection. It's long but just give it a thought.

http://www.spcconline.org/main/believe.php?key=524

m_nwankwo:

@JeSoul

You clearly stated in your last post that God is good and just. So where do mans sinful nature come from. Did God create our sinful nature?

First off, I did not make it up that man is sinful and that God is just, the bible states it clearly and I provided more than enough scripture for you to chew on.

Now, I also quoted for you Romans 5:12 that also clearly tells us sin entered the world thru Adam:
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned
And the father of sin himself is the devil, sin did not come from God.

Tpaine Even if your father is not ominipotent, he know you are liable to steal, because you've done it before, but he dosent actually expect you to do it again.

God knows about our sinful nature, and he know we'll comit that same sin, however, what matters is our true repentance, asking for forgiveness in advance is clearly not a sign of true repentance. Check your bible, theres something God can never ignore, 'A broken and a contrite heart'.

God's principles are simple, he knows you need something, he can give it to you in advance of when you ask for it. But he will not give it to you TILL you ask for it.

@JeSoul,

Thanks for your answer. Since sin did not from God, why will man have sinful nature since man was created by God, not the devil?

m_nwankwo:

@JeSoul,

Thanks for your answer. Since sin did not from God, why will man have sinful nature since man was created by God, not the devil?

You're welcome .

Sin entered the human race thru Adam. God made us right in the begining but it also got ruined not long after in the garden thru Adam. Ecclesiastes 7:29 This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes."

When the devil tricked Adam, sin entered the world - sin came from the devil.
1John3: 8He who does what is sinful is of the devil[b], because the devil has been sinning from the beginning[/b]. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

Man has inherited this sinful nature from Adam, who fell into it by the trickery of the devil. So while God creates us, we're still the offspring of our sinful father Adam and hence still possess his sinful genes and nature.

@JeSoul

Thanks again. I am pleased that you have correctly stated that God made us good and that sin started when man (Adam as you called him) succumbed to the temptation of the devil. As per inheriting the sinful nature of Adam, I do not agree with that. However I understand where you are coming from and I respect that. Stay blessed.

JeSoul:


No I wouldn't call them unlucky. . .because what we see from a human point of view as an advantage might not necessarily be in God's sight and in God's plan for that life. Now I would consider myself tremendously blessed that I was born well off and have lived a good life - all by God's grace. But no, I wasn't lucky - just blessed!"

So you are simply substituting 'lucky' for blessed, This means the other person born into a poor family in Somalia, or Dafur in Sudan is simply Unblessed.

Hence some people are blessed through no effort of theirs while other are equally unblessed through no fault of theirs, do you agree?

Grouppoint:

So you are simply substituting 'lucky' for blessed, This means the other person born into a poor family in Somalia, or Dafur in Sudan is simply Unblessed.

Hence some people are blessed through no effort of theirs while other are equally unblessed through no fault of theirs, do you agree?

excellent question, that has an answer with different sides.
As a christian nothing in my life can be attributed to luck, "every good and perfect gift is from heaven". So when anything good happens to me - it came from God.

Now as for those who by worldly definitions were less "fortunate", I return you to my point about how something that seems like a disadvantage to us might in God's sight be used for the benefit of that person.
So while I grew up happy and comfy, and someone else grew up hungry - it doesn't necessarily mean they are "unblessed", becos we don't have the full picture of that person's life.

For instance the rich man in the bible, when Jesus told him to give up his wealth, he couldn't. His wealth was actually a disadvantage to him becos it held him back from going to God.
Likewise it is so much more easier for a poor person to accept and serve God - that is a hidden advantage we don't usually recognize. Likewise a person might be plagued with sickness that God will use to His glory (see the story of the blind man in the bible).
Judging who is blessed vs. "unblessed" is not as simple as it may seem. Becos God in His infinite wisdom assigns and gives to each as He sees fit, and since the bible tells us that God does not show favoritism, we can be sure He does not love me more than the leper under the bridge! even though it does not seem so.
Hope all this makes sense.

grouppoint, I also forgot to add, don't forget John 10: "the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy". A lot of the misfortune and heartache out there is the result of the handiwork of the devil. God intends and plans only good for us, but a lot of the time because of our sin or bad choices or sometimes through no fault of ours and just because of the evil of the devil, bad things happen to people that God did not author.

  But for every christian, we have the assurance of Rm 8 that "God will use everything to eventually work out for our own good" even the bad and tragic things.

Nwankwo, you're welcome.

Ujujoan:

I'm actually om your side Jesoul, People don't live according to the scriptures, its one of the graces we pray for everyday.
maybe I should rephrase my question, Why do some christians still comit murder

same reason they lie, steal and cheat and curse etc. . . becos of their sinful nature.
Christians slip and fall and make bad mistakes every now and then (even Peter acted like a hypocrit once!), but a professing, born-again christian cannot willingly and comfortably and happily continue to sin - if he/she does, she was never born again in the first place.

@poster,before i was formed God knows me.my dayz are all in his hands and so are all my steps.right from my mothers womb,he knows what i wud be and nothing REALLY happens without his knowledge.even b4 Job was tempted of the devil,God was aware so. . . .every THING,good and bad can ONLY happen if and ONLY if he so permits it.

There are some things that might happen that i might in the surrounding circumstance not deserve but Yet i get them,well i say its by his GRACE,not necessarily goodluck.