God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)
Suicide is a grave sin equivalent to murder (Exodus 20:13; 21:23), but it can be forgiven like any other sin. And Scripture says clearly that those redeemed by God have been forgiven for all their sins – past, present, and future (Colossians 2:13-14). Paul says in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. So if a true Christian would commit suicide in a time of extreme weakness, he or she would be received into heaven (Jude 24). But we question the faith of those who take their lives or even consider it seriously – it may well be that they have never been truly saved. I say that because God’s children are defined repeatedly in Scripture as those who have hope (Acts 24:15; Romans 5:2-5, 8:24; 2 Corinthians 1:10, etc.) and purpose in life (Luke 9:23-25; Romans 8:28; Colossians 1:29). And those who think of committing suicide do so because they have neither hope nor purpose in their lives. Furthermore, one who repeatedly considers suicide is practicing sin in his heart (Proverbs 23:7), and 1 John 3:9 says that “no one who is born of God practices sin.” And finally, suicide is often the ultimate evidence of a heart that rejects the lordship of Jesus Christ, because it is an act where the sinner is taking his life into his own hands completely rather than submitting to God's will for it. Surely many of those who have taken their lives will hear those horrifying words from the Lord Jesus at the judgment – “I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23). So though it may be possible for a true believer to commit suicide, we believe that is an unusual occurrence. Someone considering suicide should be challenged above all to examine himself to see whether he is in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).
This guilt issue follows us throughout our Christian walk. And as we mature in Christ we learn the value of dealing with it rightly and the dangers of dealing with it wrongly. We learn that even though God has forgiven us, we can sense it when not God, but Satan “the accuser” (Rev. 12:10) seeks to remind us of our failures and faults. We learn how to engage in spiritual battle to prevent false guilt from setting in. We learn to not trust in our feelings as it pertains to guilt, but fully stand on the promises from God’s Word. We learn to allow that which makes us guilty to only be the things that violate God’s Word. We learn the difference between real guilt and an overactive conscience. We learn the need to keep excelling in Christ, but refuse to allow the conviction to grow spiritually become a continual self-loathing low-grade guilt that we aren’t doing enough for Jesus. We learn to greater recognize our sinfulness and yet the incredible promise that we can always “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
Cut the trimmed rhubarb into short lenghths and chop the onions quite
finely. Put both ingredients into a large pan and pour on the vinegar.
Then lightly bruise the whole coriander seeds. Add the seeds direct to the
pan if you want to include them in the chutney. I love their spicy bite
but some people complain that the seeds stick between their teeth, so you
may prefer to tie them in a piece of buttermuslin and remove before
potting. Bring the contents of the pan slowly to boiling point, cover and
simmer gently for 20 minutes or so to start softening the onion.
Add the dried fruits, sugar, curry powder and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to
mix well. Then continue simmering - this time without a lid - for 1 1/2
hours or so until the rhubarb has pulped down completely, the flavour is
mellow, and the colour is rich and the consistency is thick. Stir the
chutney occasionally as it cooks to prevent sticking, particularly towards
the end. Pot in warm sterilised jars and allow to mature for at least one
month before eating. The longer you can resist eating this chutney the
better it seems to taste.
Source: Philippa Davenport in "Country Living" (British), June 1988. Typed
for you by Karen Mintzias
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini
A Message from our Provider:
“Forgiveness is not automatic”
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