The Meaning of Grace

            I was reading the book of Romans yesterday and the Apostle Paul says that homosexuals should be put to death.  Well, he’s speaking as a Pharisee at this point, because I believe the Roman Church had accused him of taking human life.  And if he had taken human life, he would have put to death a LOT of people for a LOT of reasons.  And this is why he goes into a tirade about the law of the Old Testament.  He is saying that the law of the Old Testament DEMANDS those sexual sinners of ALL kinds be put to death.  And this is why he explains as a Christian now that he is NOT able to take human life and why he could HAVE taken human life as a Pharisee.  If we understand that as a Christian the Apostle Paul believes that we are NOT able to take human life for ANY reason, then we can understand EVERYTHING that the Apostle Paul is saying because as a Pharisee, he understood which sins would warrant death by a Pharisee.  And he was speaking to the Roman Jews in the book of Romans.  They would understand such things.  But today, there are those who read the book of Romans and believe that those who commit such sins should be put to death, because the Bible says they should.  If it’s in the Bible, they argue, it MUST be true.  People who think this way think as the Pharisees thought and NOT as the Apostle Paul thought as a Christian who had to defend himself against charges that as a Pharisee he put people to death.  I believe this was his “thorn in the flesh.”  People don’t understand that the Apostle Paul had to defend himself against charges that he himself was guilty of murder.  If we don’t understand this, then we can’t possibly understand what he is saying in ALL his Epistles and we don’t understand the meaning of Grace.  Jesus died for EVERY sin except for the sins of murder and suicide.  This IS the meaning of Grace.  Peace.  Brother Ralphie for The Angels of Life Institute