I asked this question over breakfast to some of the men at church last Sunday. They didn’t know how to respond, one of them told me I needed to repent and that to ask such a question is a sin!

I didn’t think asking a question was a sin, but, what can I say. There was a reason I was asking such a sacrilegious question, I was trying to get them to think about what they believe about Jesus.

According to ChstGPT the phrase “over a barrel” means to have them (him) in a position where they are powerless or have no choice but to do what you want. It suggests that the person is at a disadvantage and can’t easily escape the situation.

There’s more; “the phrase likely comes from an old practice where a person who was drowning might be laid over a barrel to help expel water from their lungs, that put them completely dependent on others.”

I suppose it would make better sense to say that Jesus has us over a barrel, right? But that was not my question. This is what I was getting at:

As Christians we have said the sinners prayer or for some of us our salvation experience was when we were baptized. We have repented of our sins, at least somewhat. We have confessed our sins and have trusted Him to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Christ has promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us, which we take to believe our salvation is secure, that is we believe that once we are saved we are always saved. Can’t lose it.

So what if we slip up? There is forgiveness. What if we really slip up and begin to fall back into our old sin habits? There is forgiveness. Adultery, fornication, pornography, masturbation, greediness,  impurity, hate, unforgiveness, gossip, filthy language. There is forgiveness.

Im not trying to be sacrilegious but can you see how we can begin to think that we have Jesus over a barrel? We yuck it up so to speak while here on earth and do whatever we please knowing that He will forgive. Not only that we believe when we received our salvation experience that all our sins were forgiven past present and future. So yeah, if you go back to yucking it up, you are covered.

You might argue that someone who thinks and behaves like that is probably not a Christian, that they weren’t sincere when they said the sinners prayer or whatever.

But what about you? You might tell me that you are not like that, that you try to throttle down your sinning at least somewhat. You definitely don’t go full throttle sin mode. Well good for you but why just somewhat? Why don’t you just stop sinning for crying out loud, isn’t that what Jesus would want you to do?

“Well yeah”, you tell me, “but He understands that we are both sinners and saints”. Sinners live in sin, walk in sin, are addicted to their sins, and behave sinfully. That is what a sinner does, you cannot be both a sinner and a saint. And didn’t Paul tell us that those who behave that way will not inherit eternal life?

“Screw Paul!” You say, “ and now that I have thought about it, yes I do have Jesus over a barrel, He has to do what He promised and he promised that my sins are forgiven past, present, and future, so I am in like flint no matter what I do but like I told you I always throttle down my sinning somewhat so for sure I am not as bad as my unsaved friends.”

Can you see how my christian friends at church get mad at me at the Sunday morning breakfast and at Sunday school? I ask too many questions. Haha 

Just something to think about.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, may he lift up his face upon you and be gracious to you, may he lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.