To Christians or non Christians

[Br. Bear]

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.

And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Of sin, because they believe not on Me;
Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more;
Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.

He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you.
All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall shew it unto you.
John 16:7-15

 

[KingJ]

Greetings,
why?
Bless you ....><>

Many reasons.

Chiefly, I guess because we can miss the mark by miles.

We can assume we know the heart of God when in fact we don't.

Example: You will stress about picking up a bad habit of cursing, with this group of unsaved people. So you avoid associating with them. Next day they all die in a car accident. You sit in your room overly joyed that you did.... not.... pick.... up.... a bad habit.

Straining a gnat and swallowing a camel!!

The closer we get to Jesus the more we grasp the error of our ways. The more our spirit feels the frustration of this weak flesh. Anyone who has prayed a deep prayer at night for the needy and lost, knows what I am talking about. We plan to do so much, but at the end of the day we have done so little. We are so far from perfect. Perfection is not just avoiding what we perceive to be sin. It is walking in perfect obedience to God. Not one of us is doing that. If we were, we would all know about that person. Someone like David, whom God said ''there is a man I can use for anything'', ... will be a man God uses 'on another level'. Will be a person we all hear about. It is inevitable. So the harsh reality each of us need to bear is that we just are not the person God says He can use for anything. I know for a fact that when I go home I am selfish with my time. I may not commit noticeable sin in the evenings. But I do not share all my evening time / alone time with God or others. Would Jesus say what I say. I think not. Jesus would share 100% of His time with God and others. Where are we on the selfish VS selfless meter? We are known by our actions.

 

[Curtis]

He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak:

Notice, the Holy Spirit does speak on his own, but only what he hears. Guiding into all the truth is referring to the Word of God which is truth as Jesus said. You can not have the Holy Spirit without the Word of God, nor can anyone have Father without first having the other two.

 

[At Peace]

I can tell you with certainty that Jesus is coming back for a bride. A bride is someone who follows His commandments and actually loves Him.

Having knowledge of what kind of bride we are to be should influence your/our picture of the ways of the faithful.
Unblemished and unmarred. Pure and true to only one suitor.
That is a description of the church too.

I can agree with you that effort applied to remaining spotless is good, so I guess you have that one ticked.

We can all have "that one" licked.
I'm not anything special, Just a man, but a man who loves God above all else.
That is what it takes to, as you say, remain spotless.
God provides the tools in this effort, and will provide them to you too.

But do you have perfect love for others ticked? Obeying His leading? I don't feel you do.

Your salvation doesn't depend on how I act.
It depends on how you act.
If my having made known to you the fact that some can live spotless lives compels you to follow suit, my life will bear some holy fruit through your deeds.

Granted I know little about your life. But I truly can't see how a human in a human body can go 100% without sin when God tells us to associate at the dinner table (1 Cor 5) with the most wicked of sinners.

Who is in charge of your body?
Your hands and eyes?
Or your mind?
Our "body" can only do what the mind commands it to do.
Who is in charge of your mind?

If your theology is true then we who remain on earth to serve God are.. cursed by God. The blessed ones died early and escaped further testing / temptations.

Please don't imagine life in Christ as a curse.
Those in Christ, to the glory of God, experience Christ Jesus in our lives everyday.
More of a blessing than a curse.
We are tested, but so are the wicked, as there is no respect of persons with God.
Our reactions to testing are the fruit of our belief.

You are keeping yourself saved and unblemished.

That is my choice, and is the choice for all men to make.

If I was brainstorming how to achieve and ensure the highest margin of success on this endeavor, I would certainly ensure to completely isolate myself from all the wicked. Avoid God putting me with them at all costs. Live in a room away from everyone until the rapture. I would pray God take me early and use me for little to nothing on earth. This would increase my odds of making it to heaven. This is not grasping the heart of God.

The "hide the candle under the bed" tactic has already been addressed by the Lord. (Matt 5:15)
Our success is measured by how many others see the light of God in us.
Once a man has the Spirit of God in them they will find it hard to secret away the love and power commensurate with God's love for us.
We are supplied so we can supply.

 

[At Peace]

Greetings @At Peace

Thankfully I became a Christian when I believed
I didn't need to stop sinning first.

"Need to"?
You believed that Jesus suffered and died for our sins, was resurrected because He had done no sin, yet you didn't feel obedience was "needful"?
Or did you believe something else?

The Lord accepted me just as I was
Changes came afterwards.

Do you think those visiting Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost thought they would be accepted "as they were"?
The first thing Peter told them to do was "REPENT".
That should have insured a major change of mind and intent; not to mention actions and reactions.
The Lord doesn't accept people as they are, He accepts those who change in obedience to His commandments.

Sin is now repulsive to me but I do slip many a time but praise God for His full and free forgiveness

But not repulsive enough?

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

The One I believe in has the power to protect me from temptation and sin.
As I believe, AND am "in Him", and know there in no sin "in Him", I also know that I cannot introduce sin into Him?
I would have to be moving back and forth between "in Him" and "out of Him"?
That just doesn't work.

I thank God that you are following along on this thread, and hope your future decisions regarding temptation will magnify and glorify God and the name of Jesus Christ.

 

[At Peace]

Past, Present or Future?
Past - Yes and have repented.
Present - No Sin
Future - My Hope is in the Lord and not in myself for what tomorrow will bring

Was that so hard?
I give God the thanks and glory for allowing me to meet someone else who is free from service to sin.

All you had to do was say that you disagreed with your own assessment of 1 John 5:16.

Uhhh, what?

Perfect/Complete does not mean that you have all knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual understanding.

I don't believe I ever inferred that...and still don't.
Just this morning I was asking God for help with certain verses, faithful that He will reveal the answers to me when He has the time of need.

Availability to it and Applying it always are two different conditions. Being wrong does not mean sin brother. Can it lead to sin, surely. Pride etc. Still, our Hope is in the Lord. If you don't believe this, look at the lives of the Apostles throughout the Scripture. Surely, they made mistakes, argued, disagreed. Were they still Perfect/Complete to do the will of our Lord? My answer would be yes.

You need to provide the post wherein I said the "wrong" thing.

Does He ask of us the last time we have sinned brother? Meaning does He keep track of when we have and is just waiting for us to do it again or not? or does He seek that we repent of it and as the words mean. Don't do it again? I can only attempt to concern myself with today and hope, pray for strength while rejoicing to Overcome what the day may bring in the Lord.

Yes, He does "keep track".
God wants all men to have their names in the book of life.

As a Brother in Christ Jesus who hasn't been here in a little bit would say, (and who I pray is well). "Give God the Glory!"
As you say you ARE born of seed that cannot bring forth sin, I pray for your continued walk in the light, in the Spirit instead of in the flesh.

 

[Curtis]

The Lord doesn't accept people as they are, He accepts those who change in obedience to His commandments.

1Tim 1:15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Repentance has nothing to do with changing your ways, it has to with changing your mind!!

 

[Curtis]

Yes, He does "keep track".

God never keeps track of sins we have confessed to him, or sins that are already forgiven in our past..

 

[Curtis]

All me

God wants all men to have their names in the book of life.

all living men's names are in the book of life, but not all men's names are in the lambs book of life!!

 

[At Peace]

I don't believe it is silly in the slightest :wink:.

We need to be clear on the passage that says ''He will no test us beyond our means and He will provide an escape''. There is a lot to consider on that. Was Adam tested beyond his means? Was God not supposed to give him Eve? A tree from which not to eat? No snake in the garden? Was Peter tested beyond his means when he denied Jesus? This all taking place ''after'' Matt 16:16-17 / he was a Christian. Did God test Job knowing he would not fail? Does God know if we will or will not fail? IE Calvinism is true? Is God impartial to us in that He will test one harsher then another? One of us must endure being stoned to death like the early disciples and another not? This subject will hijack this thread. I believe God allows randomness. Without it there is no true free will, there is no true impartiality.

IE I interpret the passages you referring to as more a case of He knows we love Him. He is not going to put us in a position where I will be forced to commit a mortal sin. I will not land up in hell one-day because God set me up for a fall. To suggest He gives us a way out on venial sins, is just ludicrous. Adam and Eve sinned. Peter sinned. David sinned.


God wants a rough diamond over a polished lemon. If we advocate the latter we are in error. If we propose we are not a rough diamond but a perfect diamond, whilst in this flesh, we are in serious error. As then we are in essence proposing that we are perfect like Jesus / God. On par with Jesus / God.

Look closely at what Peace espouses. No belief in OSAS. So he keeps himself perfect. Literally 100% perfect. I am sure every Armininian here is irate with his view.
I ironically am not that irate. As an OSAS believer I do believe we have entered a state of perfection. But we have to be crystal clear on that state. It is Christ in us. It is His perfection. When God looks at us He sees us covered by the blood of Jesus. He does not see...oh wow a person staying perfect. A spotless diamond. Curtis has addressed this with Peace. Us not yet putting on perfection 1 Cor 15:54, is a valid argumen
The contributing factors to our salvation are:
Us = 0%
Jesus = 100%

Who commits sin while "Christ is in us"?

I will add...can a diamond bring forth lemon juice, or a lemon reflect the light awesomely?
The seed of God cannot bear sin.

 

[Curtis]

Who commits sin while "Christ is in us"?

The flesh! Does man have a corrupt physical body?

Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

Rom 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

 

[At Peace]

I asked atPeace what he uses to renew his carnal mind. He said....

My answer is the same one used by the Christians of the centuries prior to the publishing of a bible in common English.
I have the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the mind of Christ...thanks be to God.

The Word of God is absent from his answer. Which I responded, "forget the Word of God?"

Is that your reply to the Christians of the first 15 centuries?

 

[Curtis]

The seed of God cannot bear sin.

That is true, but the flesh can. Man is responsible to not let sin reign in his mortal body.

Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

 

[Curtis]

Is that your reply to the Christians of the first 15 centuries?

The saints of old had the Old Testament, and epistles shared among all the Church's.

Col 4:16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.

 

[At Peace]

Many reasons.

Chiefly, I guess because we can miss the mark by miles.

We can assume we know the heart of God when in fact we don't.

Example: You will stress about picking up a bad habit of cursing, with this group of unsaved people. So you avoid associating with them. Next day they all die in a car accident. You sit in your room overly joyed that you did.... not.... pick.... up.... a bad habit.

Straining a gnat and swallowing a camel!!

The closer we get to Jesus the more we grasp the error of our ways. The more our spirit feels the frustration of this weak flesh. Anyone who has prayed a deep prayer at night for the needy and lost, knows what I am talking about. We plan to do so much, but at the end of the day we have done so little. We are so far from perfect. Perfection is not just avoiding what we perceive to be sin. It is walking in perfect obedience to God. Not one of us is doing that. If we were, we would all know about that person. Someone like David, whom God said ''there is a man I can use for anything'', ... will be a man God uses 'on another level'. Will be a person we all hear about. It is inevitable. So the harsh reality each of us need to bear is that we just are not the person God says He can use for anything. I know for a fact that when I go home I am selfish with my time. I may not commit noticeable sin in the evenings. But I do not share all my evening time / alone time with God or others. Would Jesus say what I say. I think not. Jesus would share 100% of His time with God and others. Where are we on the selfish VS selfless meter? Can Peace espouse to be 100% selfless? I would like to test him on that if so. I am so tired of all this 'talk'. We are known by our actions.

Not one of us is espousing to be perfect. Peace is. Where is the evidence?

The "evidence" is that "some" keep offending God.
Keep walking in the flesh instead of in the Spirit.
Keep walking in darkness instead of in the light.
Keep manifesting a false repentance.
Keep manifesting imperfection.
And then make it seem like it is of God!

 

[At Peace]

I do not brother. I do not question Brother At Peace his Perfection. I question his theology when it comes to sin/repentance, should sin occur again in ones life and they repent or even better and closer to the point. Does disagreement in Scripture mean sin? I wrote the following to him. Curious on how he will answer.
I do believe that you have answered your own question. Sort of When like Peter we turn from looking at Jesus Christ in our lives, we start to sink and sin increases in possibility if not action. What many here would say. How can I be turned to Him 24/7, when I have to do (fill in the blank) throughout my day.

It appears our Brother At Peace has been able to do this, which I give Glory to God that he has. Hopefully, all of us will be able to say the same. .

Didn't you just post that you did too?

 

[Curtis]

Keep walking in the flesh instead of in the Spirit.

You can not walk in the Spirit until after the carnal mind is renewed to the things of the Spirit.

Rom 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

[At Peace]

All me

all living men's names are in the book of life, but not all men's names are in the lambs book of life!!

Would you be kind enough to give the verse which declares there are two books of life?

 

[At Peace]

The flesh! Does man have a corrupt physical body?
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

The first few verses of Ro 7 clearly show that it is speaking of a former time. Verse 5..."For when we WERE in the flesh..."
The entire middle of Ro 7 is about Paul's former life as a Pharisee; trying to live the Mosaic Law, but failing. And again, a reference to the past in verse 18; (that is, in my flesh).
And the end, especially verse 23; "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to THE LAW OF SIN which is in my members."...points again to a former time. Because....
we read in Romans 8:2...."For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from THE LAW OF SIN and death.
Why would Paul be subject to something he is free of?
If you could see the truth of Ro 7, and its proximity to Ro 6, which speaks of baptism and the death of the flesh, you would see that Paul is making the past-present transition, and Ro 8 continues on into the life walked in the Spirit.

Romans 8:3-10 makes it clear we are NOT walking in the flesh anymore.

 

[Curtis]

Would you be kind enough to give the verse which declares there are two books of life?

Rev 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.