Freedom To Sin

[Addy]

My life has ups and downs like any other person.

But these times are very trying.

"…now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations" (1 Peter 1:6)

I have had to draw nearer to God because I felt like I was drifting off a little; getting caught up in the affairs of this evil world (COVID, vaccine oppression, rigged elections, evil democrats, weak republicans, etc.).

More prayer, more meditation in the word, more patience toward confused Christians. Loving my enemies. It all takes prayer and close fellowship with God through the Spirit and his word.

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7)

"So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer" (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5)

Well... I did not expect this from you... It was a delightful surprise... you have spoken in human form... and I absolutely agree with what you have stated...
I too have had a life filled with ups and downs... perhaps even more downs than ups due to my affliction of Severe depression.

It is the gospel of GRACE that has set me free from much of my affliction... and my new attitude of gratitude... My experience with this covid thing has been opposite to most... I have been filled with great Joy and Peace at a time where many have experienced very real and tragic afflictions.

I lack much patience in others' opinions and beliefs... you perhaps have this gift of long-suffering and bearing with... I do not because my entire Christian walk ( up until most recently )... has been filled to overflowing with the doctrine of FEAR of loss of my salvation.. thanks to a very legalistic family.

The JOY of knowing GOD really truly loves me... is not angry with me.. .is not counting my sin... is such a COMFORT... I do not use this knowledge to ABUSE His Grace... but I sure have been accused of that including embracing and accepting sin... Sadly... I have not learned how to defend myself from such cruel attacks.

GRACE sets the sinner free... it truly does. Thank you for this heart felt response... My heart melts when I hear words like you have spoken... because it tells me that I am indeed speaking to a human being.

Most tenderly... Addy

 

[Michiah-Imla]

there is not a single one of us who walks upright and never stumbles.

Not any that are not Christ’s.

Because those who do belong to a Christ have done this:

"…they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Galatians 5:24)

They have found the narrow way:

"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:14)

Indeed, few there be that will suffer in the flesh, denying its desire, in order to not sin anymore:

"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." (1 Peter 4:1-2)

Who do you obey? God or your fleshly lusts?

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Romans 6:16)

 

[Addy]

@Michiah-Imla ... are you proclaiming sinless perfection here ?? In your above post??

I am in agreement with @post ... as all sin IS indeed willful... Not too often someone gets held up at gunpoint and FORCED to perform sinful acts.

 

[Michiah-Imla]

my entire Christian walk ( up until most recently )... has been filled to overflowing with the doctrine of FEAR of loss of my salvation.. thanks to a very legalistic family.

I can understand that.

I grew up in a very disordered godless household; it’s a miracle of God that I turned out being an extremely fervent Bible believing Christian in my late years.

But Fear is a helpful emotion. It keeps us from doing bad things with bad consequences.

"by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil." (Proverbs 16:6)

 

[Addy]

But Fear is a helpful emotion. It keeps us from doing bad things with bad consequences.

No it does not keep us from doing bad things.... FEAR paralyzes a person into doing NOTHING or the WRONG thing.

The fear that the Lord desires of us is REVERENCE... It is a knowing of WHO HE IS... GOD ALMIGHTY.
I have to disagree with you here... Fear keeps us in bondage... FAITH in CHRIST sets us free from all bondage.

 

[post]

Not any that are not Christ’s.

Because those who do belong to a Christ have done this:

"…they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Galatians 5:24)

They have found the narrow way:

"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:14)

and yet you confess you 'have ups and downs' and 'have to draw nearer to God' because you find yourself far from Him.
so what are you saying about yourself?
that you don't belong to Christ?
or that none of your sin and your failing and your distance from the Lord is 'willful' ?
if it's against your will, how did it come to be? and where'd you get a will like that?

 

[Michiah-Imla]

@Michiah-Imla ... are you proclaiming sinless perfection here ?? In your above post??

I never feel comfortable when I’m forced to answer this question because I know it’s disturbing to carnally minded individuals. But I will not be a men pleaser: I must show what the scripture says without corrupting it.

The scripture teaches sinlessness in the born again believer. But carnal men desirous of being in the faith have no choice but to find a way out of scriptures that conflict with their fleshly mind. And there are plenty of corrupt interpretations out there to choose from to ease the bitter taste of some scripture passages.

Many professing Christians can’t seem to escape the Romans 7 man to get to the Romans 8 man. Or, they have corrupted the Romans 8 man beyond repair.

Many will simply not make it to heaven, that’s just a scriptural fact.

"Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." (Luke 13:23-24)

Many professing Christians are not striving to enter in at the strait gate because they have been taught that striving is “works based salvation”.

And they end up entering the wide and easy gate of Once Saved Always Saved.

 

[Michiah-Imla]

@post

Having ups and downs in life is not sin.

Ups and downs are external events affecting our emotions. How we react to them can be sinful. This is why we draw near to God and his word. To get stability and not allow our flesh to have its way with us.

 

[Addy]

@Michiah-Imla .... I am not going to ATTACK you for answering a QUESTION that I asked...
It is not my style to set people up so that I can have a piece of them.

But your answer does explain a lot about why you speak the way you do.

I am not going to debate you on this... to do so would be fruitless... Thank you for your honesty.

This is ONE topic I will not discuss. Blessings on you.

 

[Heart2Soul]

One question I have is for some certain vices are a sin and for others they aren't....
Now I grew up having parents that moved alot...with each move I attended a different denomination....when I was 16 I attended a Methodist church....after service the adults would gather in the fellowship room and chat and smoke cigarettes and drink wine....
I thought all that stuff was a sin so I was in shock....i didn't go back.
But it wasn't a sin to them....and this is where we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling....
Scripture teaches us to have faith before God...
Romans 14 (KJV)
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
¹⁶ Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
¹⁸ For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
¹⁹ Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
²⁰ For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
²¹ It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
²² Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
²³ And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

That last sentence is especially revealing....whatever is not of faith is sin....

But back to committing sin....most assured The 10 Commandments should be obeyed and all denominations agree with this...
But that other stuff...I will work out my own salvation on it....it is when the Holy Spirit convicts my heart that I know I have sinned and am being drawn to repent.
God Bless...

 

[Addy]

@Heart2Soul is on a ROLL today..... This is good stuff you have stated.... Allowing each other to WORK out our OWN salvation... and allowing God to do the convicting of the not so straight forward behaviours ( outside of the 10 commandments ). YEP.... and YEP.

 

[Addy]

And they end up entering the wide and easy gate of Once Saved Always Saved.

Christ does tell us that His burden is light and His yoke easy... but that is for those who accept that HE is the one who paid the price for our sin... once and for all.

I wonder which Christian is more pleasing to God.... ( I do know the answer to that )

The Christian who believes they can possibly reach a state of perfection in order to present themselves as acceptable before God.

or....

The Christian who straight out of the gate confesses that they don't stand a chance at getting it right... but as they grow to know and love the Lord more and more... they end up not even desiring to or even thinking about sinning.

Those two produce way different fruits....

 

[Michiah-Imla]

I wonder which Christian is more pleasing to God.... ( I do know the answer to that )

The Christian who straight out of the gate confesses that they don't stand a chance at getting it right... but as they grow to know and love the Lord more and more... they end up not even desiring to or even thinking about sinning.

Both of these are one in the same; but one precedes the other. The one (above quote) becomes the other (below quote).

The Christian who believes they can possibly reach a state of perfection in order to be present themselves as acceptable before God

You must come to God as a helpless sinner with no hope in order for God to empower you to become the perfect born again man.

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13)

 

[Addy]

Both of these are one in the same; but one precedes the other. The one (above quote) becomes the other (below quote).

Absolutely NO.... NO ... NO ... NO.... Both of these are NOT one in the same...

One bears sweet fruit... and the other bitter fruit.

 

[post]

@post

Having ups and downs in life is not sin.

Ups and downs are external events affecting our emotions. How we react to them can be sinful. This is why we draw near to God and his word. To get stability and not allow our flesh to have its way with us.

fear is unbelief; unbelief is sin.
worry is unbelief; unbelief is sin.
doubt is unbelief; unbelief is sin.
vanity is unbelief; unbelief is sin.
ingratitude is unbelief; unbelief is sin.
impatience is unbelief; unbelief is sin.
despair is unbelief; unbelief is sin.
apathy is unbelief; unbelief is sin.
self-pity is unbelief; unbelief is sin.

you say you have to draw near to Him so your flesh doesn't have its way with you - and you say you find yourself far sometimes. so you describe that as you being overcome by your flesh: which is sin. but then you say if you ever have such sin, even once after having believe, you are damned with absolutely no hope of ever being saved again.

how do you reconcile that?
you say if you stumble you are damned, and you admit you stumble?
does your soteriology only apply to me, a stranger, but not to you, yourself?

 

[post]

The Christian who believes they can possibly reach a state of perfection in order to present themselves as acceptable before God.

or....

The Christian who straight out of the gate confesses that they don't stand a chance at getting it right... but as they grow to know and love the Lord more and more... they end up not even desiring to or even thinking about sinning.

IMO anyone who thinks they can make themselves acceptable to God does not believe the gospel.
they have a false gospel that amounts to 'a second chance to attain a righteousness of works' -- which is vanity, and unbelief.

 

[post]

You must come to God as a helpless sinner with no hope in order for God to empower you to become the perfect born again man.

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13)

Him who is the head — Christ — from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
(Ephesians 4:15-16)​

"it ain't me, babe"
- Bob​

 

[Addy]

IMO anyone who thinks they can make themselves acceptable to God does not believe the gospel.
they have a false gospel that amounts to 'a second chance to attain a righteousness of works' -- which is vanity, and unbelief.

I absolutely agree with you Sir.... but I was trying to form a word picture for Mich... and it back fired on me... LOL

 

[post]

You must come to God as a helpless sinner with no hope in order for God to empower you to become the perfect born again man.

you must come to God having no hope apart from Him who has mercy - you must come to Him hoping in Him.
if you then put that hope in yourself to 'become' perfect by your own will, desire & effort, you have lost sight of the head.
in that case don't you have a gospel based on human willpower, rather than the supernatural work of God?

moreover:
do you take Hebrews 10:26 to mean the infant is damned eternally without hope on account of it not yet being an adult?

 

[Addy]

"it ain't me, babe"
- Bob

BRILLIANT.... LOL It ain't me baby....