I don't think there can be a 3rd choice either...the other member seems to think so.
(which is why I asked).
Do you believe it's possible for a person to never sin?
I've been coming across this idea lately - not too much, but some feel they never sin.
Ah…there’s a lot to this. I can talk about what I know of it.
About a year and a half ago, God calmed my passions. It was such a drastic thing I just walked around puzzled. Not distressed, just in some wonderment. Someone would do or say something very nasty and mean to me and there was not that quick blush of anger that always rises up inside me, the quickening of my pulse, the tremendous effort to try not murder them in my heart and with my tongue. I would just stand there in amazement as to why I was not angry even though they’d been horribly awful to me. There were other things too, like knowing I was hungry but not being able to stir up myself as to what I wanted to eat. My passions just weren’t helping me. I just wanted some food, not a certain kind of food. They appeared to be gone. Passions just gone. It’s great relief and peace and calmness.
At some point, I said, oh my gosh, am I…crucified finally…?? Is that what this is? I began to think it was, but came to see it was this: my soul is like a weaned child within me. My passions weren’t completely gone, they were put under my feet, in subjection to the Spirit in me. My passions no longer ruled over me mercilessly. They were in subjection. I was weaned from my flesh/passions.
God had dealt with my flesh so it couldn’t be stirred up by someone else’s flesh any longer.
But there are deeper seated imperfections, not of the flesh but more of my spirit and I’m grateful He let me see that or I might have begun saying things I shouldn’t have and caused harm to someone else, or even just great frustration to them and got puffed up and lost what He had let me gain.
I think I could have become like those who go around saying they no longer sin and are holy but He didn’t let that happen to me.
So all that chatter is to say - they say they don’t sin because they are not yet aware of the more deep seated imperfections of spirit they still have, and the difference between them and the former is like spot removal of a recent stain versus scouring to remove a deeper, long-standing stain.
One is having come through the dark night of the soul and the other is beginning the dark night of the Spirit. But John of the Cross says not all are called to the second night and another old saint said not all are called to as much love while on earth. I don’t know if I fully believe that though. I think being weaned is preparation to help for a more strenuous purging, but I’m not sure.
But yes, I do believe it is possible to get to no sinning and I think it’s called walking in the Spirit versus just being led by the Spirit in the desert of the testing of our trust. Being in the desert versus entering the promised land. I don’t know anything about it by experience. Not yet. And maybe those men are right and I may not ever walk in the Spirit. God will either take me there and let me enter or He won’t. Being weaned brings a great calmness about it all. God will do what He wills and it will be whatever is best for me.
I just realized I didn’t add in all the verses that show these things. I can do that later. Theres a lot of them.