Taken: It took me years to really understand that a true believer in Christ does not sin per se.
And why would he think he does?
We have to review HOW the Word of God is taught and BY WHOM.
The teaching was first, BY obedience to the Law. The Law was given to the Hebrews, the Jews. And WORKS were highly important. Not only important but CALLED a SIN, if a work did not measure up to Glorifying God.
How do Christians learn the Word of God?
Hebrew texts, Word of God given them, they wrote.
Jewish texts, Word of God given them, they wrote.
And? Them believing in the coming of their Messiah was old ancient Hebrew teaching.
Their Messiah arriving on earth, was shockingly new....He did not come in a fashion expected. A carpenter's son, no wealth, no pomp, from some little unimportant town....HUH? This is the grand Messiah???
This is he who is going to give the Jews peace from their enemies? Pffft!!
Thus saying, always teaching something new, from the very beginning, was first familiar to a man with SOMETHING, then teach spiritual things, by analogy to what the man is already familiar with.
For example - God taught relationships. A man, a woman, children, sons, daughters, fathers, wives. Man, husband is the head of the household, tribe, family.
Moses taught - God is the father OF all households.
In the new testament Jewish men are teaching Jewish men something UNEXPECTED, in the Jewish Messiah.
He came to earth in the likeness as a man.
While ON earth, His Power was revealed...
(Thus the revealing is He who IS Gods Power, IS God, and why the Jews KNEW, Jesus was making Himself God, by the things Jesus claimed, and precisely why they wanted to KILL Him, for blasphemy).
So, the Jews are learning some new things about their Messiah. Some can accept, some can't.
Yet How Jews taught Jews, was still on familiar terms with the Jews being taught.
Aweeeee, hey brother, you did such and such,
You know according to the law, that is a SIN.
Repent, repent, repent...
But what about that? Was it a SIN? Sure, "according to the Law", whether saved or not, the Law did not become VOID, until one UNDERSTANDS, when the Law becomes VOID.
So WHEN does the law become VOID?
The LAW BECAME VOID, when Jesus FULFILLED IT..
However the LAW does NOT become VOID, until a man ACCEPTS Jesus fulfilled it.
IOW, Jews in the process of learning ABOUT Jesus, were learning, how to UNlearn subjection TO THE LAW. Was that instant?
No.
And Christians (broad term, ie those following Christ and believing Him....were learning and accepting His fulfillment of the LAW. What law? Remember, Gentiles, were not subject to the law to begin with. So how do they know what was fulfilled? Jesus fulfilled Laws revealed in Isaiah....So, to a Gentile, who's Isaiah?
So there is a whole mix of individuals to consider. Jews steeped in history of God, godly things, godly rules, laws, works, sin for disobedience to the law....
And Gentiles, going huh, what, who...
And Gentiles steeped in idolatry...
And newborns, children, steep in ...nothing.
Different appearences, cultures, customs, traditions, languages, status, jurisdictions, etc...
And no shortage of prophets, teachers, preacher, philosophers, anxious to shout out what others MUST believe.
Point being...none of this is a surprise to God.
Point being...STOP, THINK, Read, Hear, WHAT IS the BOTTOM LINE ONE THING DOES GOD want from ANYMAN?
TRUE BELIEF IN HIM.
BOTTOM LINE....TRUE BELIEF IN HIM.
And when a man SUBMITS unto God with True Belief in God and the Word of God....
WHAT? What is the first thing God does?
FORGIVE YOU.
FOR WHAT?
Uh...NOT BELIEVING IN HIM!
And?
For CORRUPTING your SOUL, that was IN YOUR DISBELIEVING SELF.
So what IS the ONE SIN you might think you could possibly commit, once saved and born again?
Uh....To again NOT BELIEVE in GOD, to again, Corrupt your soul.
And that is possible HOW? It isn't!
Why? Because the Power of God KEEPS such a man IN BELIEF FOREVER.
But what IF a man SAYS, he "WAS" saved, and "NOW" does not believe?
We know he was never saved in the first place....Because WE KNOW, Gods Power KEEPS all those HE TRANSFORMS.
SO what about all this teaching that, ONCE saved, and you do not do works to Glorify God....you are sinning.
Wait...Before you were saved, was it a SIN unto you, to not do good works?
If so, HOW so? Were you a Jew, violating Jewish Law? Were you subject to Jewish Law? No, and no.
You were born IN SIN, and men remain in SIN, separated from God, UNTIL, God transforms the man.
Once transformed, what SIN can you commit?
Cheat on your spouse? And? IS that a Sin against God? No. Why not? Because you acted against your spouse, not God.
Remember you were born against God, and became reconciled TO God, you are never again able to BE Against God.
IS that a Sin against your spouse? No.
Because there are provisions for you to ask another person for forgiveness, and you have provision to give forgiveness to other persons.
And men do not forgive sins. Only God forgives sins. Sin is Against God, and only He forgives what is Against Him.
So.... Well what is it?
It is a trespass against your spouse.
People can forgive trespasses.
And a "bonus" if you will. God shall forgive YOUR trespasses, IF you forgive those who trespass against you.
So WHY teach to not CHEAT, if it is not a sin?
Well, what Scripture teaches, along with HOW to do works that glorify God....it also teaches how to live in harmony with other people.
Cheating, lying, sneaking, blah, blah....are risks people routinely take....and oops are routinely caught in their deceptions....and oops....there goes the HARMONY...the strife, the grief, the financial burden, the wayward plans, the depression, the number of people involved who suffer, the loss of home, job, freedom.....all kinds of things result, and many times the hardship lasts for years....
Does such a thing; VOID your forgiveness of God, of sin against Him, your salvation, your quickened spirit? No.
Remember, God never promised men would be without hardships....and for certain, He knew men would bring it upon themselves...
And Priase God, He Did promise to be a Comforter to one going through a hardship.
And until men are maturing, they certainly WILL make dumb choices, and do dumb things, can certainly suffer the consequences of DIS-harmony, and afterward, feel ashamed and foolish. It's a life lesson. Feeling ashamed and foolish catches up with a man, that he hates that feeling and begins to figure out HOW to balance, make wise decisions, and maintain harmony in his life.....ah maturity!
Churches teach, preachers teach, men teach....repeatedly....MEN CONTINUE TO SIN, after becoming saved and born again....
Which is false. Men continue to trespass, and men are supposed to deal with their own trespasses and suffer the consequences of their trespasses and learn from their stupid mistakes and lean on God for Comfort and be praying for Gods Wisdom, because it is obvious men ARE WEAK when they are willing to take risks, and jeopardize their own harmony of themselves and loved ones.
Gods forgiveness is NOT temporary.
Gods salvation is NOT temporary.
Gods quickening is NOT temporary.
God making a man WHOLLY WHOLE and holy is not temporary.
God making a man "HIS" son, is not temporary.
1 John 3:9
God Bless,
Taken
The sin that is committed
I do not believe, a saved man commits sin.
I believe greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
A saved man is in the world, but no longer OF the world.
that one senses is the work of the spirit within us that makes us repent in love,
I already repented TO GOD and HE forgave me....He did not Forgive me and say....good luck until next time....He forgave me with His word. I do not believe there is a TIME limit on His Word. He forgave. I'm forgiven.
What is do forward, is not a sin.
My effort is to not trespass against others...
If I do, I have a recourse, Scripturally taught.
If I do works to glorify Gods Name, I shall be rewarded BY God.
If I do not works to glorify Gods Name.....whoops, I shall be called the Least in the Kingdom of Heaven.
and as a teacher that is kind and gentle. We are the ones that step out occasionally and listen to our outer self where we have no business going.
Agree, taught precepts, that benefit us...but do not Give or Void Salvation.
It will only produce guilt, shame and try to defeat our glorious life growing within us.
Agree with that.
Yes of course we repent at the spirit guided us, not of ourselves. It is a holy affair.
If you are speaking of RE-REPENTING...asking God again for forgiveness....over and over....I disagree.
I trust His Forgiveness is True. Period.
I do not ask for what He has already given me. Now I ask for what I do not have....
His Wisdom, His Understanding, His Knowledge.....which is infinite....and thus so is my asking.
Another point : We do not increase in faith by ourselves. It is the work of the spirit within us that we have committed to having in out hearts, that you have occasionally pointed out.
Agree
Once we have reached critical speed and power (faith) we are launched out of orbit (rebirth) into the heavens of the Kingdom by the wings of the spirit. We cannot go back to earth again to our old life...it is impossible.
Your poetic words, lovely, and I agree.
Forgive my analogy and metaphors..I used to be an astronautical engineer of sorts, years ago, ..I love the heavens, it is a masterpiece of our creator.
No need for forgive, all good. And a bit of background, interesting, thanks for sharing.
Thank you,
God Bless,
Taken