Small point. An intention is not sin, it is the intention, or desire, or proposition to sin. Temptation is the creating of an idea of sin and it's outcomes before the action.I fail, spectacularly, to see your point. I've said before that Israel, not being able to follow the laws, was, in fact, saved by faith. So, this doesn't shock me. What does shock me is that for some reason you can see that OT Israel was meant to live by faith, but now Christ has come, you expect people to toe the line with the laws. 'Cause we're now perfect.
Look...I know no one by you and God knows your heart. I can't guess what it thinks in that instant some dude cuts you off in traffic, or makes your wife cry because she said something at a cafe, or something like that. But, as I pointed out in my last post; Christ made it startlingly clear...those moments you experience anger, or jealousy or lust...even for a moment in your heart...you have broken the 10 commandments. It's not just about external compliance. It never has been. That's what the Pharisees could never understand. It's about heart attitude, and our hearts, while not being stone anymore, still live within this world. Its a constant battle; the unwilling heart against the truth and goodness of God. Yes...I agree we are capable and most certainly should fight, day in and day out against that. And we should expect to see sucess in our battles. But the idea that a saved person is immediately able to have all pure thoughts and impulses and therefore live perfectly as well. It simply is not biblical or in any way realistic.
I'm sorry, but that simply doesn't make a lick of sense. "Grow in perfection"? That's like the ridiculous "I'm giving it 200%" ...shouldn't they know that % is only out of 100, and therefore should only say 'I'm giving it 100%' ...in other words, 'my everything'.
When we reach 'perfection', we have, by definition, hit perfect. We need no improving, bettering. Perfect means 'as good as it possibly gets'.
IF we have anything to grow in, we cannot possibly start at perfect. That's nonsense.
And what's this "known sins" business? Are you saying that only sins you are aware off count? If you are oblivious to them, they don't count on the cosmic scale and you are therefore 'perfect'? Because, I'm not sure God would agree. And you'd have a hard time proving that from scripture.
Question: how can you be 'worked in and convicted' if you are perfect? I think, to quote the princess bride: "You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means."
To be 'worked in' means you NEED work done. To be 'convicted' means you NEEDED convicting on something you did/thought/said. Whereas to be 'perfect' means you NEED nothing, you are....perfect.
All the verses you posted above...they are not speaking about us being perfect. They're talking about being set free from sin! And being set free from something doesn't make us perfect, it just makes us free to fight! To work against that which wants to enslave us. But the interesting thing is, I think, that Paul elsewhere warns that slavery can be fallen back into by attempting to achieve righteousness through works. Through forcing oneself to follow a self impossed restrictions that God, in his grace, does NOT demand. His grace and freedom allows for the fight and for the progress we make in the Spirit...but attempting to coral oneself to the laws, will never achieve that.
Not a dodgy teaching? Let's see. You seem to claim that Christ wasn't fully God while on earth. That seems a bit heretical, sorry. Then you seem to claim that if Christians are just good enough, or are proper Christians, they are perfect...which seems to mean what? That they follow the ten commandments perfectly? Except, somehow these 'perfect' Christians still have to grow and be convicted. Go figure. Not really sure where that leaves anyone.
Oh wait...I know, under the burden of perfectly following laws or not being called a real Christian. Buck up or ship out.
But I suppose it's just as well old Israel was saved by faith alone. But that currency is no good for us.
Truly baffled.
If this is sin, Jesus sinned. Or similarly dreaming about sexual relations with another is part of our biology. Acting on it is sinful. Dwelling and cultivating passions destroys the heart, while honest admitting emotional desires is part of a righteous walk
A man is righteous not because he does not feel the attraction of things, by rather they know the true consequences and costs involved.
Many a gangster lives well for 10years but suffers and looses it all soon after ending in a fat worse place, for far longer, where what they gained could be had a not great risk on violent effort. So who is the fool?