continued from (6a) Now That I Believe...
"
How do I deal with sin now that I believe?
3. Crowd sin out of your life.
As you learn to walk In The Spirit, a wonderful thing happens: you find you have
less and less time for sin. When Paul says, “neither give place to the devil”
(Ephesians_4:27), he means we should not give Satan any room in our lives.
In short, the way to force sin from your life is to crowd it out by filling your life
with The Things Of The LORD. Not even Satan can add a single thing to a life
That Is Already Filled With The Things Of God.
This principle of GRACE will work where the Law fails. The Law says, “thou shalt
not bear false witness” (Exodus_20:16), but doesn’t tell liars how to stop lying.
But Paul says, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth”
(Ephesians_4:25). The way to deal with lying is to focus on telling the truth.
Similarly, the Law says, “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus_20:15), but offers no
advice for thieves as to how to keep from stealing. But GRACE supplies the
victory with the commandment when it says,
The way to stop stealing from others is to begin working and giving to others.
4. Walk worthy of who God Has Made you In Christ.
Paul calls Christians “saints” (Ephesians_1:1), then begs us to “walk worthy”
of this high and holy vocation (Ephesians_4:1). He teaches us that “Christ Be
In you” (Romans_8:10), then prays “that ye might walk worthy of The LORD”
That Is Within you (Colossians_1:10).
He tells us that we are “Sanctified In Christ Jesus” (I Corinthians 1:2), but later
insists that “that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in
sanctification and honor” (I Thessalonians 4:4).
He flatly states that we are “holy” In God’s Eyes (I Thessalonians 5:27), then
challenges us to be “perfecting holiness” (II Corinthians 7:1). He has “glorified”
us (Romans_8:30) By Making us a part of “the Kingdom Of His Dear SON”
(Colossians_1:13), and now asks that we “walk worthy of God, Who Hath
Called you Unto His Kingdom and Glory” (I Thessalonians 2:12).
5. Live as God Sees you.
Paul teaches us that In The Eyes Of God we Are “dead to sin” (Romans_6:2).
He then challenges us to “reckon ye also yourselves TO BE dead indeed unto
sin” (v. 11). Using the imagery of leaven as a symbol of sin and “wickedness”
(I Corinthians 5:8), Paul instructs us to “purge out therefore the old leaven...
as YE ARE unleavened” (v. 7). In short, GRACE simply teaches us to recognize
who we Are In Christ, and then be that holy person That God Has Made us To Be.
6. Make your state match your standing.
As believers, there is often a difference between our Eternal standing In Christ
and our current state, between our position In Christ and our everyday practice.
Our positional standing Before God is one of sinless perfection, but who can argue
that our everyday state is less than perfect. We stand before God “ACCEPTED In
The Beloved” (Ephesians_1:6), and so we should live our lives in a way that is
“ACCEPTABLE unto the Lord” (Ephesians_5:10).
When we believed The Gospel, we were “Made The Righteousness Of God In Him”
(II Corinthians 5:21), and God now calls upon us to live “righteously, and godly,
in this present world” (Titus_2:12). Believers who fail to do this “oppose them-
selves” (II Timothy 2:25), i.e., are living in opposition to who they are in Christ.
We sometimes say of a friend, “He’s not himself today.” By this we mean he is
not acting in accordance with his personality. Similarly, when a believer sins he
is not acting like himself, he is not acting like who God Has Made him In Christ.
7. What to do when you sin.
Of course, it is inevitable that you will sin as a believer and “grieve” The Very
Spirit Of God That Seals your Security (Ephesians_4:30). When this happens,
you needn’t trust Christ and get Saved again, nor do you need to ask God for
more Forgiveness. In his letters to the churches, every time the Apostle Paul
mentions Forgiveness it is always in the Past Tense.
For the Christian, Forgiveness is “A Done Deal,” a fait accompli. * Forgiveness
of all your sins, past present and future, was something you received the
moment you Were Saved. Asking for more Forgiveness would be like asking
for More Salvation or More Redemption.
You should feel sorrow for having grieved The Spirit when you sin, and you
may even wish to express this to God in prayer, but you stand in no further
need of Forgiveness. When you find that you have sinned, you should
thank God for His GRACE and determine not to continue in the path of
disobedience to God’s Word.
"
(R Kurth)
----------------
* fait accompli
Noun: A thing that has already happened or been decided before those
----------------------------------------
FULL Article:
Now That I Believe (Part 1)
Now That I Believe (Part 2)
Now That I Believe (Part 3)
View attachment 23894
GRACE And Peace...
====================
Index "Now That I Believe":
(1) Introduction
(2) What Did I Believe
(3) What Happened When I Believed
(4) Why Should I Serve The LORD
(5a) How Should I Serve The LORD (5b)
(6a) How Should I Deal With sin (6b)
(7) How Should I Deal With Adversity
(8) What Is my Future / Conclusion
"
How do I deal with sin now that I believe?
3. Crowd sin out of your life.
As you learn to walk In The Spirit, a wonderful thing happens: you find you have
less and less time for sin. When Paul says, “neither give place to the devil”
(Ephesians_4:27), he means we should not give Satan any room in our lives.
In short, the way to force sin from your life is to crowd it out by filling your life
with The Things Of The LORD. Not even Satan can add a single thing to a life
That Is Already Filled With The Things Of God.
This principle of GRACE will work where the Law fails. The Law says, “thou shalt
not bear false witness” (Exodus_20:16), but doesn’t tell liars how to stop lying.
But Paul says, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth”
(Ephesians_4:25). The way to deal with lying is to focus on telling the truth.
Similarly, the Law says, “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus_20:15), but offers no
advice for thieves as to how to keep from stealing. But GRACE supplies the
victory with the commandment when it says,
“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor,
working with his hands the thing which is good, that he
may have to give to him that needeth” (Ephesians_4:28).
working with his hands the thing which is good, that he
may have to give to him that needeth” (Ephesians_4:28).
The way to stop stealing from others is to begin working and giving to others.
4. Walk worthy of who God Has Made you In Christ.
Paul calls Christians “saints” (Ephesians_1:1), then begs us to “walk worthy”
of this high and holy vocation (Ephesians_4:1). He teaches us that “Christ Be
In you” (Romans_8:10), then prays “that ye might walk worthy of The LORD”
That Is Within you (Colossians_1:10).
He tells us that we are “Sanctified In Christ Jesus” (I Corinthians 1:2), but later
insists that “that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in
sanctification and honor” (I Thessalonians 4:4).
He flatly states that we are “holy” In God’s Eyes (I Thessalonians 5:27), then
challenges us to be “perfecting holiness” (II Corinthians 7:1). He has “glorified”
us (Romans_8:30) By Making us a part of “the Kingdom Of His Dear SON”
(Colossians_1:13), and now asks that we “walk worthy of God, Who Hath
Called you Unto His Kingdom and Glory” (I Thessalonians 2:12).
5. Live as God Sees you.
Paul teaches us that In The Eyes Of God we Are “dead to sin” (Romans_6:2).
He then challenges us to “reckon ye also yourselves TO BE dead indeed unto
sin” (v. 11). Using the imagery of leaven as a symbol of sin and “wickedness”
(I Corinthians 5:8), Paul instructs us to “purge out therefore the old leaven...
as YE ARE unleavened” (v. 7). In short, GRACE simply teaches us to recognize
who we Are In Christ, and then be that holy person That God Has Made us To Be.
6. Make your state match your standing.
As believers, there is often a difference between our Eternal standing In Christ
and our current state, between our position In Christ and our everyday practice.
Our positional standing Before God is one of sinless perfection, but who can argue
that our everyday state is less than perfect. We stand before God “ACCEPTED In
The Beloved” (Ephesians_1:6), and so we should live our lives in a way that is
“ACCEPTABLE unto the Lord” (Ephesians_5:10).
When we believed The Gospel, we were “Made The Righteousness Of God In Him”
(II Corinthians 5:21), and God now calls upon us to live “righteously, and godly,
in this present world” (Titus_2:12). Believers who fail to do this “oppose them-
selves” (II Timothy 2:25), i.e., are living in opposition to who they are in Christ.
We sometimes say of a friend, “He’s not himself today.” By this we mean he is
not acting in accordance with his personality. Similarly, when a believer sins he
is not acting like himself, he is not acting like who God Has Made him In Christ.
7. What to do when you sin.
Of course, it is inevitable that you will sin as a believer and “grieve” The Very
Spirit Of God That Seals your Security (Ephesians_4:30). When this happens,
you needn’t trust Christ and get Saved again, nor do you need to ask God for
more Forgiveness. In his letters to the churches, every time the Apostle Paul
mentions Forgiveness it is always in the Past Tense.
For the Christian, Forgiveness is “A Done Deal,” a fait accompli. * Forgiveness
of all your sins, past present and future, was something you received the
moment you Were Saved. Asking for more Forgiveness would be like asking
for More Salvation or More Redemption.
You should feel sorrow for having grieved The Spirit when you sin, and you
may even wish to express this to God in prayer, but you stand in no further
need of Forgiveness. When you find that you have sinned, you should
thank God for His GRACE and determine not to continue in the path of
disobedience to God’s Word.
"
(R Kurth)
----------------
* fait accompli
Noun: A thing that has already happened or been decided before those
affected hear about it, leaving them no option but to accept it
FULL Article:
Now That I Believe (Part 1)
Now That I Believe (Part 2)
Now That I Believe (Part 3)
View attachment 23894
GRACE And Peace...
====================
Index "Now That I Believe":
(1) Introduction
(2) What Did I Believe
(3) What Happened When I Believed
(4) Why Should I Serve The LORD
(5a) How Should I Serve The LORD (5b)
(6a) How Should I Deal With sin (6b)
(7) How Should I Deal With Adversity
(8) What Is my Future / Conclusion
Last edited:
