But, whenever you ask God's forgiveness, you stand forgiven, washed in His blood, thus sinless at that moment---till you sin again!! God says He will always forgive when asked. Thus, the thief on the cross was sinless at his death, covered by Christs blood. You know what they say---practice makes perfect!!
that is true, and I believe in that...
However, sinlessness as you present doesnt involve being sinless indeed... because sinlessness as it is spoken of, seems to be an achievement, a state of mind. etc... and I dont believe in that...
you know there are days, during which I feel mentally strong, satisfied, fulfilled, forgiven and forgiving... without the need to sin... at least so it seems to me... but then comes a day, during which I feel quite bad... actually... so even when there is a day, during which I dont sin (and I even doubt that) I dont think that I am never gonna sin again... because that would be trusting in my own strength...so I rather stick to the forgiveness of God and hope for the best in the end...
practice makes perfect? I think its the other way round! not practicing sin makes perfect
I will not argue with you on this one... if what you say was true and Jesus came today... I would be consumed and destroyed... no doubt about that...
You're not the only one, which is why He hasn't returned yet. And do you mean you won't argue because you agree, or you just don't want to argue? Did something sound out of place? I was hoping that the scripture would show why it is we can believe in this.
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Isa 24:4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. 5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
You're not the only one, which is why He hasn't returned yet. And do you mean you won't argue because you agree, or you just don't want to argue? Did something sound out of place? I was hoping that the scripture would show why it is we can believe in this.
well, its more like talking about something that neither I nor you have experienced or witnessed...
its not about argueing, personally I put it all into the hands of the Almighty...let Him deal with me and make me perfect in the future, and thats OK... if He is gonna make me perfect, thats great, I cant do by my own, though...
well, its more like talking about something that neither I nor you have experienced or witnessed...
its not about argueing, personally I put it all into the hands of the Almighty...let Him deal with me and make me perfect in the future, and thats OK... if He is gonna make me perfect, thats great, I cant do by my own, though...
I wasn't there to witness the flood, or the fall of Jericho, or creation for that matter. Yet I can believe that they had taken place as written in the Bible. Therefore I can speak on them.
As far as LGT, I do believe it to be truth. But my mind has a hard time wrapping around the fact that I as one who sins daily, can be so filled with the Holy Spirit that I will have fully in my mind what the great cost of sin is. My personal sins are what caused my loving Creator to die on the cross. And there will be a time that I would rather die than commit an offense against my God. I am not there yet. Nor do I believe that there is any that are. But when the Latter Rain fully pours out I believe that that power will be available. There will be such a people that will so closely in tune to the voice of the Spirit and in so close a relationship with Jesus that they will be lead like He was while on earth.
Living here in the US, it seems so hard to believe that sin can be overcome. Sin is usually just washed over and explained away as not really all that bad. We tend to justify ourselves by saying that since Jesus died for our sins, we really don't need to be concerned with sins anymore. But He didn't come to save us in our sins, but from them. Sins are what bring seperation from God. Some people tend to believe that salvation was to save us from life on this world and to live in heaven, or give us happiness and joy, or comfort. But true salvation is to save us from sin. The former things are the end results that freedom from sin provides. Christ said that He provides the truth and that the truth would set us free and we would be free indeed.
Jesus came to pay our penalty for the sins that we commit. By faith we hold on to this. But is that the whole gospel? Was the sending of the Holy Spirit just to give us comfort and make us feel better? What truth is He to guide us to? Is it that because Christ paid my price I no longer need repentance. I am no longer under any guidelines on how I am to live with my new found salvation. Or is it possible it is to reveal that my continued life in sin is not what Jesus really wants for me. All throughout the new testament we keep hearing the word "overcome." Can we overcome by ourselves? Of course not. The NT claims that when we become born again that Christ resides within our heart (through the Holy Spirit). If Christ was sinless, and at His coming all sin will be consumed. Why do we say that will Him residing in us it is ok to sin? Sin is never ok! Before Jesus came to this world, ALL were slaves to sin. Now that He has come and redeemed us, bought us with a price, we are no longer slaves to sin. We no longer live our lives with sin as our master. Our Master is Christ and we follow Him. Does that mean that we no longer have temptations to sin. No! But that is what the power of Christ can give us, through the Spirit, if we will just submit ourselves to Him. Not just saying I follow God, but really giving everything (every action, thought, feeling) to His will. When one is taught that we cannot live a life without sin, then the carnal reaction is to not worry about it or try. Yet Peter strived for it. Paul strived for it. John saw it in vision. But again, it can not be done apart from the power of Christ. Christ said that with Him all things are possible. Not all things except overcoming sin. But to bring everything back around it all comes down to faith. Do I have enough faith to believe that Christ can give me the power to overcome? I have enough faith that He helped me to overcome smoking, drugs, alcoholism, etc. He is working on other things that I need to overcome at this very moment. He is the author (since I would not have wanted to give these up on my own) and the finisher (being a total overcomer of sin) of my faith.
__________________ "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:" Malachai 4:5
well, the last generation will be faced with different problems than any other before... the mark of the beast will be in place and those whose names have been written in the book of life (before the foundation of the world) will not be able to buy or sell... so maybe they will have their minds occupied with more important things than sin...
You know John, I realize that you like to make sarcastic statements to either be funny or try and undermine those who disagree with you. However, it speaks more to your own lack of faith and rebellious nature.
Your statement reminds me of Peter. When he saw Jesus walking on the water he called out to Him. Jesus told Peter to come to Him. As long as Peter kept his eye on Jesus, he was able to walk on the water. The minute he allowed the influences of the storm around him to catch his eye; he sank. It is the same during that time. When we keep our eye on Jesus during the time of the mark, we will be provided for and led to safety. But if we take our eyes off of Him, we will sink into a lost world and accept the mark in order to try and save ourselves.
__________________ "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:" Malachai 4:5
You know John, I realize that you like to make sarcastic statements to either be funny or try and undermine those who disagree with you. However, it speaks more to your own lack of faith and rebellious nature.
Your statement reminds me of Peter. When he saw Jesus walking on the water he called out to Him. Jesus told Peter to come to Him. As long as Peter kept his eye on Jesus, he was able to walk on the water. The minute he allowed the influences of the storm around him to catch his eye; he sank. It is the same during that time. When we keep our eye on Jesus during the time of the mark, we will be provided for and led to safety. But if we take our eyes off of Him, we will sink into a lost world and accept the mark in order to try and save ourselves.
Actually, Elijah, my comment was meant to be serious...
You made the comment to seem as though the more important things than our sinful state relying on God to help us overcome...would be buying and selling (living life as usual). This to me would show a lack of faith in God to provide. This is not directed totally at you personally. But more of the state of modern Christianity. We like to talk about the power of God. But we don't actually claim it. Look at the apostles, they could heal people, Peter raised someone from the dead, etc. Why do we not see more of that today? Did God become less powerful over the last 2000 years? Is His Spirit less available? Or is it that we Christians do alot of talk about His power, yet we do not really believe? I believe it is because we have become accustomed to a watered down gospel. We are so afraid to offend people or call sin...sin. How can we recieve this power through faith when we aren't teaching people how to become disciples, thereby never truly allowing them to mature in their faith and lay hold of all God's promises. And those promises include overcoming sin.
__________________ "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:" Malachai 4:5
You made the comment to seem as though the more important things than our sinful state relying on God to help us overcome...would be buying and selling (living life as usual). This to me would show a lack of faith in God to provide. This is not directed totally at you personally. But more of the state of modern Christianity. We like to talk about the power of God. But we don't actually claim it. Look at the apostles, they could heal people, Peter raised someone from the dead, etc. Why do we not see more of that today? Did God become less powerful over the last 2000 years? Is His Spirit less available? Or is it that we Christians do alot of talk about His power, yet we do not really believe? I believe it is because we have become accustomed to a watered down gospel. We are so afraid to offend people or call sin...sin. How can we recieve this power through faith when we aren't teaching people how to become disciples, thereby never truly allowing them to mature in their faith and lay hold of all God's promises. And those promises include overcoming sin.
There is definitely some truth in what you say...
What I meant is, when persecution comes will indeed rely more on God... what else remains? When you cant buy or sell you have fight for your survival or in this regard totally rely on God... I believe in that time people will have to make the ultimate choice, continue in sin and take the mark of the beast because they cant think of another lifestyle or leave EVERYTHING behind. And in this regard overcoming sin might be easier because nothing else remains but God. Nowadays, we have a comfortable life, we dont really have to fight for our survical (in western countries that is), we rather have to cope with depression than starvation for example, lust, media influence and what have you...
In regard to the gifts of the Holy Spirit I think that it was quite different back in the day
first of all people were said to have received gifts of the Holy Spirit, it is not mentioned that they had to pray for them for quite some time, maybe this was indeed in order to grant some speedy advancement to the church when it was in its infant stage... I dont know... but I also read about Paul asking some people who reported to have been baptized, if they had received the Holy Spirit, they said no, and so Paul gave the Holy Spirit to them, laying his hands on them... I have never witnessed such practice in the SDA church... so I would rather say that (at least in regard to the SDA) there is no tradition of the gifts of the Holy Spirit... its sad but its true...
But that is exactly the point I was trying to make. We don't see it because we don't believe it is possible for us. We tend to think it was only for those that were written of in the Bible. Elijah was fed in the wilderness by ravens. Jesus told us that we need not worry about those things, because if God would tend to the birds, how much more important were we.
I do agree that here in western society we are not persecuted like in other nations. Maybe that is why true Christianity is exploding in other places in the world. Looking back at the early church, persecution seemed make the church grow rapidly. Persecution seems to make true faith stonger. And a stonger faith shines forth to others. So in a sense I am excited an hopeful for the persecution that is to come in the US.
__________________ "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:" Malachai 4:5
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