The narrow way?

[JimfromOhio]

We are no longer sinners? Not true, we are still sinners but forgiven sinners when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. 1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. God is very holy and very powerful that I am a forgiven sinner. We are to worship God from our hearts because we are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16), that God will search us and try us, and know our thoughts.(Psalm 139:23).

There are two kinds of sinning:

1. Sin on purpose (with a will) Those who were unwilling to pick up the Cross and unwilling to put away their sins as Christ commanded. (Those who proclaimed to be a Christian will probably remain "unsaved" falls in this category).

2. Sin by accident as part of our sinful nature: Those who are in Christ Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Galatians 5:17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

We just need to be looking at our adequacy in the Holy Spirit, which will always be in us. This is God's design, and this pleases Him to do so that we can rely on the Holy Spirit. "Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."--Matt. 26:41.

Biblically, Christians are no longer "in the flesh": "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (Rom 8:9). The Greek word for "dwells" is okv (oike), which means "I inhabit." "If Christ is in us, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness" (Romans 8:10).

Christians will still sin but how we respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit when we sin. The new creature in Spirit within us as for example Jesus likened the religious Pharisees to a group of dishwashers who clean the outside of a cup while leaving the inside dirty. He said, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?" (Luke 11:39-40). Jesus knew that a person can change his image without changing his act (Matthew 23:1-3). The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.1 Corinthians 2:10-12

As Christians, with the help from the Holy Spirit, we have the understanding of what pleases God; our thoughts, our desires, our affections that are transformed in over time. Christianity is radical because we change from old nature to the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of God that created us. From our old creature, we learned worldly desires and causing us to think more worldly. Our selfish desire for happiness and getting what we WANT are really more worldly than spiritually. It is interesting that people talks of faith in relation to "getting what you want".

 

[lismore]

Hi There

Hows it going?

Simple, many will proclaim to be a Christian but only few are really Christians.

I agree. By their fruit we will know them. There are folks who have all the 'credentials' and 'trappings' but do not have the fruits of the SPirit in their lives.

Galatians 5:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

 

[Tenebrae]

this is a yoke it don't look simple to me.

We covered this in a disipleship class. I'm gooing to see if I can find the blog write up I did about it

But yoke, as mentioned in that above verse, wasnt refering to an animals yoke

 

[DreamerOfDreams]

In fact, no. Let me give you some insight into what I believe. I believe that we all sin.. .

Oh.... sorry.
I thought you were on the side of those who was against sin, hated sin, and considered those who do sin to not striving for the narrow door.
I must have have you confused with someone else.

 

[DreamerOfDreams]

Hi There

Hows it going?



I agree. By their fruit we will know them. There are folks who have all the 'credentials' and 'trappings' but do not have the fruits of the SPirit in their lives.

Galatians 5:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Amen!

 

[DreamerOfDreams]

We are no longer sinners? Not true, we are still sinners but forgiven sinners when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. ...

So you are basically saying you are not striving for the narrow way, and are in with the sinners who are in the broad way?

 

[Tenebrae]

We covered this in a disipleship class. I'm gooing to see if I can find the blog write up I did about it

But yoke, as mentioned in that above verse, wasnt refering to an animals yoke

We examined the jewish system of learning that was present in Jesus day. There were three houses of learning. All young boys (and some girls) started in Bet Sefer (house of the book). During their time in Bet Sefer, they were required to memorise the first five books of the old testament (known as the torah). Boys attended Bet Sefer from the age of 6-10years of age.

Entry to the next house of learning, Bet Talmud (house of learning) was restricted to those students who were considered to be the cream of the crop. Children who did not go on to Bet Talmud, usually began learning the family business. Students attended Bet Talmud from the ages of 10-14. During this time, they were required to learn and memorise the entire new testament.

The third and final house of learning was called Bet Midrash (house of learning). For students to advance to this stage, they had to be the best of the best, and the rabbi personally chose those who he thought capable of learning his yoke(interpretation of the law) with a view of teaching the rabbis yoke to others. A disiple usually began their public ministry about 30years of age

So when Jesus talks about his yoke being easy, he wasnt refering to an animal yoke, but rather refering to the torrarh and the fact that he came to fufill the law, not abolish it. One of his complaints about the pharisees, was that they were complicating the law, putting in a whole bunch of extra requirements. Jesus did away with all of that

Its really interesting stuff

 

[DreamerOfDreams]

Once again we seem to come to a place where many are calling on others to repent of sin, while at the same time they are not only defending their own sin, but insisting they cannot help it.
I will simply continue to call upon all ye sinners to repent. Cease from all your sinning and become perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
That is the narrow way.
If you are going to preach the narrow way, you should at least walk it yourself and not make excuses.
What you are saying does not make sense.

 

[merryheart]

Is this better? :o

"Come to me, all you who have the weight bearing capacity , and I will give you more work. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am a taskmaster and hard in heart, and you will find striving for your souls. For my yoke isn't simple and my burden is heavy."

haha sounds like *my* boss

 

[Questioning Christian]

Matthew 7:13-14
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."


What do these scriptures mean to you as a Christian?

It means that America is so obsessed with eating that fat people will probably go to Hell, only because they can't fit into the other gate

 

[charityagape]

Well gluttoney is a sin, and if you're fat you must obviously live a lifestyle of gluttony, ie sin and how repentent can you be if you refuse to stop overeating?

If you weight 200 300 pounds didn't you fall off that narrow road long ago?

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Once again we seem to come to a place where many are calling on others to repent of sin, while at the same time they are not only defending their own sin, but insisting they cannot help it.
I will simply continue to call upon all ye sinners to repent. Cease from all your sinning and become perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
That is the narrow way.
If you are going to preach the narrow way, you should at least walk it yourself and not make excuses.
What you are saying does not make sense.

Wasn't it Jesus who commanded "go and sin no more?" It boggles my mind that He would command something that is impossible. Therefore I choose to believe what He said and walk in it.

According to the writing of Paul "I am FREE from the law of sin and death". The law of sin says I must, but being free from that law, I can't Unless of course I, having a spirit of love, power and a sound mind (scripture says that too) deliberately bypass all signals from the Holy Spirit and do it anyway. But that's a whole different issue.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Well gluttoney is a sin, and if you're fat you must obviously live a lifestyle of gluttony, ie sin and how repentent can you be if you refuse to stop overeating?

If you weight 200 300 pounds didn't you fall off that narrow road long ago?

I hope you're not serious Not all fat people are fat because they eat too much.

 

[Questioning Christian]

Well gluttoney is a sin, and if you're fat you must obviously live a lifestyle of gluttony, ie sin and how repentent can you be if you refuse to stop overeating?

If you weight 200 300 pounds didn't you fall off that narrow road long ago?

uh ... it was a joke

"wide" ... "narrow" ...

geez

 

[DreamerOfDreams]

Wasn't it Jesus who commanded "go and sin no more?" It boggles my mind that He would command something that is impossible. Therefore I choose to believe what He said and walk in it.

According to the writing of Paul "I am FREE from the law of sin and death". The law of sin says I must, but being free from that law, I can't Unless of course I, having a spirit of love, power and a sound mind (scripture says that too) deliberately bypass all signals from the Holy Spirit and do it anyway. But that's a whole different issue.

Amen dear sister!
The first thing we all must do to overcome the flesh it to side with God. He said "Go and sin no more." This is repeated many times in the NT. I just started a thread saying this same thing. HE would not have told us this if it were not possible. But if we side with the devil against God, and insist we cannot help sin or that we have to sin.... then our faith is defeated and we will fall into sin.
I find people like this all the time sister. Dear saints who are overwhelmed with sin conciousness... and because of that they constantly dwell on it... and it natually overwhelms them.
Side with God and the Word. YOU CAN live a victorious life. You CAN overcome the flesh. But you MUST side with God and not with the world.
This is a revelation for people and freedom for those who are bound by the world.
Common modern theology cannot see this.
You have to see it through the eyes of faith and the word.

 

[amishparadise]

Well gluttoney is a sin, and if you're fat you must obviously live a lifestyle of gluttony, ie sin and how repentent can you be if you refuse to stop overeating?

If you weight 200 300 pounds didn't you fall off that narrow road long ago?

Yo! Ever heard of diabetes? Eating disorders? Lack of economic privelege sufficient to buy any food but cheap carbs?

In any event, your offensive post has been reported.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Amen dear sister!
The first thing we all must do to overcome the flesh it to side with God. He said "Go and sin no more." This is repeated many times in the NT. I just started a thread saying this same thing. HE would not have told us this if it were not possible. But if we side with the devil against God, and insist we cannot help sin or that we have to sin.... then our faith is defeated and we will fall into sin.
I find people like this all the time sister. Dear saints who are overwhelmed with sin conciousness... and because of that they constantly dwell on it... and it natually overwhelms them.
Side with God and the Word. YOU CAN live a victorious life. You CAN overcome the flesh. But you MUST side with God and not with the world.
This is a revelation for people and freedom for those who are bound by the world.
Common modern theology cannot see this.
You have to see it through the eyes of faith and the word.

I had a Pastor once who one time when we were talking pointed that out. He said, "we become what we keep our eyes on. The reason so many people become just like the person they don't want to be like is because that person is who they constantly are concentrating on." He said, "we should be saying "I want to be like Jesus and concentrating on Him then we won't even come close to being like what we don't want"

It was like a lightbulb went off over my head

. I chose to change my focus from the person whom I was focussing on and headed directly toward becoming like and put it on Jesus and my life was totally changed. Thank you Jesus

If we keep claiming we are sinners then we will constantly be faced with sinning and struggle more than we need to in overcoming that sin only to be faced with sin another time down the road 'cause we keep claiming it. If we're going to claim anything let it be "we are more than conquerers", "I am free from the law of sin and death", "greater is HE Who is in me", etc..

 

[Tenebrae]

Yo! Ever heard of diabetes? Eating disorders? Lack of economic privelege sufficient to buy any food but cheap carbs?

In any event, your offensive post has been reported.

I disagree


I am a student and on the bones of my butt fincially speaking. However I can go to a fruit and vege store and get a weeks worth of veges for $10

I can go to my grocery store, and get meat, cereal, milk, bread for about $20

The difference with those options is that they actually require some more work than cheap carbs it also requires a bit more planning.

 

[DreamerOfDreams]

I had a Pastor once who one time when we were talking pointed that out. He said, "we become what we keep our eyes on. The reason so many people become just like the person they don't want to be like is because that person is who they constantly are concentrating on." He said, "we should be saying "I want to be like Jesus and concentrating on Him then we won't even come close to being like what we don't want"

It was like a lightbulb went off over my head

. I chose to change my focus from the person whom I was focussing on and headed directly toward becoming like and put it on Jesus and my life was totally changed. Thank you Jesus

Amen... I think I saw the same lightbulb!
Keeping your eyes on Him and His love and you will always know what to do!
Wonderful testimony Dear Heart.
You are a blessing.
Stay true ot that confession!

 

[JimfromOhio]

So you are basically saying you are not striving for the narrow way, and are in with the sinners who are in the broad way?

So.. are you saying Christians are "sinless"? Interesting.... this is getting wacko.