Depth of sin

jameshjr · Apr 27, 2021

Hello psalm27, thank you for the message. i think i fluked on the thread title as 'the depth of my sin' is what i am beginning to understand and it is painful. However this verse has been re-occuring in my mind:

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. psalm 34:18.

but it is still quite difficult to believe that God can love someone as sinful as me.

Psalm 27 · Apr 27, 2021

Luke 18
9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Phariseestood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’
13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Matthew 21:31b
Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.

Numbers 6:24-26

BrotherJJ · Apr 27, 2021

Our words are powerful spiritual weapons.

God changed Abram (meaning high exalted father) to Abraham (meaning father of a multitude of nations) Gen 17:5. He did it by inserting the 5TH letter of the Hebrew alphabet H ("Hei") & the symbol for the number 5 = (Grace)

God changed Sarai (meaning my princess) to Sarah (mother of nations) Gen 17:15. He added "H" (Hei = Grace)

After 15 years of silence by God, while Abraham himself tried to make a seed for God. He became too old he GAVE UP.

One yr after God changes thier names, Sarah is with child

Why? Their SPEACH confessions were changed. Every time they or anyone else SPOKE their NAMES. They declared: Abraham Father of a multitude of nations or Sarah mother of nations! SPOKEN words are SEEDS!

Jericho an unconquerable, walled city. Walls 11 feet high, 14 feet wide. The top a smooth stone slope, angling upward at 35 degrees for 35 feet. Its walls were thought to be impenetrable

Joshua 6:2 & 16 says, God had given the city of Jericho to them before they even began to march around its walls

God gives Joshua a two step plan to conquer. Have the people to march "silently" around Jericho for 6 days, & then on the 7th day, to blow trumpets & SHOUT.

On day 7, Before they blow & shout. Joshua Declares via the SPOKEN word: The Lord has this day given you this city. They blow & SHOUT & the walls tumble down

Why " march silently"? So, no complaining/negative WORDS/SPEACH couldn't get in the way

Luke 1:11 & 13 An angel comes to Zacharias & Elisabeth. Telling they will give birth to John the Baptist. Verse 18 Zacharias SPEAKS WORDS of doubt. The angel causes Zac to become dumb until the child born.

Why? To keep Zach's negative WORDS of UNBELIEF from getting in the way!

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the "tongue": and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

If our words aren't powerful seeds. How can they carry LIFE & DEATH? We will LIVE & DIE by what we SAY/SPEAK/BELIEVE!.

We all eat the fruits of our speech. What's on the menu today?

fhansen · Apr 27, 2021

Only God is all in all, perfect in the absolute sense. So while man has a potential perfection proper to his God-given capabilities, he’ll never possess the perfection of God. Meanwhile, the more we grow in love, the nearer we become to His likeness and aligned with His will, and the nearer we are to our own purpose and perfection, and the greater our justice or righteousness will be which is why the greatest commandments are what they are, incidentally. This is all a work of His in us and yet a work we must cooperate with. Love, like faith and hope, is both a gift and, necessarily, a human choice. And it knows no bounds; there’s conceivably no limits to how much one can love.

And it’s said in 1 Pet 4:8 that ‘love covers a multitude of sins’. At the end of the day, though, love overcomes and excludes sin; the two are mutually exclusive, as “love fulfills the law” Rom 13:10. Anyway, the more we love the less we fear (1 John 4:18). And the more we love the less we have to fear.

It’s a struggle to overcome sin and yet it’s a good struggle, a journey that we enter upon as we turn to God. To the extent that we love, however, we know we’re on the right path, that we’re truly in Him.

Bible Highlighter · Apr 27, 2021

First, you need to understand that not all sin is the same. The Bible teaches that there are sins not unto death, and sins unto death (1 John 5:16-17). Jesus described to us the difference between death-sins vs. non-death sins in Matthew 5:22.

“But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice against him shall be guilty before the court; and whoever speaks [contemptuously and insultingly] to his brother, ‘Raca (You empty-headed idiot)!’ shall be guilty before the supreme court (Sanhedrin); and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the fiery hell.” (Matthew 5:22) (AMP).

The words in blue above are “non-death sins” because they are punishment in earthly courts. The words in red above is a “death sin” because it is punishment in hellfire in the afterlife.

Second, while we are initially and foundationally saved by God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) (Romans 4:3-5) (Titus 3:5), we also know grace is not a license for immorality (Jude 1:4). We have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). For without holiness, no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). For Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9). Believers need to confess and forsake sins as a part of God's mercy (Proverbs 28:13).

Oh, and only past sins are forgiven us.
(Click on the spoiler button to check out the verses).

The Bible teaches only past sins are forgiven us (not future sins).

Believers need to confess and
forsake sin to continue to obtain forgiveness (or salvation).

Here are the verses in the Bible that teach or imply that past sins only are forgiven:

2 Peter 1:9 KJB
“But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”

2 Peter 1:9 BLB
“For in whomever these things are not present, he is blind, being short sighted, having received forgetfulness of the purification from his former sins.”

1 John 1:9 KJB
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Acts of the Apostles 8:22 KJB
“Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.”

Hebrews 10:26 KJB
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,”

Proverbs 28:13 KJB
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Romans 6:22-23 KJB
22 “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 8:13 KJB
“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 KJB
9 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

John 3:20 KJB
“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

1 John 3:15 KJB
“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

1 John 3:8 KJB
“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

Acts of the Apostles 5:1-11 KJB
1 “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.”

Matthew 10:33 KJB
“But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 6:15 KJB
“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Revelation 22:12-15 KJB
12 “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”

Three, there are...

Ways to overcome “Sins That Lead Unto Death”
by God's Word and with the help of Jesus:

#1. Remove yourself from sinful environments.

Remove yourself from sinful environments (if possible) and or get rid of things that cause you to sin. In Genesis: Joseph had literally ran away from the temptation of sexual sin (Genesis 39:11-12). One of the commands in the New Testament is: "Flee fornication." (1 Corinthians 6:18) (Note: Paul says that what he had written should be regarded as the commandments of the Lord - 1 Corinthians 14:37) (KJV). Sometimes this running away is merely a means of escape. God provides a way of escape for us to run to so that we can bear the temptation and get through it. For 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

#2. Pray to God so as not to be tempted.

Pray to God so as not to be tempted. It is part of the Lord’s prayer for you to pray so as not to be tempted into sin (Matthew 6:12). God will guide and protect you if you are serious in praying for this. "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). In fact, fasting will help you with this, as well. Being enslaved to sin is a demonic influence. While being enslaves to sin does not mean a Christian is possessed by a demon, we learn that certain demon possessions could not be driven out only by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21). So if demon possession at the most intense level can only be healed (by the casting out of the demon) by both prayer and fasting, then it is a sure bet that fasting and praying to overcome sin will also help a believer overcome sin (Which is a demonic influence).

#3. Obey God’s righteous ways.

Obey God’s righteous ways. The more you love God and love others and obey His Word and stay in His Word and pray, the more you will not even have a chance to sin or do the wrong thing. But the more you walk in God's Word by the Spirit you will not fulfill the lusts of flesh. "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16). "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof." (Romans 13:14). "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." (Romans 6:22).

#4. When you are tempted, quote Scripture.

When you are tempted, quote Scripture. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He quoted Scripture to defeat the devil (Matthew 4:4) (Matthew 4:7) (Matthew 4:10). So when some specific sin is bothering you, find all the verses you can that are victory verses over that particular sin. A good general verse (Especially if you are tempted to look at women in lust if you find yourself in public around a lot of people) is, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalms 23:1). You can say these verses to yourself silently under your breath (with nobody hearing).

#5. Ask for prayer from other God fearing Christians.

Ask for prayer from other God fearing Christians or Godly Christians to help you to overcome certain sins. The Scriptures say, bear ye one another's burdens and thus fulfill the Law of Christ. So seek true fellowship and ask for their help. In 1 John 5, we see Christians praying for a believer who is struggling to overcome a sin (that they are confessing). "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death." (1 John 5:16). A faithful Christian shall ask God to give their fellow Christian life (victory) in overcoming their sin that they are confessing (i.e. sin that is confessed is not a sin that leads unto death).

#6. Hide God’s Word in your heart.

Hide God’s Word in your heart. Memorize Scripture. David said he hid God’s Word within his heart so that he may not sin against the Lord. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." (Psalms 119:11).

#7. Confess of your sins.

Confess of your sins. 1 John 1:9 says if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

#8. Suffer in the Flesh:

1 Peter 4:1 says he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin (Note: Also see verse 2). We should suffer in the flesh by:

Resisting during times of temptation.
Fasting.
Being persecuted for Christ’s sake.

I have written other points with Scripture that need fleshing out a bit more. But hopefully these things I have written will help. Love, peace, and joy be to you in the Lord Jesus Christ.

May His blessings abound to you greatly.

Bruce Leiter · Apr 27, 2021

I'll give you another three verses that show how far we are from perfection, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, where the Apostle Paul calls us to have constant joy, prayer, and thanks.

The Bible is clear that we can make progress only in the power of Jesus' victory in his life, death, and resurrection. In this life, we can have spiritual improvement, but we never reach perfection until we die or Jesus returns before we die.

However, the Holy Spirit, who comes to us from the Father through Jesus, prompts us through the Scriptures to confess our sins that remain in us, pray for progress, and seek Jesus' triumph to happen more and more in our lives.

Therefore, we find comfort in the cross but can find God's gift of spiritual growth only because we are not comfortable with our remaining imperfection.

St_Worm2 · Apr 27, 2021

Hello Micaiah-Imla (and James .. I'm including you in this reply because of what you said above

), I believe that Romans 3:25-26 concerns the Lord's choice to temporarily pass over (rather than immediately punish and condemn) the sins that His redeemed people committed in the millennia prior to the Cross (until the blood of the Lord's Jesus' one, true sacrifice on the Cross could be used to make atonement for their sins, and satisfy the wrath of the Father).

As the Book of Hebrews tells us plainly,

Hebrews 9
22 All things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Hebrews 10
4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Finally, if our future sins are not atoned for/forgiven on the basis of the Lord Jesus' death on the Cross/by His blood (like our past sins have been), then on what (other) basis can they be forgiven?

You pointed out the problem when you quoted the passage from a bit further back in Hebrews 10.

Hebrews 10
26 If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.

Granted, the willful sin that these Jewish (almost) Christians were continuing to commit was the rejection of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The consequences are the same for us however if, as you've said, our future sins are not atoned for in the same way that our past sins were .. because (to the best of my knowledge) there is no other sacrifice that can save us from our sins, past, present AND/OR future, than the one, true sacrifice that the Lord Jesus made on our behalf on the Cross.

God bless you!

--David

Romans 3
21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation bin His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance, God passed over the sins previously committed;
26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
.

Mark Quayle · Apr 27, 2021

This life is not about sin, but about Christ. That means that sin is much worse than we can know in this life.

Psalm 27 · Apr 28, 2021

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Micaiah-Imla · Apr 28, 2021

Another passage speaks of the old sins of the believer being forgiven:

"But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." (2 Peter 1:9)

The writer of Hebrews used the word “we”; the writer was saved. He said if “we” (the Christ followers) sin willfully after being saved there is no more remedy; future sins will not be forgiven.

There is no question what Hebrews 10 is teaching. But the lies get repeated so frequently that they end up being believed.

Gregory Thompson · Apr 28, 2021

On an introspective level I would examine these thoughts if they were my own as a result of my own way of judgment.

Judge not lest thee be judged, for the way you judge others you too will be judged.

If I am judging myself as guilty all the time, and I am making an honest effort, how does that reflect on how I judge others? (who may appear to not be making any effort at all?)

That's what came to me. Most of what torments us, starts from within, and is far simpler than we would initially imagine.

St_Worm2 · Apr 28, 2021

Hello again @Micaiah-Imla, you chose not to answer the only question that truly mattered, so I’ll ask it again.

If our future sins are not atoned for/forgiven on the basis of the Lord Jesus' death on the Cross/by His blood (like our past sins have been), then on what (other) basis can they be forgiven?

Thanks!

—David
p.s. - I’ll return later today (Dv) and reply to the points that you just made in your last post.

Micaiah-Imla · Apr 28, 2021

There is no other basis for forgiveness of future sins after conversion.

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." (Hebrews 10:26-27)

BrotherJJ · Apr 28, 2021

King James Bible Dictionary - REMISSION = Forgiveness; pardon; that is, the giving up of the punishment due to a crime; as the remission of sins. Matt. 26. Heb. 9.
REMISS - Definition from the KJV Dictionary

King James Bible Dictionary - FORGIV'EN = Pardoned remitted.
FORGIVEN - Definition from the KJV Dictionary

1 Jn 2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
(MY NOTE: Believers you ARE forgiven (NOT just until your next sin) for Christ's name's sake)

Eph 1:7 In Jesus Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
(NOTE: Written to believers see Eph 1:1. Believers HAVE <PRESENT TENSE> forgiveness of sins < PURAL)

Eph 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
(NOTE: Written to believers Eph 1:1. Forgive each other as God thru Christ FORGAVE <PAST TENCE> you.)

Col 3:13 Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
(NOTE: Written to believers Col 1:2. Vs 13 As the Lord has < PAST TENSE > FORGIVEN you)

Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
(MY NOTE: Christ obtained ETERNAL REDEMPTION for us)

Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
(NOTE: This new sin management blood covenant is EVERLASTING!)

Jesus sin atoning payment is seized/accessed via FAITH (Rom 5:1-2, 10:9-10, Eph 1:13,. 2:8) placed in the faithful, obedient sin atoning work & resurrection of Jesus the Christ!

Specifically faith placed in Jesus death (sins required wage PAID), burial (proof Jesus died) & resurrection (Fathers receipt, payment received & accepted. (1 Cor 15:4)

Heb 10:14 prior to verses 26&27 invariably taken out of context.

Heb 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
(MY NOTE: For by one offering = Christ's sin atoning sacrifice! Christ Bought & Paid in Full sins required price/DEATH. Christ HAS perfected FOREVER! Those He has sanctified)

KJV Dictionary SANCTIFICA'TION definition: The act of making holy, the act of consecrating or of setting apart for a sacred purpose.
SANCTIFIED - Definition from the KJV Dictionary (av1611.com)
(MY NOTE: To sanctify, something is to set it apart for special use. The moment we believe/trust place our faith in Christ's Sin atoning death, burial & resurrection. God saves/judicially justifies (sealing us via His Holy Spirit) & sanctifies/sets us apart: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) - Eph 2:8 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.

At the moment we truly make the decision to trust Christ we are justified = Judicially declared righteous by a sovereign Creator God = Saved (DONE DEAL). Our salvation is forever secure via receiving the eternal seal of God's indwelling Holy Spirit. We are also SANCTIFIED = set apart for a for an ongoing purpose/work/mission that continues until the day we meet the Lord.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words: Salvation - (b) of the spiritual and eternal deliverance granted immediately by God to those who accept His conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, in whom alone it is to be obtained, Acts 4:12 , and upon confession of Him as Lord, Romans 10:10 ; for this purpose the gospel is the saving instrument, Romans 1:16 ; Ephesians 1:13)
Salvation - Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (studybible.info)
(MY NOTE: "Eternal deliverance granted immediately" by God to those who accept His conditions of sin confession & faith in the Lord Jesus)

Marumorose · Apr 28, 2021

Jeremiah 31:33-34 “I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
It is possible to get to a point where you do not feel guilty anymore. Even though you sin, you will not continue to live in that sin for too long because the comforter( Holy spirit) is with you and guiding you and God will forgive your sins when you repent.
2 Timothy 2:15 "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."

We have to be conscious or aware of what we do.
1 John 3:9-10 says "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are".
We must pray to Jesus Christ to send us the Holy spirit to guide us!
May God Bless You

SANTOSO · Apr 28, 2021

Dear one,
Are you concerned the depth of your sins ? our sins ? This is what we have heard:

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? -Romans 7:24

Didn’t apostle Paul cry out in like manner like us ?

So what did he say then?

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. -Romans 7:25

Did apostle Paul serve with his flesh the law of sin ? No.
How can I know for sure? If he did serve the law of sin with his flesh. Why then, apostle Paul have to thank God through Christ ? And then he said that he himself serve the law of God with his mind.

So the question is : have you serve the law of God with your mind ?

This is also what we have heard apostle Paul have said :

For those who live according to the flesh set their MINDS on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their MINDS on the things of the Spirit. -Romans 8:5

So dear one, just set your mind on the things of the Spirit.

What are the things of the Spirit? This is what we have heard our Lord Jesus have said:

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. -John 6:63

Dear one, you raise a concern: “we're never going to be as good as we ought to be.etc. etc.”

This is what we have heard:
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. -Romans 6:13

Just present yourself to God or in other words, offer yourself to God or submit yourself to God. How ? This is what we have heard our Lord have said to us:

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, -John 8:31
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." -John 8:32

So have you believed in Christ? If you say that you have ! Have you abide in His words? When you have ! Then, truly you are the Lord’s disciple.

So to submit yourself to God, we are called to abide in His words. In other words, we are to remember what the Lord has said and done. That we remember His words with our mind. And treasure His words in our hearts so that we don’t sin against Him.

What does that mean? When we present ourselves to God ! We don’t trust in our flesh or our abilities or resources or strength but we trust in the strength of the Lord.

That is why we have heard:
Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. -Jeremiah 17:5

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. -Jeremiah 17:7
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." -Jeremiah 17:8

So we who trust in the Lord like trees planted by the water. How do we know that we are the trees planted by the water ? This is what we have heard:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. -Isaiah 55:8
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. -Isaiah 55:9
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, -Isaiah 55:10
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. -Isaiah 55:11

Are our ways the Lord’s ways? No. Therefore, the Lord teaches us the humble to live in His ways.
Are our thoughts His thoughts? No. Therefore, the Lord teaches us to set our minds on His thoughts.

Aren’t rain considered as water ? Aren’t snows considered as water?
Aren’t the words that goes out from the Lord, that the Lord have said are Spirit and life ? So the Spirit of His word is the living water that water the trees planted by God the Father.

So those who set their minds on the things of the Spirit — live according to the Spirit— for they live according to the Spirit of His words.

Aren’t the guilty ones consider themselves condemned ?

But this is what we have heard:
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. -Romans 8:1
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. -Romans 8:2

So we set our minds on the things of the Spirit, we are brought in union with Christ.

Are we wrong to remember the grace of repentance that our Lord gave us ?

Dear one, let us consider that the Lord come to your house like the story that we heard in Luke 7:36-50.

Then, this is what we have heard:
Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. -Luke 7:44
You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. -Luke 7:46
Didn’t we see that this woman present herself to the Son of God ?

What testimony that this woman received from the Lord ?
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven'for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." -Luke 7:47

Do the Lord treasure what she did ? Why? She presented herself to God with love.

So dear one, when you pray ! Don’t you want to seek and find Him ? Don’t you want God near you ? This is what we have heard:

"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; -Isaiah 55:6
let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. -Isaiah 55:7

See the parentheses in Isaiah 55:6 and continue to Isaiah 55:7 and consider.

So when we seek God ! Don’t we trust Him ? Yes, we do. So we seek to be found in His strength to forsake our wicked ways. We pray or call Him in truth and contrition that the Lord gave us strength to abandon our unrighteous thoughts. When we have done that! Aren’t we in His mercy ? Doesn’t He abundantly pardon us ? Yes, He does !

As we also have heard:
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, -2 Corinthians 10:5

So when we have arguments and lofty opinions in our heads ! Do you consider that thoughts from God or the enemy? Yes, arguments and lofty opinions that are against the knowledge of God doesn’t come from us but from the enemy !!!

That is why it is of importance that we set our minds on the things of the Spirit, that is the Lord’s words. Then, our thoughts aren’t darkened in understanding and we don’t alienate ourselves from the life of God. we don’t become insensitive to the sufferings of others. We don’t give ourselves to sensuality. We don’t become greedy to practice every kind of impurities. For we learned the way of Christ.

This is the grace we heard:
And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. -Ezekiel 36:27

So the Holy Spirit will help us ! But we need to offer ourselves to God. When our MINDS have been ruled by the Spirit of God ! Then we have the peace and life that our Lord Jesus Christ have spoken of.

aiki · Apr 28, 2021

Well, these sorts of realizations ought to humble you, not make you feel guilty. Guiltiness tends to drive people away from God; it makes people want to hide. Think of Adam and Eve in Eden. The conviction of God's Spirit concerning sin has the opposite effect. When God is convicting you of sin, it is always with the aim of increasing your holiness and thus improving your fellowship with Himself. And so, the convicting work of the Spirit deepens your walk with God; his purifying work moves you closer to Himself. If, then, your feelings about your sin are creating distance between you and God, your feelings aren't prompted by godly repentance and the work of the Spirit.

It is because no one will - or can - ever walk before God in moral perfection that we all need Christ so much. He offers to us in himself the perfect righteousness we don't find in ourselves. By our trust in Christ as Saviour and Lord, we "put on Christ" (Romans 13:14), we are clothed in him (Galatians 3:27), in his perfect righteousness, and thus made acceptable to God (Romans 3:21-22; Romans 3:28; Romans 5:1; 1 Corinthians 6:11, etc.). God sees us in Christ and declares us righteous and thus able to come "boldly before His throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16) as a "joint-heir" with Jesus (Romans 8:17).

By the way, it isn't Jesus himself who covers us in perfect righteousness but the Holy Spirit, the "Spirit of Christ" he is called in Romans 8:9-10. The Holy Spirit comes to live within each one who fully trusts in Christ as Saviour and Lord (Romans 10:9-10; Romans 8:9-11; Romans 8:14-16; 1 John 4:13; 1 Corinthians 6:19), washing and regenerating spiritually the lost person (Titus 3:5), "baptizing" them into Christ by so doing (Matthew 3:11; Acts 2).

Anyway, God has dealt with the sin problem by placing the believer in Christ, making the believer "accepted in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:7) As a result, the born-again Christian doesn't have to stress over their sin, thinking it will eject them from God's family, thinking God only accepts them so long as they "endure in the faith" and live perfectly righteously before Him. This sort of thinking puts Self in the place where Jesus ought to stand, making Self and its efforts the real "Saviour" of the believer rather than Christ, which is flat-out blasphemy.

John 15:4-5
4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Romans 5:6-11
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

John 14:6
6 Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Consequently, God must step in and impart to us in the Holy Spirit the perfect purity of Christ. As a response to our trust in Christ, God declares us, forensically, to be righteous, though in practice we are still mired in sin. This is the only way we can come into God's presence and fellowship with Him as child to Father. We have put on the righteousness of Christ like a cloak but this no more makes us actually, in practice, righteous than putting on a bear skin cloak would make us actually a bear. In our spiritual position in Christ we are perfectly righteous but it is only over time, progressively, that we become in our condition, our daily living, more and more righteous, conforming throughout our lifetime to our spiritual position in Jesus.

In light of all of this, Paul was able to write,

Philippians 3:12-14
12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

No one ever became more like Jesus by dwelling upon their sin and weakness. Paul's response to his spiritual position, his spiritual identity, in Christ was to "forget what was behind and reach forward to what lay ahead." Very good advice for us all. Paul didn't fixate upon his sin, but like a runner in a race determined to win, when a stumble or fall occurred, he was up immediately, pursuing "the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Paul didn't bemoan his sin, staring at it, wondering why, downed by his sin for days at a time. He didn't think he had to earn his way into God's good graces again by showing God how awfully sorry he was, by beating himself up for God, and feeling guilty, and ashamed, and miserable for a while. This is the sort of thinking that doesn't understand what I've explained above of the matter of justification.

Really, it is an offense to God for a believer to think they can earn His acceptance. ONLY Christ can do this. ONLY Christ is perfect, meeting God's standard for fellowship with Himself. As the hymnist wrote,

"Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All could never sin erase,
Thou must save, and save by grace.

Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress,
Helpless, look to Thee for grace:
Foul, I to the fountain fly,
Wash me, Savior, or I die."

To restore fellowship with God when one has sinned is simple:

1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This should be your knee-jerk response to your sin. Keep short accounts with God.

BrotherJJ · Apr 28, 2021

Heavens required wage/price/payment owed for sin (even 1) is, DEATH (Rom 6:23)

Post-conversion/salvation your sins (ALL) Past-Present-Future are Forgiven (Rom 8:1, 1 Jn 2:12, Eph 1:7, 4:32, Col 3:13, Heb 9:12, 10:14, 13:20 to name a few)

This doesn't mean post-conversion/salvation sin never carries a consequence. Having said that, loss of salvation isn't one on those consequence (1 Cor 3:15).

Consequence from sinning post-conversion/salvation could manifest itself, in many different ways. A health issue, a broken relationship, disease, lost rewards earned etc.

There is only 1 unforgivable sin = lack of Faith/REJECTING Christ's sin atoning sacrifice & resurrection

Good works & obedience are the evidence/results of ones faith, not the cause of ones salvation.

Rom 1:5 "Through him we received grace" & apostleship "to call all the Gentiles to the obedience" "that comes from faith" for his name’s sake.
(MY NOTE: Faith in Jesus sin atoning work & resurrection lead to our obedience, for HIS Name's sake)

Rom 16:26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, "so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience" "that comes from faith"
(MY NOTE: Thru our Faith in Jesus sin atoning work & resurrection. Christ's Gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit will lead us obedient/godly behavior.)

Act 3:25 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
(NOTE: It's Faith in the risen Christ's sin atonement. That frees believers from sins grip & enables them to repent/turn from their sin)

Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches "of his goodness" and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that "the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance"?
(NOTE: It's thru the GOODNESS of GOD not thru OUR OWN great work of sin repentance, obedience or self-control. That we REPENT/change our thinking/course. It's salvations seal of indwelling Holy Spirit that leads us to REPENT/change our thinking outlook & direction).

1 Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
(NOTE: Anyone that believes they can conquer their own sin nature, without Gods help is mistaken)

Final thought;
When believers make salvation's focus about their sin or lack thereof. They take the focus off of Christ, His work, what He did at Calvary.

All praise, glory & honor belong to our Lord/God & Savior, Jesus the Christ!

PaulCyp1 · Apr 28, 2021

We are never as good as we ought to be. Correct. We never reach a point of never sinning. Correct. In other words, we never become perfect, because we are humans and humans are not perfect. God alone is perfect, and He doesn't expect perfection of mere created beings who are created with free will. As you said, we are always falling short of Jesus's teachings. And when we do so, we should feel guilty. Guilt is a gift of God that allows us to repent of our sins and seek forgiveness and healing. Those who can sin without feeling guilty are in the worst possible position. However, while it is true that we will never be free of temptation, and never totally free of sin, it is also true that over time, if we sincerely repent of our sins regularly, God's grace gradually strengthens us and heals us so that we sin less frequently, and are able to turn away from sins we now commit frequently.

Maria Billingsley · Apr 28, 2021

Welcome. Loving your neighbor less than you think you should may not be the best example of a sinful act. Killing is a sin. Lies are a sin. Fornication is a sin. Etc, etc. So to just throw the towel in and claim " comfort" with sin because it is forgiven , is not the way of a Holy Spirit filled Christian. Repentance means to change the mind. The Holy Spirit guilds us in all truth and repentance. We can not do it without Him. Be blessed.

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