PART 2 here,
But with the ESV, or KJV, the conclusion is the same:
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,in order that
the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 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. For
to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesusfrom the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
(Romans 8:1-11)
With regard to why I said there are a limited number of sins was to convey the idea that sin, isnt a part of the Christian life, as if the Christian life includes sinning, as the forgone conclusion of what will happen. I also said, there "might be" sin, not "there will be; the person is a believer, but in sin he ceases to be a follower, and must repent, and be reconciled or continue to be in danger of hellfire.
The number of sins committed does not matter. Whether one sin or a great many, a single sin requires either a punishment of eternal torment in hell or payment by a sufficient sacrifice (Jesus Christ). This is the logical reasoning behind reformation soteriology, which says that you must entrust yourself unto Christ's death, burial and resurrection for the remission of sins and justification as righteous before God. It is on the basis of Christ's work, not ours, and because of this, since there cannot be merit added to this work (being that it is by grace), there can be no demerit either.
To respond to this the number of sins, does not matter, Christ has atoned for all the believers sins, in the sense that he is the propitiation, where we go to for the forgiveness of sins, essentially, as repentant sorrowful ones, we go to Christ, and through him our sins are forgiven. However, to say that all sin, even willful undying rebellion to God is atoned for, essentially, turning the grace of God into lewdness, that is not forgiven unless repentance takes place. Clearly, as 1 Cor 6:9 puts forth, no adulterer has inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. The adulterer must cease his adultery, seek God, and continue in Christ.
I do not view Christ, in the protestant sense of it, as a "payment", as if our sins were paid for in advance, and can no longer be held against us. That would otherwise mean, adulterers who continue in adultery, have their sins paid for, and there sins cannot be punished. The "payment" rather seems like a payment, for a specific number of sins, and since the specific number of sins, that all believers will ever commit has been paid for, it cannot be unpaid for, and even the adulterers, for example, cannot be denied enterance into paradise.
However, as you say, there can be no "merit" on our part.
"Weymouth New Testament,
For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is God's gift, and is not on the ground of merit--"
Not on the ground of merit, surely, but why then does Paul write 1 Cor 6:8, or
Eph 5:
5For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
You'd have to ask, what does morality or obedience have to do with salvation? It's not "of" works. Salvation isnt "of" works, as in, the root of, or the source of our salvation is grace, but it is through faith, but even faith itself is not the source, but grace is. Therefore, it is by grace, as the root, the source, and what follows, through faith, not as the root, but an key element, but not by a dead faith, but a living faith that is of a born-again person, not carnal, but spiritual. So in the same sense that faith is important, and mandatory, yet not the root, or source, works, which follow the living faith are essential, although not the root, for the root is not works or faith, but grace.
The same grace;
Titus 2:
11 For
the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to
redeem us from all lawlessness and to
purify for himself a people for his own possession who are
zealous for good works.
As I understand, Grace is the power of God, that is the influence of God in this sense, of saving grace. Grace does something great.
About the red, Christ, who gave himself for us to
redeem us from all lawlessness.
I understand the Romans 7:14 man to be carnal, sold under sin, unredeemed, hence of course, sold under sin, not Christ.
Now, regarding this redemption. We are ransomed.
1Tim2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that
we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all people to be saved and to
come to the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and there is
one mediator between God and men, the man
[a] Christ Jesus,
6 who gave himself as
a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
In the teal, can this be done, living godly, in the carnal life?
In green, knowledge of the truth, we know that "you shall know the truth and the truth will make you free"
In red, mediator, we confess repentantly and are forgiven.
In purple, a ransom, not exactly a "payment" for a specific amount of sins, but rather, we are purchased from sin, not sins paid for, but we are paid for, we are redeemed, not sin, but the man, bought from the law of sin and death, and redeemed into the light of Christ.
As for still carrying the old man, and the lusts of the flesh.
The lusts of the flesh, do exist, but in they way that I mean, fleshly human desires do exist, and they can lead to sin, if the lust is concieved and then sin is born, bringing death. As the James 1 passage says. So, even with fleshly desire, temptation will come surely, but sin is not the forgone conclusion of temptation, resisting the Devil, submitting to God, must be our response if we are to live holy lives.
Now, about the old man:
Knowing this, that our
old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Rom 6:6)
I would say, might be, because I believe continuing to have the old man crucified is a choice.
That ye
put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;And
be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye
put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Eph 4:22-24) Put off, meaning it's something we choose to do, we can put on the old man, if we choose, so yes, it is possible to become again, like the old man, and put him on. We must keep on, the new man, being renewed.
My view doesnt allow for putting the old man and the new man on at the same time, but at seperate times by our choice.
Regarding justification, in short, if we overcome as the new man, by our living faith, saved by grace which is the source, we are saved. However,
Heb 12:
14 Follow peace with all men, and
holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God;
lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Lest there be
any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of
repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
We need to be holy, as to say, our faith must be living, which produces holiness.
We can fail the grace of God, as in, the grace of God, which does work, the faith, became dead, not alive. A root of bitterness may arise, or sin, such as fornication, which if happens becomes a dead faith, the old man is put on again. Repentance, in it, we reclaim our living faith, and are indeed saved by grace.
I do not hold to the protestent view that we have the record of Christ righteousness, for if we did, why repent, or what is the imperitive in the above?
See my sig. for details.
"the
full testimony of Scripture is that man is sinful and will sin, and anyone who says they are without sin is a liar"
The unregenerate man is sinful, as the men in Noah's days. But Noah found grace in God's eyes, and so did Job, who was blameless, the parents of John the Baptist, in Luke 1:4 or 6, too. They were not without sin, (well, im betting they never commited huge sins, murder, adultery, etc) but they were living holy lives.
God Bless.
