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Exploring Christianity
How do I find truth amidst so many opinions?
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<blockquote data-quote="aiki" data-source="post: 68776438" data-attributes="member: 178791"><p>Dedicating your life to God is putting <em>yourself</em> front and center in a relationship that is supposed to be centered on <em>God</em>. Without Jesus, without God, the Bible says you can do <em>nothing</em> spiritually fruitful. (<strong>Jn. 15:5</strong>) Absolutely nothing. It isn't, then, that you must <em>dedicate</em> yourself to God - that puts entirely too much of the onus for your Christian life on you - but that you <em>surrender</em> yourself to Him. In and of yourself, you haven't the capacity to serve God as He calls you to serve Him. And when you dedicate yourself to doing so in your own human reserves of strength, your obedience will be short-lived. The only way you can expect to walk well with God is as you yield yourself to His will and way and wait on Him to be powerful in and through you. <em>He</em> saves you. And <em>He</em> changes you. And He doesn't need your self-reliant promises of commitment to do so, only your willingness to humble yourself under His hand and be conformed by His Spirit to the character of Christ.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Repentance is turning from a life lived independently from God to one that is fully reliant upon Him. It is choosing to move toward God and a holy life and away from a life of rebellion toward God and sin. Acknowledging that you are a sinner is confession (agreeing with God), which leads to repentance.</p><p></p><p>When a person is born-again, when they are saved, they are made "dead to sin and alive unto God." (<strong>Ro. 6</strong>) In this condition, they no longer "have to sin whether they want to or not." If a woman in a skimpy dress walks by a dead man, does he respond with a catcall or wolf-whistle? No. He's <em>dead</em>. In the same way, a born-again disciple of Christ has, upon their conversion, been made spiritually dead to sin. As the apostle Paul puts it:</p><p></p><p><strong>Romans 6:6-7 </strong></p><p><strong>6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with <em>Him,</em> that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. </strong></p><p><strong>7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. </strong></p><p></p><p>It's a very common belief among modern believers that being a Christian means merely managing our sin. There is this idea that sin is inevitable and we just need to relax into our human imperfection and embrace our sinfulness. But is this what the Bible teaches us? Absolutely not!</p><p></p><p><strong>Romans 6:1-2 </strong></p><p><strong>1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? </strong></p><p><strong>2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>If you're trying not to sin and failing, it is, in part, also because you are working from the wrong power source in resisting sin. When you have submitted yourself to God's will and way, and in so doing place yourself in the flow of His Spirit's power, you will not find moral failure is your common experience but rather that you are, as the Bible says, truly "dead to sin."</p><p></p><p>If you want to keep sinning, it is because you find your sin more gratifying than walking in obedience to God. And this is so when you don't love God as you ought to love Him. If I love to eat chocolate, I will eat chocolate - and likely, since I love it, quite a lot of it. If I love God, I will delight in knowing and walking with Him. Fellowship with my Heavenly Father, whom I love, will be a joy that I will be careful to preserve by obedience to Him. If I love God more than I love my sin, I will forsake my sin in order to pursue God. So, if I want to sin more than I want to obey God, that just says something about my love for God.</p><p></p><p>Can you love God properly with your own corrupt, self-centered love? Nope. The only love God wants from us is His own perfect, holy love. Obviously, then, we have to get His love from Him and then express it back to Him. How do we get His love? By getting His Spirit. And how do we get His Spirit? By being born-again.</p><p></p><p>Does habitual sin <em>always</em> mean you aren't saved? No. But if you have no qualms at all about your sin, if you are quite at ease with your sin, then I think you do have reason to doubt the genuineness of your salvation.</p><p></p><p><strong>1 John 2:3-6 </strong></p><p><strong>3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. </strong></p><p><strong>4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. </strong></p><p><strong>5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. </strong></p><p><strong>6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The believer's love for God grows and deepens over time. As it does, the believer's love of their sin diminishes and dissolves. But this is a process. It takes time. Being saved does not immediately eradicate every impulse to sin. Having the love of God within you by the presence of the indwelling Spirit does not mean you will instantly and forever abandon all of the sinful things in your life that have gratified you. No, this happens gradually as you more and more submit yourself to the Holy Spirit, to God, and live out your spiritual identity as a child of God, and enter more fully into the truth of God's awesome love for you.</p><p></p><p><strong>Ephesians 3:17-19 </strong></p><p><strong>17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, </strong></p><p><strong>18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what <em>is</em> the width and length and depth and height-- </strong></p><p><strong>19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.</strong></p><p></p><p>Selah.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="aiki, post: 68776438, member: 178791"] Dedicating your life to God is putting [I]yourself[/I] front and center in a relationship that is supposed to be centered on [I]God[/I]. Without Jesus, without God, the Bible says you can do [I]nothing[/I] spiritually fruitful. ([B]Jn. 15:5[/B]) Absolutely nothing. It isn't, then, that you must [I]dedicate[/I] yourself to God - that puts entirely too much of the onus for your Christian life on you - but that you [I]surrender[/I] yourself to Him. In and of yourself, you haven't the capacity to serve God as He calls you to serve Him. And when you dedicate yourself to doing so in your own human reserves of strength, your obedience will be short-lived. The only way you can expect to walk well with God is as you yield yourself to His will and way and wait on Him to be powerful in and through you. [I]He[/I] saves you. And [I]He[/I] changes you. And He doesn't need your self-reliant promises of commitment to do so, only your willingness to humble yourself under His hand and be conformed by His Spirit to the character of Christ. Repentance is turning from a life lived independently from God to one that is fully reliant upon Him. It is choosing to move toward God and a holy life and away from a life of rebellion toward God and sin. Acknowledging that you are a sinner is confession (agreeing with God), which leads to repentance. When a person is born-again, when they are saved, they are made "dead to sin and alive unto God." ([B]Ro. 6[/B]) In this condition, they no longer "have to sin whether they want to or not." If a woman in a skimpy dress walks by a dead man, does he respond with a catcall or wolf-whistle? No. He's [I]dead[/I]. In the same way, a born-again disciple of Christ has, upon their conversion, been made spiritually dead to sin. As the apostle Paul puts it: [B]Romans 6:6-7 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [I]Him,[/I] that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. [/B] It's a very common belief among modern believers that being a Christian means merely managing our sin. There is this idea that sin is inevitable and we just need to relax into our human imperfection and embrace our sinfulness. But is this what the Bible teaches us? Absolutely not! [B]Romans 6:1-2 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?[/B] If you're trying not to sin and failing, it is, in part, also because you are working from the wrong power source in resisting sin. When you have submitted yourself to God's will and way, and in so doing place yourself in the flow of His Spirit's power, you will not find moral failure is your common experience but rather that you are, as the Bible says, truly "dead to sin." If you want to keep sinning, it is because you find your sin more gratifying than walking in obedience to God. And this is so when you don't love God as you ought to love Him. If I love to eat chocolate, I will eat chocolate - and likely, since I love it, quite a lot of it. If I love God, I will delight in knowing and walking with Him. Fellowship with my Heavenly Father, whom I love, will be a joy that I will be careful to preserve by obedience to Him. If I love God more than I love my sin, I will forsake my sin in order to pursue God. So, if I want to sin more than I want to obey God, that just says something about my love for God. Can you love God properly with your own corrupt, self-centered love? Nope. The only love God wants from us is His own perfect, holy love. Obviously, then, we have to get His love from Him and then express it back to Him. How do we get His love? By getting His Spirit. And how do we get His Spirit? By being born-again. Does habitual sin [I]always[/I] mean you aren't saved? No. But if you have no qualms at all about your sin, if you are quite at ease with your sin, then I think you do have reason to doubt the genuineness of your salvation. [B]1 John 2:3-6 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.[/B] The believer's love for God grows and deepens over time. As it does, the believer's love of their sin diminishes and dissolves. But this is a process. It takes time. Being saved does not immediately eradicate every impulse to sin. Having the love of God within you by the presence of the indwelling Spirit does not mean you will instantly and forever abandon all of the sinful things in your life that have gratified you. No, this happens gradually as you more and more submit yourself to the Holy Spirit, to God, and live out your spiritual identity as a child of God, and enter more fully into the truth of God's awesome love for you. [B]Ephesians 3:17-19 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what [I]is[/I] the width and length and depth and height-- 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.[/B] Selah. [/QUOTE]
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