This is a subject that has really caught my attention lately. I still haven't studied it completely, but I do want to share my thoughts.
I firmly believe that it is fully God's intention for us to obey Him completely, which is to be without sin. Everything I have read in the Bible has pointed to this. God says that if we love him, keep his commandments.
Now i know that we cannot keep the commandments ourselves, for our own righteousness is as filthy rags. We are sinful, and most of us are quite happy in our sin. However Jesus came to earth with that same sinful nature and completely overcame. He was without sin, and His life frees us from living in sin as well. Christ came to condemn sin in the flesh and to prove that it is possible to live without sin here on earth.
We become perfect by (not only but definitely) two things: 1. Recognizing that there is nothing we can do at all for ourselves, and 2. believing in the life that Jesus lived and having faith that He can give the same victory that He had to us.
I am not saying that we can be saved by our works. I have the hardest time understanding why people interpret the sinless life view as salvation by works. They are not the same at all. Not even close. We are not perfecting ourselves. We do not have to power to do so. However just because we cannot do it ourselves doesn't mean it cannot be done. Does anyone actually believe that God cannot do it for us? Even moreso, can anyone tell me a reason why if God can do it, why on Earth wouldn't He (if we let Him?)
Many people cannot see the big, yet mind-numbingly simple concept here. Jesus saves. Which is, Jesus saves us from sin, which means He frees us from committing sins any longer. Jesus came to save! We are free from its bondage because we don't have to let it control us in any aspect at all! As Paul says, we can be more than conquerors. If you do sin that doesn't mean that you aren't saved, because God's grace will cover us, however if we truly love God we will move toward a sinless life because God will do everything He can to get us there, and we will be working right along with Him!
Many people say well if that is true, why is no one living without sin now? To this I have no concrete answer, but there is no reason why this should be a problem. First of all, this is not an over night process. It's a life-long process and its often extended by our own stubbornness. Second of all, why would we look at others to prove whether what God says is true? That is why we have faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Finally, did Jesus himself ever say that He was sinless? He said no one was good but the Father. Of course we know that He was sinless, but the fact is, we should not desire to be sinless just to say that we are. We should look to glorify God, and that is why I can say every good thing I do comes from God, and every bad thing I do I can overcome because Jesus wants me to do so! The only example we need is Jesus, and if no one else around us seems to be living up-to-par, it should not change our faith.
Those who are alive during the end of the world will, in fact, be sinless. For bible proof just look at the verse we Adventists use extensively to prove we are God's remnant church (Rev. 14: 12)
And for anyone who claims to believe in Ellen White, there is no room for any other view. Ellen White plainly states that those in the end times will not be sinning. Even more plainly is Ellen Whites views on the 1888 message (If you are unfamiliar with this then please study it.) The 1888 message (very) simply states that through faith in God we can obey the law (among other things.) Furthermore, Ellen White called this message the beginning of the loud cry and the latter rain. Unfortunately as an institution we (as SDA's) rejected this message. However that doesn't change the fact that this message was one of the last steps before the end!
We must believe that God can change us here and now. It is in this belief that God can fully make us into the people He wants us to be, which is a people who reflect the character of Jesus Christ.
I firmly believe that it is fully God's intention for us to obey Him completely, which is to be without sin. Everything I have read in the Bible has pointed to this. God says that if we love him, keep his commandments.
Now i know that we cannot keep the commandments ourselves, for our own righteousness is as filthy rags. We are sinful, and most of us are quite happy in our sin. However Jesus came to earth with that same sinful nature and completely overcame. He was without sin, and His life frees us from living in sin as well. Christ came to condemn sin in the flesh and to prove that it is possible to live without sin here on earth.
We become perfect by (not only but definitely) two things: 1. Recognizing that there is nothing we can do at all for ourselves, and 2. believing in the life that Jesus lived and having faith that He can give the same victory that He had to us.
I am not saying that we can be saved by our works. I have the hardest time understanding why people interpret the sinless life view as salvation by works. They are not the same at all. Not even close. We are not perfecting ourselves. We do not have to power to do so. However just because we cannot do it ourselves doesn't mean it cannot be done. Does anyone actually believe that God cannot do it for us? Even moreso, can anyone tell me a reason why if God can do it, why on Earth wouldn't He (if we let Him?)
Many people cannot see the big, yet mind-numbingly simple concept here. Jesus saves. Which is, Jesus saves us from sin, which means He frees us from committing sins any longer. Jesus came to save! We are free from its bondage because we don't have to let it control us in any aspect at all! As Paul says, we can be more than conquerors. If you do sin that doesn't mean that you aren't saved, because God's grace will cover us, however if we truly love God we will move toward a sinless life because God will do everything He can to get us there, and we will be working right along with Him!
Many people say well if that is true, why is no one living without sin now? To this I have no concrete answer, but there is no reason why this should be a problem. First of all, this is not an over night process. It's a life-long process and its often extended by our own stubbornness. Second of all, why would we look at others to prove whether what God says is true? That is why we have faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Finally, did Jesus himself ever say that He was sinless? He said no one was good but the Father. Of course we know that He was sinless, but the fact is, we should not desire to be sinless just to say that we are. We should look to glorify God, and that is why I can say every good thing I do comes from God, and every bad thing I do I can overcome because Jesus wants me to do so! The only example we need is Jesus, and if no one else around us seems to be living up-to-par, it should not change our faith.
Those who are alive during the end of the world will, in fact, be sinless. For bible proof just look at the verse we Adventists use extensively to prove we are God's remnant church (Rev. 14: 12)
And for anyone who claims to believe in Ellen White, there is no room for any other view. Ellen White plainly states that those in the end times will not be sinning. Even more plainly is Ellen Whites views on the 1888 message (If you are unfamiliar with this then please study it.) The 1888 message (very) simply states that through faith in God we can obey the law (among other things.) Furthermore, Ellen White called this message the beginning of the loud cry and the latter rain. Unfortunately as an institution we (as SDA's) rejected this message. However that doesn't change the fact that this message was one of the last steps before the end!
We must believe that God can change us here and now. It is in this belief that God can fully make us into the people He wants us to be, which is a people who reflect the character of Jesus Christ.
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