Perfect Thunder

[Kokavkrystallos]

Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. - Matthew 5:48

If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. - James 3:2

"This is the glorious privilege of every Christian, yea, though he be but a babe in Christ. But it is only of grown Christians it can be affirmed, they are in such a sense perfect, as, Secondly, to be freed from evil thoughts and evil tempers. First, from evil or sinful thoughts. Indeed, whence should they spring? ‘Out of the heart of man,’ if at all, ‘proceed evil thoughts.’ If, therefore, the heart be no longer evil, then evil thoughts no longer proceed out of it: For ‘a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.’
“Thus doth Jesus save his people from their sins, not only from outward sins, but from the sins of their hearts. ‘True,’ say some, ‘but not till death, not in this world.’ Nay, St. John says, ‘Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because, as he is, so are we in this world.’ The Apostle here, beyond all contradiction, speaks of himself and other living Christians, of whom he flatly affirms, that, not only at or after death, but ’ in this world,’ they are ‘as their Master.’" John Wesley

I've been researching for 39 years, and will say with absolute confidence in the LORD, that the Christian doctrine of holiness, sanctification, and perfection is a real and solid Bible teaching. "Be ye holy, for I am holy." "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man can see the LORD." (Hebrews 12
Contemporary Christianity has adopted a bunch of phrases, cliches, and even whole teachings that are not in the Bible. "No one's perfect," is one. But the Bible doesn't teach that. It teaches we can be perfect, and wouldn't say such things if it wasn't attainable. By saying no one can be perfect is calling Jesus a liar, his half brother James a liar, the Apostle Paul a liar, and King David a liar. You are also calling the LORD, Yahweh Himself a liar, who declared Job to be perfect. But I understand, because this is how so many have been taught by modern day preachers. The Sacred Word of God is whittled down, watered down, and when such occurs, Christians live in weak states, suffering, and struggling, because the power hath been denied. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.

Job 1:1, "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil."
In Job the word "Tam" is used: it means perfect, complete, wholesome, morally innocent, having integrity, one who is morally and ethically pure.
Even after Satan afflicts Job the first time, after the LORD declares him perfect in Job 1:8, and the Word says "In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." (Job 1:22). Then the Scripture says, "And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause." (Job 2:3)
Job 2:10, after the second affliction, and the confrontation with his wife, the Word says "In all this did not Job sin with his lips."
Now Job was a perfect man. Not only does the narrator say it, but the LORD Yahweh Himself says it! We've already seen from James if you can keep your lips, and offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

Psalm 101:1-4, "I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person."
Here 2 words are used for perfect, "tamim" - integrity, truth, without spot, complete, innocent, unimpaired. Where it says "a perfect heart" that word is "tom" which means integrity, completeness, fulness, moral innocence, perfection.
Now backing up to Matthew and James, the opening verses: in both the word "teleios" is used for "perfect." It means, wanting nothing necessary to completeness, perfect, consummate human integrity and virtue, complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.)

Philippians 3:12-16 - Here Paul himself admits he hasn't attained, but he presses toward the mark; then he says "as many as be perfect, be thus minded," in verse 15,
" Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you."
Now it be true that sometimes the Greek means "mature" as well as the other attributes of the word, but as often it, as well as the Hebrew means perfect in actions, and in a moral sense, as previously seen.

Another popular phrase: "We all sin: we're all gonna sin. We sin every day." The Bible teaches rather, that all HAVE sinned, and none are without sin, for we are born in sin, and have sinned, and in the flesh we inherited a sin nature from Adam. But once we are born again, we put on the new man, we get a new nature, old has passed away, all has become new. that is, we are a new creature in Christ. You grow in Christ, and press forward toward that mark Paul talked about, to a life free from sin.
We see this principle in Romans 6:1-7,
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 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.
For he that is dead is freed from sin."
So, if we are dead, and freed from sin, why do we want to resurrect that old man, as if we are helpless but to let him live, and become a zombie as it were, the living dead, believing Christ for life, yet walking in a dead mans corpse; ie, the old man.
For you see, if we believe we're all gonna sin, and that we sin every day, then we probably will, but then so much of 1 John would have to be torn from the Bible!

1 John 2:1 - the first part of the verse precedes the "and IF any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. But before he says that he writes "THESE THINGS, that YE SIN NOT. And, he writes , IF, not when you sin, but if, in case you do.
How about the next few verses? Keep His commandments, then you know Him. If you say you know Him and don't keep His commandments, you are a liar, and the truth is not in you. Period. No wiggle room to worm your way out, because to do so, you're looking for excuses to sin, and I fully understand; even empathise with you if you feel that way, because I was also deceived by the modern way of teaching the Bible, and I always fell flat on my face, sometimes literally, I was so intoxicated!

Even those who are sincere, who don't fall into sin themselves, but still adhere to an easy grace gospel full of compromise, it seems many who sit under their teaching are carnal, or indifferent, because a friendly, neatly packaged Gospel is presented, but the Thunder and the Fire are missing! We do not see many radical transformations. The Bible says the yoke is destroyed because of the anointing (Isaiah 10:27). But where is the anointing?

Jonathan Edwards wrote, "When God hath opened a very large treasure before us, for the supply of our wants, and we thank him that he hath given us so much; if at the same time we be willing to remain destitute of the greatest pare of it, because we are too lazy to gather it, this will not show the sincerity of our thankfulness. We are now under much greater advantages to acquire knowledge in divinity, than the people of God were of old, because since that time the canon of Scripture is much increased. But if we be negligent of our advantages, we may be never the better for them, and may remain with as little knowledge as they.
Consider the advantages you are under to grow in the knowledge of divinity. We are under far greater advantages to gain much of this knowledge now, than God's people under the Old Testament, both because the canon of Scripture is so much enlarged since that time, and also because evangelical truths are now so much more plainly revealed. So that common men are now in some respects under advantages to know more, than the greatest prophets were then. Thus that saying of Christ is in a sense applicable to us, Luke x. 23, 24. " Blessed are the eyes which see the things which ye see. For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." We are in some respects under far greater advantages for gaining knowledge, now in these latter ages of the church, than Christians were formerly; especially by reason of the art of printing, of which God hath given us the benefit, whereby Bibles and other books of divinity are exceedingly multiplied, and persons may now be furnished with helps for the obtaining of Christian knowledge, at a much easier and cheaper rate than they formerly could." - Christian Knowledge
How much more so today can we say this! Not only the printing press, but electronic media. We have access to every writing at our fingertips via the internet, yet society seems to be in a dire spiritual state: a condition the prophets warned about would overtake us in the last days; perilous times, and times of false doctrine and seducing spirit, doctrines of devils.

George Whitefield wrote, "As God can send a nation or people no greater blessing than to give them faithful, sincere, and upright ministers, so the greatest curse that God can possibly send upon a people in this world, is to give them over to blind, unregenerate, carnal, lukewarm, and unskilled guides. And yet, in all ages, we find that there have been many wolves in sheeps’ clothing, many that daubed with untempered mortar, that prophesied smoother things than God did allow. As it was formerly, so it is now; there are many that corrupt the Word of God and deal deceitfully with it."

Liberal, watered down theology of our modern era is what slowly chiseled away at me, till I fell into all type of sin. Seek ye then true holiness and sanctification teaching.

1 John 3:2-10, all of it is good; all is important. Let's look at this: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
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.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."

Well, people say, "That means habitual sin." But the Bible doesn't say that, it uses the words harmatian, harmatanei & harmatanon. 1 John 3:4 has harmatian - 3:6 harmatanei & harmatanon. These can mean continual or practice of sin, but this is often used to excuse "little sins" or allow for occasional sin. You still have 1 John 2:1, that says "these things write I unto you that ye sin not." That means don't sin period. You also have 3:10 at the end of all this about whosoever sins knoweth not God, and it says "Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God. "Righteousness" is "dikaiosunen" meaning judicial approval, divine approval, the approval of God") refers to what is deemed right by the Lord (after His examination), i.e. what is approved in His eyes.
So even if we stretch 1 John 3 to mean continuing in sin, practicing sin, living a life of sin, which we could based on the Greek, we still contend with 1 John 2:1 and 3:10. You still have to reconcile 1 John 2:4, keeping His commandments: " He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him," 2:6, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." All His commandments summed up in love IS the keeping of the 10 commandments from the heart. 4:16-17, "he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." - His love is perfected in us.
How about 5:2, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."

 

[Kokavkrystallos]

(Continued....)
Take a look at Romans 3:25, "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" Many try to say Jesus forgave us every single sin we ever will commit, in a way that makes people more comfortable to sin. They say sin isn't good, but after all Jesus forgave us everything future, so don't worry too much about it. Scripture doesn't teach this. It says He forgave sins that are past, and then warns us to go and sin no more, to repent and do works meet for repentance, and to sin not. It warns of presumptuous sins, and cautions about tasting of the good Word of God and then falling away.
Read 1 John 5:3-12, noting 5:7, which is the number one verse supporting the doctrine of the trinity. ASV, NASB, NIV, TLB, etc omit this verse! In fact read all of First John, and when you do, how can you come away from that and still say "Well, we're all going to sin."

Ephesians 4:26, "be ye angry and sin not, let not the sun go down on your wrath. And while we're in Ephesians, how about 5:27 - a glorious Church (That would be us), not having spot, nor wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. Oh, that must mean just spiritually, or positionally, right? After all, we all make mistakes. No, it means HOLY! Stop your excuses, please!
And that's another popular phrase, "We all make mistakes." That part is true. The problem is when people refer to SIN as a "mistake" as if it were accidental. A mistake is misjudging the curb and running your tire up against it while parking. It's not sin. It's a misjudgment, often accidental: an error. It CAN be sin, but not always. The problem is the word mistake tones down sin, making it less harsh. Sin is sin, it's horrifically vile in the eyes of God, and it's wages are death. Sin is choosing to go against God's law and God's will. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. (Rom. 14:23)

There are sins of ignorance. "Cleanse thou me of secret faults." (Psalm 19:12) "Faults" is in italics, not in the original Hebrew. This most likely refers to things of the mind. The thought intruding itself is not sin, but the moment you dwell on it, entertain it, or fantasize about it, then it becomes sin. Our hearts in the flesh are vile. Out of our hearts proceeds evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. (Matt. 15:19) David goes on to pray to be kept back from presumptuous sins, so that he is upright and innocent from the great transgression.
Pray the prayer of David in Psalm 139:23-24. He's asking God to search him to see IF there is any wicked way in him, and "lead me in the way everlasting." He didn't even know for sure if wickedness was in him. I've had days like that. Not many, but I've had them. Grow me into thy presence LORD: cleanse me thoroughly presently, and for so long as I inhabit this clay; may it be in your potters hand, and not marred, so that it needs not remade over again. Amen! Amen!

Hebrews 5:14 - 6:1, "Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God."

Philippians 2:14-16, "Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life..." Blameless: "amemptos" in Greek means blameless, faultless, free from fault or defect. That's a very powerful verse. People don't think we can be blameless, "perfect" - in the Biblical sense, spotless, righteous, etc. The human worm is always looking for excuses, always looking for loopholes, a way out, so it can satisfy its flesh, and its mind. This vile worm, which is what the scripture calls all of us in the flesh, does not want to think in terms of holiness. It's used to the dirt, and the dead carcass that it's at home in.

What did Job say? "How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?" That's a "Rimma" in Hebrew for what a man is: a maggot; a cause and sign of decay. But for the son of man, it's "Tola" which is a little red worm. "When the female of the scarlet worm species was ready to give birth to her young, she would attach her body to the trunk of a tree, fixing herself so firmly and permanently that she would never leave again. The eggs deposited beneath her body were thus protected until the larvae were hatched and able to enter their own life cycle. As the mother died, the crimson fluid stained her body and the surrounding wood. From the dead bodies of such female scarlet worms, the commercial scarlet dyes of antiquity were extracted. What a picture this gives of Christ, dying on the tree, shedding his precious blood that he might 'bring many sons unto glory'" - Henry Morris. Biblical Basis for Modern Science

1 Corinthians 1:7-8, "Waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." Blameless there is "anegklētos" meaning unreproveable, unaccused, irreproachable, cannot be called into account. Oh, God does hold His children to a high standard: Be ye holy, for I am Holy, He says, and our Saviour commanded "Be ye perfect....."

Again, don't let modern day Christian teaching tell you that you can't be perfect, because according to the Bible, that's a lie. It's the leading cause for carnality among Christians, and I can testify that when you start cutting off those "little sins" and get rid of all outward sins of behavior, and start crucifying those thought sins, what a glorious thing! I can't begin to describe. When you can go all day without one thought of lust or anger that is sinful. That you are so occupied with meditating in the Word, enveloped in it, drinking it in, devouring it as your necessary food as Job 23:12 says, and sharing it with others while walking in love towards others: then you'll find sin just isn't there. Temptation can even get less and less, but don't be deceived - it WILL COME! Then you must stand and having done all, with all the armor of God, stand.

For when I walked in and believed, and taught this doctrine of Christian perfection, and was pressing toward that mark for the prize as Paul did, striving for the strait gate, I did not fall. But as soon as I compromised with some sin, be it rock music, or a little drink, or lust, then I did quench the Spirit and grieve Him mightily. I would cease fellowship, then slack on my studies and writing, and prayer: finally, when sin had its full sway leadeth to death, and - or prison. Shall I then compromise with shallow contemporary theology, strange doctrine, and other methodologies that are not in Scripture, knowing they lead to #1) Carnality, #2) Sinful life, #3) Death?

Andrew Murray wrote in 1893, " 1) There is a perfection of which scripture speaks as possible and attainable...there can be only one opinion as to the fact that God asks and expects His children to be perfect with Him; that He promises it as His own work; and that Scripture speaks of some as having been perfect before Him, and having served Him with a perfect heart. Scripture speaks of a Perfection that is at once our duty and our hope.
2. To know what this Perfection is we must begin by accepting the command, and obeying it with our whole heart. Our natural tendency is the very opposite. We want to discuss and define what Perfection is, to understand how the command can be reconciled with our assured conviction that no man is perfect, to provide for all the dangers we are sure are to be found in the path of Perfection.
This is not God's way. Jesus said, "If any man will do, he will know." The same principle holds good in all human attainment. It is only he who has accepted the command, "Be perfect," in adoring submission and obedience, who can hope to know what the Perfection is that God asks and gives. Until the Church is seen prostrate before God, seeking this blessing as her highest good, it will be no wonder if the very word "Perfection," instead of being an attraction and a joy, is a cause of apprehension and anxiety, of division and offence. May God increase the number of those who, in childlike humility, take the word from His own lips, as a living seed, in the assurance that it will bring forth much fruit."

I am obligated when I speak or write the Word, to do so in all its power, and detail, and above all, THE TRUTH of what the Scriptures say. The Bible tells me so. I can be perfect, in the Biblical sense, because the Bible tells me so, and it is God's Holy Word to man. I do NOT have to sin: The nature of sin may remain, but it is mortified, and the action of sin; the commission of sin can be broken. In HIS POWER, not my own, am I able to be in Him, by complete surrender of my will to His will: Not mine, but thine will be done, O LORD. By the crucifying of my flesh, denying self; "casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Cor. 10 :5-6), or as Wycliffes Bible says, "Destroying counsels, and all highness raising itself against the science of God, and driving into captivity all understanding into the service of Christ."
Bringing EVERY thought into captivity, not some thoughts; not most thoughts, but EVERY thought. Wycliffes says ALL understanding. That's that little word "pas" that pops up again and again in Scripture, and it means each, every, any, all, the whole, all things, every thing.

How about Genesis 17:1? "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect" Are we not blessed with faithful Abraham? Galatians 3:9, "So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." Again, Tamim: perfect, whole, sound, undefiled, without blemish, morally pure, etc.

Objections to this doctrine may be Romans 7, but we must see the continuity of the passage that progresses into chapter 8. Look at verses 1-4 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Note here first, ye must be IN CHRIST, and walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit, THEN ye shall have no condemnation. And we see the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, again, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. That means keeping the law by faith, as the earlier chapters of Romans declare plainly to us. Doesn't mean getting rid of the law, not having to keep the ten commandments, or any such teaching of the antinomian easy grace people who think we have to wallow in sin the rest of our lives. YES, it's a struggle, daily, but Dear Father in Heaven, God forgive us who have ever thought we have to sin, when the promises of Scripture plainly say we CAN overcome sin by the power of Christ in us! Amen!

Now one of the reasons today we have such a struggle with all this, besides the fact we have so many teachers saying no one's perfect and you are ALL GOING TO SIN, and sin every day, is a second reason that didn't become an issue until the past 100 years. That's electronic media: radio, TV, Internet, Smart Phones. Our society is saturated with sinful music, wicked images in TV, movies, Internet, and it's everywhere. On top of that, moral looseness and darkness is promoted in every segment of society. It's broken spirits: it's cast a spell on the nations, the people are drunk with this madness, and it gets accepted as "normal." God forbid when Christians become desensitized to what sin is, and how Holy our Holy God is, and walk in the same darkness of the world. For those who do this, repent, saith the LORD: The Scriptures call you, and the Holy Word goes out to you and shall not return void: it will either convict you and bring repentance to you, or condemn you and judge you for your unbelief!

C.H. Spurgeon in his 1856 message Turn or Burn said, , "This evil generation hath labored to take away from God the sword of His justice; they have endeavored to prove to themselves that God will “clear the guilty,” and will by no means punish “iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exo 34:7).
Two hundred years ago, the predominant strain of the pulpit was one of terror—it was like Mount Sinai. It thundered forth the dreadful wrath of God;"....
(Indeed,) because this age is wicked it is to have no hell; and because it is hypocritical it would have but feigned punishment. This doctrine is so prevalent as to make even the ministers of the gospel flinch from their duty in declaring the day of wrath. How few there are who will solemnly tell us of the judgment to come."
Now we are 168 years in the future from his time and Wow Oh wow, those words hit home, don't they? It's far worse today than in the 1800's. Spurgeon also had this to say in the same sermon:

"Repentance to be sure must be entire. How many will say, “Sir, I will renounce this sin and the other; but there are certain darling lusts which I must keep and hold.” O sirs, in God’s name let me tell you, it is not the giving up of one sin, nor fifty sins, which is true repentance; it is the solemn renunciation of every sin. If thou dost harbor one of those accursed vipers in thy heart, thy repentance is but a sham. If thou dost indulge in but one lust, and dost give up every other, that one lust, like one leak in a ship, will sink thy soul. Think it not sufficient to give up thy outward vices; fancy it not enough to cut off the more corrupt sins of thy life. It is all or none which God demands. “Repent,” says He; and when He bids you repent, He means repent for all thy sins, otherwise He never can accept thy repentance as being real and genuine."

Galatians 5 is another passage that gets all twisted up in contemporary theology. 5:18, "But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law" See! They say, you don't have to keep the law. the 10 commandments don't apply to us. That was for Israel. And on and on they go with their excuses to sin, looking for any loophole they can to justify their carnal lusts! THAT IS NOT WHAT IT MEANS! We already saw Romans chapters 6, 7, and 8, but we also have Romans 3:31, "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." How are you gonna reconcile your false doctrine with that? galatians 5:18 and other passages mean we are not under the curse and penalty of the law, nor do we try to keep the law by works. But we also have Romans 7:12 & 14, "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good....For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin"

The law shows us our sin: it is God's measuring stick, and it is NOT passed away, but forever settled that not one jot nor tittle shall pass from the law till heaven and earth pass, and they ain't done passed yet, have they? (Matthew 5:17-18) I'd highly recommend 2 short books: both are online. A.W. Pink's "The Law & The Saint," Chapel Library and D.L.Moody's "Weighed and Wanting: Addresses on the Ten Commandments" Weighed and Wanting: Addresses on the Ten Commandments by Dwight Lyman Moody

Jesus' sacrifice covers the penalty of the law, but NEVER EVER excuses us from it! We keep the law by faith, and by walking in the Spirit, and by love.

Why is it you have so many millions of professing Christians in America, but so little to show for it, and so many "carnal Christians?" I'd rather see a church with 20 or 30 people living holy lives obedient to the LORD, than 5,000 or 10,000 in some Megachurch, most of whom live in sin, compromise, and shallow professions: where the sermons are feel good messages by the pillow prophets who speak peace, peace, when there is no peace. New age mush, motivational speaking, might sound good to the unlearned, but is not the Gospel!

 

[Kokavkrystallos]

(Continued)
Now, are we still short of the glory of God? Certainly, yes. We are not in glorified bodies yet, and in the flesh we cannot see God. Those who behold even a partial revelation of God's glory usually fall on their knees, or on their face with no strength remaining. Daniel 10:8-9 " I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground." That word for "comeliness," is "hod" meaning, beauty, comeliness, excellency, glorious, glory, goodly, honour, majesty. Daniel could be said to be a perfect man: there is no specific sin or failing recorded of him in Scripture. Yet before God he discerned corruption in his flesh.

John Owen (1616-1683) wrote in Mortification of Sin, "That the choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin." Amen to that! Amen and Amen! Let us be done with sin till it is done! Christ broke the power of sin. Amen!

I'll share two experiences of the few I had over the years where God's presence and power was revealed to me. One time in 1993 on the summit of a small mountain did I come into the presence of the Spirit, and fell to my knees hard, but was not hurt. Then I basked in the glory for an undetermined period of time, as time seemed to be suspended. After which, I felt purified and cleansed, as if an infusion of life had been given: and I experienced as it were Song of Solomon 2:8, "The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills." For Daniel was called beloved at the visitation, and the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. Another time in the fall of 1997 I was flat on my back in a field, and could not move, as a double rainbow appeared in the sky on a cloudless day, and it was as if the Holy Spirit washed over me.

You'll realize your utter corruption, even if you are not committing known sins: the flesh itself must not feel at ease nor at home in God's presence, and it cannot stand, for it is truly vile. But at the same time, you'll feel loved, and cleansed, and rejuvenated. There then are times you can be free from all sins that you commit, though not free from the nature of sin, nor temptation. When you bask in that measure of God's presence that He gives, or when reading Scripture, or prayer, or even general life. Some studies show an average man has sexual thoughts 19 times a day. Try Zero. Because you can overcome lustful thoughts by the power of the Word. Also, it depends if it's an intruding thought you cast down, or a thought you chew on for awhile till it becomes sin. Still, even if you know you haven't committed any known sin in the day, it is wise to pray Psalm 139 in case any sin of omission occured, or just for the fact our sin nature still is with us.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Therefore, let us strive and seek for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, who calleth us to perfection, and if we seem to fall short at times, confess and repent, so that blood of Jesus Christ forgives us, and cleanseth us from all unrighteousness - for all unrighteousness is sin. But continue to strive, and press forward; do not slack, do not wallow, do not draw back, for he who draws back, it is said "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." (Hebrews 10:38-39)

So finally, let us say, "Thy word hath I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." (Psalm 119:11)

AMEN.