[mfblume]

Originally Posted by J-Roc

A chasing after the wind if one thinks they will reach absolute purity and perfection on this side of eternity, IMO....but I still need to review the PDF of the Nee book you linked and re-read Chapter 6....just to view this from your perspective....

Brother, thanks for your consideration to read the book.

But again, Paul clearly stated that we are as much dead to sin as Christ was when He resurrected. (Ro 6:9-11). And it is just this very sort of reasoning you espouse, no insult intended, that Romans 6 is trying to remove from our minds. We are dead indeed unto sin by ONE DEATH with Christ.

Brother, he that is dead is freed from sin. And we died with Christ when we were baptized into Him, for they who are baptized into Him are baptized into HIS DEATH. So long as we look to our fleshly ability to do good, IT IS A CHASE AFTER WIND. But when we walk in the Spirit, and not fulfill the lust of the flesh, not fulfilling the lust of the flesh is victory over sin!

To say this is chasnig after the wind is to say Paul was absolutely wrong in Romans 6.

AGAIN.. notice that Paul showed the keys to victory in Romans 6, and in describing his problem in Romans 7 he never ONCE MENTIONED USING THOSE KEYS from Romans 6. This proves that Romans 7 was past failure through which he learned the truths of which he wrote in chapter 6.

Again.... there is a remedy in 7:24-25, whcih woudl not be there if your hypothesis were correct.

Can we, or can we not walk after the Spirit? Paul said we can.

If man's central focus is on living perfectly, no soon after, I think spiritual pride is birthed and one begins to look down upon others....and one then keeps score based on Self's accomplishments....

Think about it. If we deny SELF so much that we allow the Spirit to live through us, then PRIDE is resurrecting SELF so as to hinder thatfrom occurring. It is only so much as we deny self and rely upon Him that we can do this successfully.

If our central focus is that we can do nothing without His empowerment, so we can live perfectly, then pride CANNOT ENTER.

it reminds me of the two dudes in Jesus' story where one was bawling on his knees in shame and in need for a Savior while the other pounded his chest and gave himself kudos for all that he had done.....

What this reminds me of, ironically, is the pharisee in that story who relied upon self effort so much that he was full of pride. But the publican who admitted his weakness is what is our example to depend upon God's Spirit in us since we KNOW we are nothing without him.