Sinful housework
 

I was cleaning my house recently, and as I was cleaning, I was bemoaning the fact that I had only cleaned it yesterday, and yet today, here I am again, back at it, cleaning the same floor, the same dish, the same rug, making the same bed, and dusting the same furniture. You would think that after the scrubbing I gave the house yesterday, that the cleaning would have lasted longer than one day. I was exhausted yesterday, but felt extremely fulfilled, believing that finally my house was clean… until I looked up at the ceiling, and realized that there was a cobweb or two I had missed, and I looked in the closet, and realized there were boxes of dust-laden junk in there that I still needed to go through, and I opened a drawer in my cabinet, and realized there was junk in there that needed organizing… just when I thought I was through!

I sighed, and just sank back down on the couch… “can’t I just have a moment of victory” I thought? Just ONE time when the entire house was completely clean, perfect, and without a spot or wrinkle anywhere?

I then began to contemplate how much like housework is my own spiritual life.

You see, housekeeping in my heart is a lot of work too. I must spend a lot of time in prayer… figuratively dusting, wiping, polishing, and throwing out things in my life every day. Every day, I must deal with the dust that has settled on my heart from yesterday… the word spoken that was hurtful, the thought that passed my mind, and I allowed it to rest there, the desire in my heart to have something that doesn’t belong to me… and on the list goes. It never seems to end!

Each day though, I go through the rooms of my heart, and try to clean, polish, eradicate, and move around the dust, dirt and grime that has settled since yesterday, and as I finish praying, I can feel confident that I’ve completely cleaned the “house of my heart”. I may feel confident that I can leave from here today, and I won’t have to come back and clean this room again.

Alas, though… for as soon as I leave my time of prayer, that thought that I thought I had banished forever, pounces back and props itself up in my mind… bringing with it then a new challenge. This challenge presents itself possibly as I meet someone in the grocery store who pushes in front of me in the line, and I feel sudden anger at this injustice, even as I had just prayed moments before, and thought I had eradicated all anger and malice from my heart!

How can this be?

Let’s look at another aspect of this for just a moment. Peter speaks in Acts 2:38 and says “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the REMISSION of your sins.”

Let’s take a look at the word “remission”, and what it means in the English language… http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/remission
re•mis•sion
noun \ri-ˈmi-shən\
: a period of time during a serious illness when the patient's health improves
: the act of reducing or canceling the amount of money that you owe
: the reduction of a prison sentence

And now, let’s look at the Greek word for remission:

Cognate: 859 áphesis (from 863 /aphíēmi, "send away, forgive" ) – properly, "something sent away"; i.e. remission ("forgiveness"), releasing someone from obligation or debt. See 863 (aphiēmi).

So the remission of sins essentially means this “sending away and releasing our obligation or debt” of sin.

Now, I’ve always thought that remission of sins essentially meant that the sin was eradicated or done away with. Apparently not so. The translations of remission essentially mean that the sin has been released from our debt, and we owe no more obligation because of that sin. It does not say that the sin would never tempt or bother us again, it just means that sin has been released from our debt. If that were the case, then the scripture would read “eradication” or “destruction” of sin.. but it doesn’t, it reads… remission.

With the understanding of the word remission, now let’s look at a practical example of remission in our lives today.

We all know of someone who has cancer that has been told that their cancer is in “remission”. This means that the cancer has been beat back, sent away, and is gone for the present time. However, does this mean that the cancer will never, ever, ever return? NO, of course not. It means simply that right now, the cancer is gone, and not currently a problem. However, the cancer patient knows that this means the cancer is dormant, and could return at any time.

In a sense though, the patient knows that cancer is never gone, and unfortunately, most of us can all relate or know of someone in whom the cancer was in remission, yet it does return, pops out of remission, for a variety of reasons, and many times after being in remission for a while, sadly claims its victim in the final battle.

This is not a pretty picture of sin at all, but I think sin needs to be understood using this illustration. There is a reason that the apostles taught that sin is in remission. It is gone, and shoved far away, beat down, and supposed to be lying dormant, as long as we allow the Spirit of Christ to REIGN in our lives. However, at any given time, should we let down our guard, and not allow the Spirit of Christ to reign in our lives, that dormant sin that had been in remission, can rise up again to torture, torment, and wreak havoc with our lives.

Thus, the only cure and the only remedy to keep sin in remission is the constant application of blood of Christ, and by allowing the Spirit of Christ to reign within us.

We must be aware, and cognizant of the fact that sin has not yet been destroyed… not yet. That final day of reckoning with sin is coming and will take place when we stand before the White Throne Judgment, when satan and all his imps are cast into their eternal destiny, and then sin finally will be destroyed, forever.

That day has not yet come.

Sin is in remission, it is beat back, and victory is around the corner, but we cannot relax and think that our enemy of sin won’t come back to haunt and terrorize us ever again.

Because THAT is the lie that satan wants us to believe. He wants us to forget about the dormancy of sin, and seeing our relaxation (failing to read the Word, pray, and allow the Spirit of Christ to reign in us), then sin pounces on us when our guard is down, then we are taken unawares, and captured again by the effect of sin… and if that sin is not dealt with, put into remission… we stand to lose the final battle against sin.

This is truth, pure and simple. We are waging a constant battle against sin... even those who claim to be the most spiritual of those among us… and none of us will be victors until we have gained eternity! Jesus Christ is the only perfect man, and the ONLY human to have completely attained victory over sin…. Yet. But there is coming a day when we will receive new and incorruptible bodies whereby we will be made into His image… then and only then will we have achieved complete victory over sin!

Now, with this understanding of sin, you can see why sin is so much like housework. Those of us who have the responsibility of housework in our homes, understand that while you can accomplish much in one day, and feel like the job is done, in reality we know that tomorrow, the very same job awaits us. Just as housework is never done, so the battle with sin will never be done, until we have reached eternity. The enemy would have us to think that once we beat it into submission once, that the job is done, and in believing that lie, we let down our guard, while he pounces on us in a weak moment, and destroys all that we have worked so hard for.

So, if we begin to understand that sin is something we must constantly be on guard against, fight against, and keep in remission, as much as possible, then we can and will win this battle! The Spirit of Christ living within us is well able to pinpoint, and discern sin that creeps into our lives just like tiny specks of dust and dirt creep into our homes. We can clean our house until it shines, but even in that shine, there is an imperfection waiting somewhere that we have missed.

We must strive for perfection which is living above perpetual, continuing sin, yet at the same time we must acknowledge that until the day we are changed from corruptible to incorruptible, we will wage this war with sin, our flesh, and satan.

We must be willing to die out to sin, to the natures of our flesh, to the lusts that reach out to us each day from this body of death we dwell in, and EACH DAY, every moment, every hour of the day, we must be cognizant, and aware of the battle that we are in!

So the next time you are doing housework, and you feel like you have thoroughly cleaned your house from top to bottom, it is spic and span clean in every way… can you can say that indeed you have cleaned out each and every closet, every single bare inch of floor in that house, that every single inch of wall space, and cabinet space has been cleaned, and that dust has been completely removed and eradicated from your house, never to return? I think not!

Housework is never, ever done! Because even if a dish is clean today, tomorrow it will be dirty again. A cobweb may be banished today, but the spider may come back in the middle of the night, and spin his web again. A closet may be cleaned out today, but tomorrow someone may throw a whole new pile of junk into it. The floor may be clean after you scrub it, but in a moment your son may walk through the door with muddy boots, oblivious to the fact that you just scrubbed it, and alas, it is dirty again!

Spiritually looking at this, we may wage a battle, and feel victorious because one spiritual closet sin has been cleaned, yet all the while we know there are five other closet sins in our spiritual house which haven’t been dealt with yet.

Such is the battle with sin! We are fools if we think we have completely overcome this war with sin! Yes, we may win some battles against it! Addictions may have been eradicated, sins may have been exposed and expelled from our lives… but beware, our greatest enemy within, our flesh… never stops seeking and looking for an opportunity to rise up again, out of remission, and attack us again, unaware! Yes, we may win battles, but our flesh seeks to win the war.

Our only hope is this…. allowing the Spirit of Christ moment by moment access to our deepest heart secrets, and allow Jesus and His Word to seek out, pinpoint, and deal with the sin in our heart each and every day. This is the only way we can we ever have any hope at all of winning the final war on sin!

Be aware that you will battle sin on new levels every single day! You may have won the battle yesterday, but there is a new one waiting for you today! You may have asked forgiveness for the ugly thoughts you thought while someone cut before you in line at the grocery store, but just wait… tomorrow you may find out a friend has stabbed you in the back, told lies on you, and hurt you deeply… what are you going to do then? Are you going to say, well… I’ve already dealt with ugly thoughts in my head, I’m not going to deal with them again today? Will that work?

NO! It won’t. We have got to deal with flesh/sin on an ongoing, daily, moment by moment basis, and constantly put them under the blood with the Spirit of Christ each moment of the day.

Remember, sin IS like housework. It is not going away. It will be here tomorrow, just as it is today.

The difference is your awareness of that sin, and how you deal with it.

Re: Sinful housework
 

Thank you!! I needed that! :)

Re: Sinful housework
 

We can be victors now. Matter of fact we must be.

Paul said we were MORE THAN CONQERERS.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Rom. 8:35-37

Its through Jesus. We are MORE than conquerers

Re: Sinful housework
 

I hear what you're saying KeptBTW, and I agree with some of it, of course with some changes, but I have to agree with MTD. Yes, it is a constant battle, war within ourselves to fight our flesh each and every day. And each day that that battle comes about, you can overcome it.

The thing that I think is a hangup for people, is that they keep feeling that if a temptation comes their way, then they have sinned, and that is simply not so, because if that was the case, then Jesus would have been far from perfect. You see the devil tempting Him with suicide, tempting Him with arrogance and pride, tempting Him to worship the devil. There's like this misconception of Jesus. I don't know exactly what people think, but it seems that when Jesus was walking around here in the flesh, they have made Him out to be this weak, wimpy, being. Jesus was constantly rebuking people, and He showed anger, righteous anger. You're not going to be in this place of calm, peace and harmony all the time, showing an abundance of love, sprouting out rainbows everywhere you go, when nothing effects you, and this seems to be, (at least to me) what people equate being perfect and sinless is, as if never a negative human emotion will come upon you.

Of course the devil will continue to fight you, to wage war against your soul, he's going to do anything and everything within his power to take you onto hell with him, and as long as he makes you feel that there's nothing that can be done, he's already won. The devil would be never ending, because he has nothing to lose, he's going to test you, to try you, to tempt you, in every way possible that he can, he knows your weaknesses, and he would play on those things to tear you down. And he would have you think that the temptations in your flesh, is stronger than the power that you have with God, that the flesh is just too strong, and that you can't overcome it.

And no, you can't battle this alone by yourself, but if you cleave to the Holy Ghost, to the spirit, to that of God, to the side of right, it can be done. In your flesh, you'll feel heavy, worn down, burdened, loaded with something, and of course you'll feel that way when you're constantly battling, but there will be peace within your soul. And like you said, there will never, or rarely ever be an, "Aha! I'm done!" moment because this is a battle for as long as we're here, which would never be truly completed until death, or Jesus comes. But you can die out to your sins, and have it lose its luster, but you still will be tempted...

Re: Sinful housework
 

This is true, Marie. Sometimes people feel guilty when they don't have to and castigate themselves for being human. Being human is not a sin and being tempted is not a sin. I think we need to also feel compassion for ourselves. We have been told too long that giving ourselves anything good must be wrong, or it wouldn't feel good. That somehow, feeling good about ourselves is sin. I believe that is a lie. There is, of course, a place where we can go too far with these thoughts, but, in my opinion, many more need to feel that compassion and give themselves a break.

Re: Sinful housework
 

The hardest thing to do is to forgive one's self.

Re: Sinful housework
 

You know, housework has taken on a whole new meaning for me now :heeheehee

Re: Sinful housework
 

I believe that we can be conquerors, MTD. One day at a time. Do you agree that the flesh still has not been perfected? Jesus is the ONLY perfect human, both flesh and spirit. The Spirit of Christ can reign in us, but the flesh will constantly be resisting.

So, to understand this, the Spirit of Christ seeks to perfect us, but the flesh is constantly resisting. Paul compared our spiritual walk to a battle, and it is. Paul told us to fight the good fight of faith. It is a fight every day to allow the spirit of Christ to reign in our lives.

But, the mind of Christ can reign, we don't have to allow sin to reign, but we must be aware that it is a constant battle we will fight until the day we die, or we are transformed into the incorruptible body Paul speaks of.

Re: Sinful housework
 

So true Marie. The spirit and mind of Christ should reign in us, and can. It works to continually perfect us. But our flesh will always resist, and that is the catch. We are still in the flesh, we have not received our glorified bodies yet, and we are still in the war. It is a battle, but we can continue to overcome, and be conquerors on a daily basis.

I would like to address the temptations that you brought up. I have heard the saying "You can't help that a bird flies over your head, but you can keep him from building a nest on your head." So yes, we cannot control the thoughts, desires, and things that the flesh will use to fight against the spirit. Just because we experience a temptation, does not mean we have sinned. The difference is when we begin to entertain and give place to the thoughts that come, to the temptations that show up.

HOW we deal with thoughts/temptations/desires, determines whether it becomes sin or not.

We can resist and fight back against the temptations/thoughts/desires of our flesh with the Word of God and the Spirit of the Lord.... or we can entertain those things, allow them to take up residence, and become eventually a sin in our lives. There is a big difference, and very important to understand, so that we don't beat ourselves up for things we shouldn't.

Re: Sinful housework
 

Amen. Our thoughts and desires are not sin, unless we entertain them in our minds, until they turn into actions that are determined to be sin by the word of God. And there is such a thing as righteous anger, as one verse says "Be ye angry and sin not". So, yes there is a balance here, that can slip too far one way or the other.

Thank you for making this point!

Re: Sinful housework
 

Very true words. But, I believe that when we understand the completeness of the forgiveness of God in our lives, when we have done all we can do to repent, and make right the wrong in our lives, that the Lord can bring a healing to our minds, and a peace to take the place of the pain.

And when the enemy comes back to try to accuse us of the past, we can remain confident that it is under the blood, not to be removed, and strung out again, because the Lord does not do that. He forgives, and it is gone.

The enemy is the condemner and the one who would bring out our past sins, and parade them in front of us. Our job is to remind him of his future, and praise the Lord for his healing, and forgiveness, and not entertain any thoughts of condemnation.

There is healing available from the Lord that will help you to forgive yourself and to go on and be more than a conqueror for the Lord!

Re: Sinful housework
 

Yes! This is what I keep trying to say when these conversations come around. But can you agree with me that, if we never let those temptations/thoughts/desires take over us, that if we don't entertain these things, that if we keep resisting, then we can in fact live perfect, sinless lives? I always look at that scriptures that tells us to be "perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect" as being perfect in all that we know. As in all that you know to do that is right, you do that, and whatever you know to do that is wrong, you don't do that

I guess along with a few others, I keep asking this question, "What do you think being sinless and perfect means?" Because when it's explained and outlined like it is above, how can you not live a sinless life? Does it mean that you can't fight temptation, that you have to always give in, or most or at least some of the time? I just want to understand..

Re: Sinful housework
 

Perfection. It is always in the eyes of the beholder.

I believe that perfection isn't a static state. Too many believe this and stunt their growth. Perfection is a process. In fact, we see this in our own lives. Our children are born... and they are perfect. They crawl and they are perfect. They become toddling toddlers toddling about and they are perfect. They grow into young adults. They begin to encounter life on this world and make choices. Some for their good... some for their bad... and yet still... they are perfect. They grow into adults and parents, grandparents, and then they die. Throughout this process... they are perfect.

One is perfect as long as one is being all that God intended them to be in that moment. It doesn't demand a moralized perfection. Nor a legalistic perfection. It's a perfection in relation to what one is... not in relation to what one does.

Re: Sinful housework
 

Yes Jesus said we must deny ourselves daily.

Luke 9:23-24

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

No way is it all a done deal EXCEPT by faith. There certainly is a battle between the flesh and the spirit. And yet the Lord Jesus never in any statement says anything to make us think we cannot do his will!

Even Paul the writer of the famous flesh vs spirit passages sandwiched that information in between Romans chapter six and eight which are filled with teaching about the overcoming life!

To the Galatians he sums o the three chapters (Romans 6-8) like this:

Gal. 5:16-24

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

He concludes this teaching with an almost unheard of truth in verse 24.

They that are Christs HAVE crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts!

So in no way does the Apostle leave saints with the impression the war between the flesh and spirit cannot be won. Rather verse 24 actually questions the salvation of of anyone who has is allowing lifes affections and lusts to rule them.

This is why we must also make war on todays false doctrine that men cannot overcome sin. If we give the message that sin is normal to a Christian it may be all their flesh needs to hear to come down off the cross, give in to temptation and allow sin to overcome them.

Re: Sinful housework
 

Why not just get rid of the fleshly carnal nature and walk free of sin not free from temptation but free from the desire and pull of sin

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Re: Sinful housework
 

I feel like I'm lost regarding what everyone is saying in regards to the terminology everyone is saying.

I think that there is a battle within you when these temptations come about, especially those sins that you haven't died out to yet. Even if or when you die to sin and overcome it, wherein it loses all its luster, stop being appealing to you, where you have no care or desire for it, it doesn't mean that the devil isn't going to tempt you, to see if you truly did die to it.

Anyway, yes I believe that you are to crucify your flesh, dying to sin, that you're to live a sinless life of perfection, but that doesn't mean that you're not going to have to fight, battle, still overcome any new temptations (or even old ones) that pops up.

Re: Sinful housework
 

This is done through faith on a daily basis. Jesus said deny yourself DAILY.

That's why Paul said I DIE DAILY.

Even Yeshua had to pray at the end of his ministry "Not as I will but as you will".

Nonetheless there are seasons when we may find victory much easier than at other seasons.

Bottom line is we are new creations in Christ. We can and must overcome sin.

Re: Sinful housework
 

This is one of the topics that we agree on for the most part.

I cannot see in scripture where we have to kill the flesh everyday. The passage which you are refering to where Paul says that he dies daily is not in reference to killing any fleshly desire or even to dying to his flesh daily rather in context he is speaking of being willing to die physically daily. I agree that we like Jesus may not want to feel the pain that following God bringsbut we like Him should also never desire to sin. I also agree that there are times the devil fights harder than at other times. You are correct as to the bottom line also. Like one older preacher once said it is more important to live holy than it is to know holiness doctrine.

Re: Sinful housework
 

Yes for the most part PTL.

Yet think about what Paul meant by "I die daily" in the light of the words of Christ.

Luke 9:23

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Deny self, take cross DAILY.

Admittedly when flesh is consistently denied it sometimes seems as if there is no conscious effort going forth. But that is the fruit of consistent obedience.
:highfive

Re: Sinful housework
 

Haven't read all of the Post's, but all so far seem good. I agree it is a daily 24/7 desire to serve God more than self. Therefore we are to die daily.

Michael wrote,
So True!

Re: Sinful housework
 

Please explain the difference between 'temptation' on the one hand, and 'the desire and pull of sin' on the other hand. It seems as if they are the same thing, for how can a temptation be a temption if it is not a 'desire and pull of sin'? IE if there is no desire (lust), there cannot be a temptation????

'But every man when he is tempted, is drawn away by his own lust (desire) and enticed (pulled)'...????


Just trying to clarify things here a bit.

Re: Sinful housework
 

If temptation is "tempting" in any degree... you still have sin in you. Sin is more than an action contrary to the nature of God. Sin is part of the fallen nature. You will battle this fallen nature throughout your entire life. This battle will only cease when you've experienced glorification... being raised or transformed. The old nature will be changed and the new nature will not have the principle of sin functioning in it, because it will not be fallen. Until then, we will struggle with sin. Some days will be days of great victory. Some days will be days wherein your carnality will arise and yes... you will sin. However, confession and repentance are available to the child of God, just as it is available to all. The problem arises when a child of God refuses to confess and repent. They are not instantly lost. Instead God deals with them as children and brings chastisement and corrective judgments by allowing them to reap the consequences of their actions. Only after one refuses to receive God's correction can one be cut off.

Sanctification is the progression into "Christlikeness" and only ends in perfection upon glorification. Until then we strive against the flesh, striving to be filled with Christ and to emulate Him in our lives. Each of us do this to varying degrees... and therefore there will be varying degrees of reward in Heaven.

I fear that those who teach Christian perfectionism can lose sight of these realities. The result can bring a heaping sense of failure and condemnation to those who are currently in need of greater sanctification and are having a hard time struggling against the carnal nature.

Re: Sinful housework
 

Was Jesus tempted in all points like as we?

Also, you seem to be saying temptation itself is sinful. Thus, if you experience a temptation, you are already guilty...????

Re: Sinful housework
 

Remember, the following are sinful behaviors rooted in flesh:

sexual immorality
impurity
sensuality
idolatry
sorcery
enmity
strife
jealousy
fits of anger
rivalries
dissensions
divisions
envy
drunkenness
orgies

..and things like these.

I've seen those who professed "perfection" be full of anger, strife, lust, dissention, and rivalries. Let's be real. I even heard a Christian professor of "perfection" chew his wife out rather harshly after church. He then realized that he made a mistake when she told him all the details and he apologized. So much for "perfection". The man sinned.

Re: Sinful housework
 

Yes, Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh. His flesh had the same fallen impulses as found in anyone else. However, Christ never gave into those temptations and carried that flesh all the way to the cross. Crucifying it and it's lusts.

None of us can say that we've never sinned. We're already tainted. We've already blew the standard. If we never sinned again... none of us would be worthy of Heaven or to profess perfection.

Re: Sinful housework
 

Was he in fact sinning when he rebuked his wife? Perfection, as I understand it, does not include perfect knowledge of all things (omniscience). If the facts were as he understood them to be, perhaps under those circumstances the rebuke would have been entirely justified. I do not see where perfection, as mentioned in Scripture, precludes an angry rebuke. Jesus 'chewed people out' several times, yet he was, of all people, without sin in any way.

Re: Sinful housework
 

Temptation is the subconscious desire to please the flesh and it's sinful impulses. If sin didn't reside in us, in the nature of our fallen flesh, it would be as appealing as eating a bowl full of feces.

Re: Sinful housework
 

But you just said that if there is any 'tempting' in a temptation, then sin is there, it is sinful. Now you are saying Christ was tempted like we are, yet he did not give in to those temptation. Seems like one standard for Christ, another for us. He is tempted, and has 'the same fallen impulses' we do. But, in us, it indicates sin, in him, merely temptation.

????

Re: Sinful housework
 

So then Jesus had a sin nature, like we do?????

Re: Sinful housework
 

Jesus never chewed anyone out without knowing that it was justified. Perfection seeks the facts prior to rebuke... else one rebukes on false pretenses. Something rampant in our movement.

Re: Sinful housework
 

Remember, sin is also a principle at work in our flesh. Something we're born with. We didn't ask for it. When one sins in deed, they are giving into the law of sin that is at work in the flesh. Jesus acted on the impulse.

Re: Sinful housework
 

Being morally perfect in a human cannot extend to perfect knowledge of all facts. It can extend to whatever knowledge one has of facts that are known, as they are known.

A man may honestly believe he has the facts, and act accordingly, and be morally perfect in that regard, and yet be mistaken as to the facts.

Although it might also be said one who is morally perfected by grace would, if the facts indicate a rebuke is in order, seek first to ask 'what's going on here?' rather than render a judgement. IE examine first, reserve judgement for after all the facts are in.

Re: Sinful housework
 

True... However, if one doesn't inquire as to the facts before confrontation, are they not being "imperfect" or "missing the mark"? Could they not be guilty of wrongful accusation and character assassination? Could they not be sowing the root of bitterness? To jump all over someone without even having a regard for the facts, their motivations, and reasons why about a given thing is terribly carnal and reeks of arrogance.

If a man believes he has all the facts, and doesn't, has he not deceived himself? Has he not convinced himself of his own error? In some cases, has he not believed a self-told lie? How is that "morally perfect"?

For example, a soldier fires into the brush before authenticating if what he heard was enemy and kills 9 friendly soldiers. Morally perfect based on what he thought? Now we're lost on a sea of circumstantial morality. He is morally imperfect in that he FAILED to authenticate that he was about to engage enemy. Now lives are lost needlessly due to his gross misconduct. Hardly morally perfect. In fact... fearful and imperfect. Which... in many situations I can understand because I was in the military. But he'd never say he was morally perfect. He'll live his life saying, "I should have verified that they were enemy..."

Exactly. A morally perfect man would never launch into a tirade against another before inquiring as to what the issue truly is. The only exception would be if he stepped out in divine revelation by virtue of the gift of knowledge. Sadly, this has been used as a cloak too many times when men have been terribly carnal and incorrect in their biased assessments.

Re: Sinful housework
 

The point is... the flesh is fallen and internally governed by the law of sin operating within it's nature. Therefore, while one may walk upright during a given day without committing sins of action... the very principle of sin is still at work in their members. They still have sin on account of nature. And this will only be changed when one is glorified in absolute sinless perfection. That is the perfection we strive to attain through keeping faith. Until then... they'll be subject to the desires of the flesh and have to keep on top of them. Given a weak moment be it anger, hurt, stress, physical desire, coveting, etc.... it can get the best of them. Thus... they are far from perfect in the sense that it is common used by Christian perfectionism. They can be perfect in their spiritual maturity wherein they increasingly grow in Christlikeness and instances of sin become less and less. Or if they sin... they turn to confession and repentance.

I know humble men in their 80's who continued to confess sin and turn towards the Lord in a repentant heart all the way up to their death bed. Now... that's honesty and integrity in an earthen vessel.

Re: Sinful housework
 

Here's another thing... perfection would not lack any degree of faith. With faith the size of a mustard seed... one can allegedly move mountains. And all that Christ did and even greater things are we promised to do. If one has attained perfection... would they please step up and raise my brother from the dead? If they don't have the faith to even try... they have a varying degree of unbelief. Again, that is far from perfection. For perfection would step up, speak the word, and deliver from the grave. And is that not what Jesus Himself did in His perfection?

I'm always suspect of those who profess perfection. However, I am comforted by those who are perfect in where they are in Christ right now, although they may have more growing to do with regards to being more and more like Jesus... and are honest about it.

Re: Sinful housework
 

If one desires to be "perfect" I believe they do well to grow in two areas...

-They should seek to grow in loving God with all of their being.
-They should demonstrate their growing love of God by growing in their love towards others. Ever increasingly loving others as themselves.

Re: Sinful housework
 

I think you and I (and others?) are using different definitions or meanings of 'perfect'.

What is sinful about housework?

Maybe housework should be sinful. Then we'd enjoy it.

Re: Sinful housework
 

IF ONE DESIRES TO BE PERFECT?

I did not know we had a choice in the matter?

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matt 5:48

Or:

12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God Col. 4:12

So it looks like its not optional from here!

Re: Sinful housework
 

There is a difference between SINLESS PERFECTION and the anointing one has to minister. Everyone of us are called to be without sin.

Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. 1 Cor. 15:30

Yet not all have the gifts of healing and miracles.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 1 Cor. 12:7-10