Quote:
Originally Posted by mfblume
Exactly, which is why many with the Holy Ghost still sin.
From what I studied in Romans 6, Paul said that unless we know we died with Jesus so we could be dead to sin, and rise in newness of life, and come to God in faith with that mindset, we will sin. We will think we have to sin. And whatever we think we have to do, we will find ourselves doing it. So, Paul changes our expectations, and shows us we can expect victory if we understand the purpose of Christ's death and our baptism into it. We need confidence and God sees this faith for the purpose of His Spirit, and will empower us.
So, it is MUCH MORE than having the Holy Ghost.
It reminds me of Israel having the Ark. God's Presence. And they spied out Canaan and doubted they could enter. Joshua and Caleb said GOD IS WITH US! We can do this. But the other people looked at their own natural abilities, and looked at the giants and walls, and said they could not.
This showed God's power was abandoned and they relied on themselves. And God COULD NOT HELP THEM. Same with us. We can have the Holy Ghost like they had the Ark. But if we still rely on ourselves and not His power, we will fail.
Notice 39 years later they held the ark aloft and opened up the Jordan and brought down the same kind of walls their parents feared! |
We don't arrive to sinless perfection or maybe I am still lost. Paul like any preacher taught and preached the mark (persay). Walking in the Spirit is the mark (persay), but there hasn't been a man alive to reach perfection aside from Christ no matter what positive thinking we have. Of course we are to walk in the Spirit, but can you name a man alive who has walked in the spirit and not in some point fulfilled the lust of the flesh. (BTW, chastity would be a must then because we marry because of the lust of the flesh.)
I am not advocating failure, but instead grace. No matter how many times a person falls they must get back up. When we walk in the Spirit we don't fulfill the lust of the flesh, but the problem is that as long as we are human we are not going to always walk in the Spirit. I don't think the apostles did either by the scriptures which reveal their flaws.
Have you ever told a lie since coming to this revelation of divine empowerment. By this logic it would make you lost. I agree when we are where we should be in the Lord we are above reproach, but the problem is that we are not capable to do that 100% every second of our life.
That is what makes the grace of God necessary as long as we live. His grace keeps us from sin, and leads to repentence when we do sin. If people have to be living in divine empowerment to be saved (aka complete power from failure or sin) then I have not met a Christian yet. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
PS I am not an adulteror, fornicator, drunkard, theif, etc....., God has brought me out of those things therefore I do have authority over sin. But, I still have days where I have lost my temper and said something to my wife our children that I should not have. I have fudged on the truth since being fill with the Holy Ghost for expedience. These are not things I make excuses or even common practices, but they do wake me up to the fact that I still rely on God's grace.
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