The Standard By Which We Will Be Judged

[votivesoul]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

I am living an overcoming life in which no present, active, or appearance of sin exists.

I believe in sinless perfection. I believe the law of sin will be present until glorification, but that law of sin need not reign in our mortal bodies. It can be crushed by repentance from dead works and faith toward God, building ourselves up in our most holy faith by praying in the Spirit, hating the garment stained by the flesh, etc.

A few weeks ago at a home fellowship, as I spoke to those present regarding sanctification. I assured them that as they progressed in their walk with God, that they CAN, through the Blood of the Atonement, get to a place where they begin to "sin less" until they reach a point of being "sinless".

Jaws dropped and revelation kicked in!

I was told by two people "No one has ever said that to me before".

God changed their minds and hearts toward how to live for Him that very moment.

It was beautiful.

It is faith in the power of the atoning blood of Jesus Christ and the mercy of God, not anything I personally merit or can do. My faith (trust, reliance, belief) in what the death and resurrection of Yeshua accomplished in me when God saved me that keeps me living a pure life of blameless holiness, to be obedient to the Father in all things.

I earn none of these things. They are credited to me by faith.

[votivesoul]

When lust hath conceived, it bringeth for sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death.

The wages of sin is death.

Salvation should not be looked at like a yo-yo, where a believer every day goes from saved to lost with every action or inaction.

Salvation should be understood as the power of God to keep us in His hand by His grace, through faith, and that He will constantly lead us back to Him for forgiveness if we miss the mark.

But if a person ignores that grace, and allows sin to abide, at the end, when sin has done its work, it will bring forth the wages which are meet: death.

And if physical death occurs while sin abides, the judgment seat of Christ will be terrifying.

[houston]

It all comes down to "love."


He said, "if you love me...."

My my.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

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

One of satans wiles is to bewitch the children of light to think they need not be free from sin to enter Heavens gates. Altho overcoming sin is not all there is to the Christian life it certainly is very important.

Most Pentecostal groups now espouse Evangelical teachings, one will never in this life overcome sin. This is very deadly thinking.

Christ Jesus will not marry a bride with sin in her life.

25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27

I think one of the passages of scriptures that just about as clearly as possible outlines the life of a Christian after the initial work of repentance/salvation is this one:

Col. 3:5-17
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

We see Paul here admonishing to put off the sins of the flesh (fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil passions, covetousness/idolatry), and not stopping there, but continuing to address the putting way of sins of the spirit (anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, and lying).

So we understand from this passage that sins of the flesh, and of the spirit are equally concerning to a disciple of Christ.

Paul then admonishes us to put on the bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing, and forgiving. So here we see that if disciples have abstained from flesh/spirit sins, but are not manifesting charity (love) in their life, they have not reached perfection. (vs. 14).

This is not a cut and dry - once saved always saved - kind of teaching, but instead it is a lifestyle of constant soul searching, honesty, and striving to manifest the fruit of righteousness and holiness each and every moment of our lives.

[Michael The Disciple]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

I think one of the passages of scriptures that just about as clearly as possible outlines the life of a Christian after the initial work of repentance/salvation is this one:

Col. 3:5-17
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

We see Paul here admonishing to put off the sins of the flesh (fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil passions, covetousness/idolatry), and not stopping there, but continuing to address the putting way of sins of the spirit (anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, and lying).

So we understand from this passage that sins of the flesh, and of the spirit are equally concerning to a disciple of Christ.

Paul then admonishes us to put on the bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing, and forgiving. So here we see that if disciples have abstained from flesh/spirit sins, but are not manifesting charity (love) in their life, they have not reached perfection. (vs. 14).

This is not a cut and dry - once saved always saved - kind of teaching, but instead it is a lifestyle of constant soul searching, honesty, and striving to manifest the fruit of righteousness and holiness each and every moment of our lives.

Amen!