But my question is,"What is sin?" The breaking of the 10 commandments? Is failing to show active and Christlike 'fruits of the Spirit" sin? Is the omission of helping a neighbor in need sin? Do we recognize exactly what sin is? Is feeling frustration with the man who stalls me in traffic sin? Can a human experience perfection when righteous anger is felt? And can righteous anger ever be identified and justified?
Hi El,I like what Raven said about us sometimes taking things out on the sinner rather than the sin. We must be careful.As for the Law, this is how I'd like to see it portrayed. The Law is really a law of love. And, that is why it cannot be changed and why Jesus had to pay the price for us. We are to Love God with all our heart and soul (1-4), and love God's creation as ourselves (5-10). If we do that, through the faith and love of Jesus, we will be free. Then, we will show all the fruit without even trying as it will radiate from within. We will not be able to contain the love that we have for Jesus and will do His will on this earth to glorify His name.ARe we there yet? No, but moving forward in grace and mercy!newbie
But my question is when will we be there? Time is short. Everyone I talk to says that they are still not there yet. That they depend on grace and mercy. I very well concur with that belief. Have you ever met someone who thinks that they have reached that point? Is that when we will truely be Christ-like? Are there souls who live on this earth who have reached the place in their life where they will never fall and are past the point of sinning? Do you understand what I am trying to say? We all (me included) believe that we can be saved from our sin. OK. Now when will we have the assurance that we have reached that point. Have you ever met a Christian who thinks that he no longer makes mistakes? In other words, has any person living today moved to the point where they have reached perfection? Is that not the goal of a true Christian? Otherwise, being saved from sinning would be somewhat futile. We can be saved, through the blood of Christ, by claiming forgiveness from our human mistakes--never believing that open sin is acceptable. But will I ever come to the point, when I go to sleep at night, that I no longer believe that I have sins to be forgiven because I am saved from sin? I know that I can not be saved in sin, but being saved from sin is forever ongoing. If we can come to that point in our life, then we will have reached perfection. I wonder, on the day of the death of Sr. White, if she had reached the perfection for which she longed, or was she still depending on Christ's blood to cover her unrecognized mistakes.
Somewhere the the book, Steps to Christ there is a statement to the effect that the closer we come to Jesus the more sinful we will appear in our own eyes. In GC we are told that those who go through the Time of Jacob's Trouble will look back on their lives and see very little that was good. So, I'm not sure that at any time we will be able to say that we have arrived (until our feet leave the ground as we ascend to "meet the Lord in the air"). Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. We can not do more than live up to all the light we have been shown. One could take the position that the thief on the cross had not progressed as far in his sanctification process as the apostle Paul had (Paul, who referred to himself as the "chief of sinners"), but both had surrendered to Jesus so that the work of sanctification was going forward and upward. I bellieve that if we think we have arrived we are on dangerous ground, the ground of self sufficiency and spiritual pride. Paul said, 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. Phil. 3:12-14.I hope I've helped some and not muddied the waters.