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Unfortunately, many in Church today are taught that they are a slave to there own depravity (sinful nature) until the day that they die a physical death. However, scripture plainly contradicts such faulty doctrine. While it is true that man is weak and can do nothing in and of his or her own strength, scripture states that God's strength is made perfect in our moments of weakness (2 Cor. 12:9) and that all things are possible through Christ who strengthens us (Phillipians 4:13).
Throughout the Bible there are many passages of scripture which speaks of the numerous promises that Christ has made available to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. One of which can be found in 2 Peter, Chapter 1, verses 3 - 4:
"For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature."
While a person is indeed dominated by his or her own depravity while a sinner, once saved, God's grace has given us access to divine help in our moment of need:
"Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him]. For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]." - Hebrews 4:14-16
"For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently." - 1 Corinthians 10:13
The "help / escape" mentioned in the verses above is the person of Holy Spirit Himself living on the inside of us:
"But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)." - Galatians 5:22
According to scripture, the indwelling Holy Spirit is by far more powerful than man's own depravity. However, once saved, we now have a choice to make; we can either walk (abide) in the Holy Spirit, setting our minds on things above (renewing our minds) drawing strength from Him in our moments of weakness - or - we can give in to the flesh and reap the consequences of our actions:
"Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap. For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." - Galatians 6: 7-8
"For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit. Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].... For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever." - Romans 8: 5 - 6, & 13
Before salvation we were all slaves to the flesh, we had no other choice (Romans 7:5). After salvation, God's grace has given us access to everything needed to live a Godly life through His Spirit (2 Peter 1: 3-4). The question each of us need to ask ourselves is this: Do we truly believe in the promises of God given to us through His Word - or - are we going to place our trust in various religious traditions created by certain men who's own "fruit" historically did not live up to the Word of God?
"According to your faith be it unto you." - Matthew 9:29
Throughout the Bible there are many passages of scripture which speaks of the numerous promises that Christ has made available to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. One of which can be found in 2 Peter, Chapter 1, verses 3 - 4:
"For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature."
While a person is indeed dominated by his or her own depravity while a sinner, once saved, God's grace has given us access to divine help in our moment of need:
"Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him]. For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]." - Hebrews 4:14-16
"For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently." - 1 Corinthians 10:13
The "help / escape" mentioned in the verses above is the person of Holy Spirit Himself living on the inside of us:
"But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)." - Galatians 5:22
According to scripture, the indwelling Holy Spirit is by far more powerful than man's own depravity. However, once saved, we now have a choice to make; we can either walk (abide) in the Holy Spirit, setting our minds on things above (renewing our minds) drawing strength from Him in our moments of weakness - or - we can give in to the flesh and reap the consequences of our actions:
"Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap. For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." - Galatians 6: 7-8
"For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit. Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].... For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever." - Romans 8: 5 - 6, & 13
Before salvation we were all slaves to the flesh, we had no other choice (Romans 7:5). After salvation, God's grace has given us access to everything needed to live a Godly life through His Spirit (2 Peter 1: 3-4). The question each of us need to ask ourselves is this: Do we truly believe in the promises of God given to us through His Word - or - are we going to place our trust in various religious traditions created by certain men who's own "fruit" historically did not live up to the Word of God?
"According to your faith be it unto you." - Matthew 9:29
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