Screen dump:
The Standard of Sinless Perfection
We have read a myriad of to-and-fro answers from both camps in CC over this particular topic.
Let’s see
some of the scriptures which grieve those who are against sinless perfection:
Romans 6v1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? [SUP]2 [/SUP]Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin
live any longer in it?
Romans 6v15 [SUP]15 [/SUP]What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
Romans 6v22-23 [SUP]22 [/SUP]But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. [SUP]23 [/SUP]For the wages of sin
is death, but the gift of God
is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8v12-14 [SUP]12 [/SUP]Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. [SUP]13 [/SUP]For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. [SUP]14 [/SUP]For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
1 John 3v4-9 [SUP]4 [/SUP]Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. [SUP]5 [/SUP]And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. [SUP]6 [/SUP]Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.[SUP]7 [/SUP]Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. [SUP]8 [/SUP]He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. [SUP]9 [/SUP]Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
ALL OF THIS IS WRITTEN TO THE CHURCH. Not to outsiders.
So the jackpot questions are these:
- Is the above possible?
- If you say “yes” – then you agree with the Word of God. For that (above) is what it says.
- If you say “no” – then you are is denial about the Word of God. For the scriptures are plain to see.
- If God has a Holy Standard, would it be sinless perfection, or something less?
- If you say “sinless perfection” you agree that the Lord is Holy. Without Holiness Nobody will see the Lord. 1 Peter 1v15-16 [SUP]15 [/SUP]but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, [SUP]16 [/SUP]because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”[SUP][c][/SUP] Elsewhere it is written: Hebrews 12 [SUP]14 [/SUP]Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: [SUP]15 [/SUP]looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; and elsewhere it is written: Matthew 5v48 [SUP]48 [/SUP]Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
- If you say something short of sinless perfection; you deny the Lord, for He is the essence of Holiness. He can never make the standard lower than perfection.
The Apostles Paul and John wrote the above scriptures under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They are truth. Now you are presented the opportunity to either accept them and ask the Lord to give you understanding, or reject them, and lose out the treasures of what the Lord God wants to reveal to you next. If you really want to press into Him, if you really want the overcoming life, then take the above scriptures as the Gospel truth. We are to rise to this standard, and not drag this down to man’s standard.
How is the above state achieved? How are we to live according to this standard?
The clues can also be found in
Romans 6
Romans 6v3-11
[SUP]3 [/SUP]Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? [SUP]4 [/SUP]Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.[SUP]5 [/SUP]
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
[SUP]6 [/SUP]knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. [SUP]7 [/SUP]For he who has died has been freed from sin.
[SUP]8 [/SUP]Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, [SUP]9 [/SUP]knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. [SUP]10 [/SUP]For
the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but
the life that He lives, He lives to God.
[SUP]11 [/SUP]Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The above is received by faith. It’s your faith in ACTION
- Reckon yourself DEAD TO SIN
- Reckon yourself ALIVE TO GOD IN CHRIST JESUS THE LORD
Here is the clue:
- You can NEVER overcome sin unless you dethrone sin in your life by identifying your old man dead on the cross. Crucified with Christ (Gal 2v20). Pick up your cross daily (Luke 9v23).
- You can NEVER live the resurrected life in Christ (living in the Spirit) unless you go through the cross and identify your new man alive in Christ. You are a new creation (2 Cor 5v17). Born again (1 John 5v4 ; John 3v3). Christ living in you (Gal 2v20)
If you tell yourself “It’s impossible to stop sinning” you by FAITH restore the power of Sin over your life. You re-enthrone Sin as your Master. Is that really what you want? It may be so, that that is what you want. But that’s not true Christianity. Christianity is not a democracy. There is a King. And this King is Lord. And He is Jesus Christ. And what He says, you should heed.
Now, the above being said, namely (A) God’s standard (B) How this is appropriated ----- let’s move onto (C) the
Hope we have should we have to this point failed in heeding God’s word and a path back into His arms…….
In order to share with you the
Hope which is found within the Word of God, it would be useful to look at the lives of Paul and John, who wrote most of the scriptures written above.
Paul
Question: Did Paul live the very standard that he wrote above? Or was he a Hypocrite? Or is there a truth which can be gleaned from the above passages when comparing this to other scriptures which Paul wrote? Let’s see below:
Philippians 3 [SUP]9 [/SUP]and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which
is from the law, but that which
is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; [SUP]10 [/SUP]that I may know Him and the
power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death, [SUP]11 [/SUP]if, by any means, I may
attain to the resurrection from the dead. [SUP]12 [/SUP]
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. [SUP]13 [/SUP]Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, [SUP]14 [/SUP]I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. [SUP]15 [/SUP]Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. [SUP]16 [/SUP]
Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,[SUP][b][/SUP] let us be of the same mind.[SUP]17 [/SUP]Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. [SUP]18 [/SUP]For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping,
that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: [SUP]19 [/SUP]whose end
is destruction, whose god
is their belly, and
whose glory
is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. [SUP]20 [/SUP]For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, [SUP]21 [/SUP]who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working
by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
- Now from the above passages we see a clear link between Romans 6 (the Holy Standard) and Philippians 3 (Paul’s walk with the Lord)
- Paul references the conformity of His death with Christ (Phil 3v10 and Romans 6 v5,6,8) as well as the resurrection life (Phil 3v10,11 and Romans 6 v5,8)
- Paul lives this by FAITH, yet he says he has not yet already attained (v12) or perfected (v12) or apprehended (v13)
- YET ---- Paul doesn’t let this hold him back. He doesn’t bring down God’s standard AT ALL. What does he do? He presses on (v12); forgets what’s behind (v13) reaching forward to what’s ahead (v13); presses towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (v14). His direction is always UP….UP….UP.
- He then goes on to say (v16) “Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule”. You see? The victories which the Israelites achieved in the Promised land are the victories which You (Christian) are to have in the Kingdom walk. Have you overcome your sins? Don’t be like Lot’s wife and look back. To the degree that you have attained – let this be your new base. Onward and upward.
- Yet he goes further and warns of those in the church (v18-v19) who live by the flesh. They set their minds on earthly things (v19). This is corroborated by Romans 8v5. For these people (in the Church) who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5v19-21)
- To he/she who reads this – do you think you can, as a Christian, continue to live in sin? Or should you like Paul accept the Holy Standard (Romans 6) and press on and up, forgetting what is behind, and laying hold of Christ. This is plain for you to see.
- Herein lies the Hope. For You. For Me. For all who love the Lord.
John
1 John 1 v[SUP]5 [/SUP]This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
- He is the essence of Holiness
[SUP]6 [/SUP]If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
- How can we say we are “In Christ” and yet walk in sin?
[SUP]7 [/SUP]But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
- Do you see this? The blood of Jesus cleanses us when we walk in the light (and not in sin).
- The corollary is this, to those here who think OSAS – if you walk in darkness, then the blood of Jesus doesn’t cleanse you from this.
- It is clear that the blood of Jesus is only available to a repentant heart. And a repentant heart doesn’t walk in sin.
- You cannot retain your sins and retain Christ. You will have to give one of them up.
[SUP]8 [/SUP]If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
- Whether your interpretation of this scripture (for which there has been much debate on the forums) is to whether this applies to historical or current sins matters not in the greater scheme of things. It applies to both, in that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and this we cannot deny. It is equally applicable should a believer fall into sin and is necessary to repent of such sin. We are to judge ourselves lest we be judged. The first step is total honesty with yourself. For nothing is hidden from God.
[SUP]9 [/SUP]If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- “IF” we confess our sins, He is faithful to Forgive. You claim forgiveness from God do you? Have you confessed your sins to Him? Do you think, like many OSAS believers, that confession is not necessary because repentance is only a one time “event”? Then your sins are retained. Because you choose not to confess. Because you choose not to repent.
[SUP]10 [/SUP]If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
- All have sinned.
- It doesn’t bring down God’s Holy Standard (Romans 6). Neither does it preclude the possibility of attainment.
- God has made a way to deal with past sin. If you wish to appropriate this, then it needs to be according to His way, not yours.
2v1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.
- John is clear in this. We are not to sin. John is not a confused Apostle. He is not contradicting himself in the same letter in 1 John 3v6 with 1 John 1v10.
- John is showing the way that is available for true repentance.
And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. [SUP]2 [/SUP]And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
- Here is the Hope available to us. Jesus Christ. He is our Advocate. He redeemed us. Purchased us by His shed blood on the cross. He loves us. He doesn’t want anyone to go to hell. He makes intercession for the Saints. Thanks be to God. There, in Him, we have our true Hope.
[SUP]3 [/SUP]Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. [SUP]4 [/SUP]He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. [SUP]5 [/SUP]But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. [SUP]6 [/SUP]He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
- We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ. So how do we respond?
- Do we disobey because we have an Advocate?
- Do we disobey because Jesus forgives?
- Or do we repent of our sins?
- Your conscience, lest it be seared, should witness a true response to these questions.
So in summary, the great Apostles of the Lord NEVER condoned Sin. They judged it for what it was. They showed the Holy Standard to which the Church is accountable. They showed the “Way of Righteousness” through Jesus Christ, identification with His death and resurrection by faith, and the Hope by which we are to live, to press on to the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. They showed the way for any of our shortcomings through the advocate we have in Jesus Christ. Not that this was to be a lifestyle of sin, but rather that it provides us a hope that should we fall, we have a path back to the Father through Christ. None of this will be possible without maintaining a repentant heart and confession of sin.
The corollary is the pathway to hell. This is the rejection of Christ’s way, and instead imputing your own way, namely:
- No need for repentance
- No need for confession
- Holiness being optional
- The Red Letter Words of Christ being “optional”, or a derivation of this that these words were “Old Testament”, or that these were only for the “Jews”.
- Denial of sin (there are many derivations of this, one of these being a positional salvation – which means that sin doesn’t exist even though you transgress – because you have been made holy once and for all time, without any further accountability on your part)
- Rejection of obedience
You need to get off this road, if this is what you believe. Before it’s too late.
