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Faith comes by hearing, hearing the Word of God. It is of paramount importance to read and study the New Testament, It is possible to walk with out sin. Paul in the 3rd chapter of philippians says he has not reached the goal, then about 15 years later in 2nd timothy chapter 4 he said he had reached the goal or finished the course, This course or goal is what we should be doing, letting the Lord in our hearts through the Word, growing in faith and love, by His Word. I have studied and read the New Testament much, and I am a long way to finishing the race, But I work at living by faith and not by the flesh, and yes you should see the deeds for it would be difficult to have Jesus in your heart and not do good works. You dont have to be perfect just working your way toward it.
Peace be with you, just think simple like this. Did we do anything good in the past in order to please GOD so that only to us HE give us salvation through HIS SON, CHRIST?
As it is written; "..............'All have fallen short of my Glory'................."
Not even one thing that we ever did as Gentiles before, pleased HIM in order to favor us. We were only doing for 'self' or 'someone else' then and expecting return.
Once you are already in HIS Kingdom, then you must abide/keep/continue/comply with/conform to/stomach/etc. the Teachings of JESUS and the instructions of the Apostles, in order to live according to the New Covenant. After redeeming us from sin and death, initially 'by Grace through faith', 'and not by works', GOD lets us in HIS Kingdom ruled by CHRIST. There we must listen and pay attention to the Word (CHRIST and KING who reign) and practice them behaving as lawful citizens who are like a wise builder who build his or her house by digging down deep and laid it's foundation on the rock and on the day of test, nothing could bring that house down.
Also it is written; "Not only hearers but also doers." "Faith with works." "Faith in action."
Apart from this, those who hear and do not practice the Word are examples of a foolish builders who build their house and laid it's foundation on the sand and on the day of test that house fell, with a great fall.
Apostle Paul said; "Work out your salvation in fear and trembling."
May GOD the FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST bless and help you with all of these things that the HOLY SPIRIT our Helper have shared for the building and edifying of the church.
As it is written; "..............'All have fallen short of my Glory'................."
Not even one thing that we ever did as Gentiles before, pleased HIM in order to favor us. We were only doing for 'self' or 'someone else' then and expecting return.
Once you are already in HIS Kingdom, then you must abide/keep/continue/comply with/conform to/stomach/etc. the Teachings of JESUS and the instructions of the Apostles, in order to live according to the New Covenant. After redeeming us from sin and death, initially 'by Grace through faith', 'and not by works', GOD lets us in HIS Kingdom ruled by CHRIST. There we must listen and pay attention to the Word (CHRIST and KING who reign) and practice them behaving as lawful citizens who are like a wise builder who build his or her house by digging down deep and laid it's foundation on the rock and on the day of test, nothing could bring that house down.
Also it is written; "Not only hearers but also doers." "Faith with works." "Faith in action."
Apart from this, those who hear and do not practice the Word are examples of a foolish builders who build their house and laid it's foundation on the sand and on the day of test that house fell, with a great fall.
Apostle Paul said; "Work out your salvation in fear and trembling."
May GOD the FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST bless and help you with all of these things that the HOLY SPIRIT our Helper have shared for the building and edifying of the church.
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E
Dear OP, I'm going to keep my post simple and give you the best message I can.
To sum everything up, I'll give you 1 Corinthians 10:23.
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.
As a believer you are free from sin(Rom 6:18).
Jesus has taken all your sin and put it on Him. You were forgiven before you accepted Christ(1 Jn 4:19),
and God knew everything you would ever do wrong before you did it, and he has forgotten it. (Heb 8:12)
Your job now is to rest in his finished work. (Mat 11:28-30)
As a believer, as my primary verse says, is that we have been freed from sin. You can take this freedom and use it to do wrong and please yourself, following along with the world - but this is not beneficial, nor is it constructive. It will lead to self-destruction (Mat 7:1) that can never make you whole. Everyone else is smoking? You want to do it, go ahead, but you're only setting yourself up for wasting money and harming your body when Christ has died for you to overcome sickness. You reap what you sew, if you sew seeds of anger you're going to reap seeds of anger.
What Paul is saying is true. People who live like that will not inherit the Kingdom of God, because they have not been born of God. (1 John 3:9) - Now don't read 1 John 3:9 backwards thinking "Well I sin, so that means I'm not born of God", that's taking the verse out of context. You are going to sin in this body so long as you live, until the day that you die. When you receive Jesus, you die in the flesh and become alive in the Spirit. You are no longer what you do in the flesh (Romans 7:17) but it is the sin living in you. As you grow in the Lord, sin will become more and more detestable and Holiness will become more attractive - take the occupation off of you, and put it onto the Lord.
I know that I said I'd keep this simple, but it's a hard thing to explain. I struggled with this a lot, very recently. Keep asking the Holy Spirit for revelation, God imparts wisdom without finding fault to all who ask for it. (James 1:5)
To sum up what Paul was saying in all the verses that he said "Those who live like <insert list here> will not inherit the Kingdom of God" was that you are not those things anymore so stop acting like you are those things. "You're not an adulterer, so stop acting like an adulterer!"
"You're not going to hell, so stop acting like the people that are going to hell!"
If Christ died to free us from the law, and we would go to hell if we didn't keep God's rules, then Christ died for nothing because we are then still under the law (but we are not according to Romans 6:14 and the verse I posted at the top). It is just as disregarding to what Jesus did for us to acknowledge that He died for all our bad deeds and say "this is an excuse to do them" - but 1 John 3:6 says that anyone that actually has that kind of attitude probably doesn't really believe or want a relationship with Jesus anyway. The whole point is to come into agreement with God that we are sinners and that we need a saviour to release us from that sin.
I hope this helps and frees you from some of what you're being bound up by. If you have any questions please feel free to inbox me and I'll do my best to help you out.
To sum everything up, I'll give you 1 Corinthians 10:23.
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.
As a believer you are free from sin(Rom 6:18).
Jesus has taken all your sin and put it on Him. You were forgiven before you accepted Christ(1 Jn 4:19),
and God knew everything you would ever do wrong before you did it, and he has forgotten it. (Heb 8:12)
Your job now is to rest in his finished work. (Mat 11:28-30)
As a believer, as my primary verse says, is that we have been freed from sin. You can take this freedom and use it to do wrong and please yourself, following along with the world - but this is not beneficial, nor is it constructive. It will lead to self-destruction (Mat 7:1) that can never make you whole. Everyone else is smoking? You want to do it, go ahead, but you're only setting yourself up for wasting money and harming your body when Christ has died for you to overcome sickness. You reap what you sew, if you sew seeds of anger you're going to reap seeds of anger.
What Paul is saying is true. People who live like that will not inherit the Kingdom of God, because they have not been born of God. (1 John 3:9) - Now don't read 1 John 3:9 backwards thinking "Well I sin, so that means I'm not born of God", that's taking the verse out of context. You are going to sin in this body so long as you live, until the day that you die. When you receive Jesus, you die in the flesh and become alive in the Spirit. You are no longer what you do in the flesh (Romans 7:17) but it is the sin living in you. As you grow in the Lord, sin will become more and more detestable and Holiness will become more attractive - take the occupation off of you, and put it onto the Lord.
I know that I said I'd keep this simple, but it's a hard thing to explain. I struggled with this a lot, very recently. Keep asking the Holy Spirit for revelation, God imparts wisdom without finding fault to all who ask for it. (James 1:5)
To sum up what Paul was saying in all the verses that he said "Those who live like <insert list here> will not inherit the Kingdom of God" was that you are not those things anymore so stop acting like you are those things. "You're not an adulterer, so stop acting like an adulterer!"
"You're not going to hell, so stop acting like the people that are going to hell!"
If Christ died to free us from the law, and we would go to hell if we didn't keep God's rules, then Christ died for nothing because we are then still under the law (but we are not according to Romans 6:14 and the verse I posted at the top). It is just as disregarding to what Jesus did for us to acknowledge that He died for all our bad deeds and say "this is an excuse to do them" - but 1 John 3:6 says that anyone that actually has that kind of attitude probably doesn't really believe or want a relationship with Jesus anyway. The whole point is to come into agreement with God that we are sinners and that we need a saviour to release us from that sin.
I hope this helps and frees you from some of what you're being bound up by. If you have any questions please feel free to inbox me and I'll do my best to help you out.
No matter what you do in this world, the threat of sin and evil will be like a vulture waiting to strike at a dyeing soul. But what you do in this world will change if you give that vulture food to eat or not.
Psalm 112:1
Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.
Psalm 112:1
Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.
Faith = Faithfulness = Yielding to God FROM THE HEART.
We are not saved by works because men can do works for all manner of motivation. Hence the outward deeds of the law can never justify someone because they can be performed with guile.
Instead God looks at the heart of an individual. God looks at whether an individual is faithful to God in their heart.
Also never confuse temptation with sin. A "wrong thought" is not necessarily sin because temptation is common to man. Blessed is the man who endures temptation. We are tempted in order to test our faith and the trials we face build character.
When the Bible says we are saved by grace through faith it is teaching that salvation is rooted in meekly receiving the implanted word within. In other words we yield to the leading of God from our heart and stop resisting. In doing so an inner transformation takes place hence God is the author of the salvation of those whom obey Him and our hearts are made pure via obedience to the truth via the Spirit. Life is found in abiding in the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ. This is what the Bible clearly teaches.
You will not find a single passage in the Bible which states that "Jesus paid the price you deserved to pay." Think about that for a minute. This "paying you sin penalty" is such a popular and bedrock teaching today yet it is absent from the Bible. It is inferred by piecing together isolated verses, yet we ought to seriously consider is that what the text is really saying? The blood is the means by which we approach God in order to be cleansed, it washes us of all sin, the blood does not cover sin that we can keep on sinning. There is no sacrifice for ongoing rebellion to God for the blood is the means of a fresh start where we can serve God out of a pure heart.
The truth is that Jesus bought you so you can serve Him faithfully. Jesus overcame sin in the flesh so that righteousness can be fulfilled in you. Righteousness is fulfilled by faith for faith works by love and love works no ill. Thus love is a fulfillment of the law.
We enter into a faithful relationship with Jesus Christ through repentance. Godly sorrow works a genuine repentance unto salvation. As a wild horse must be broken before it will submit itself to the leading of a rider, so must a sinner be broken on the rock of Christ before they will submit themselves to the leading of the Spirit.
Thus the old man who walked according to the service of selfish desire in rebellion to the light revealed in conscience must be crucified once and for all. This is where the axe is laid to the root of iniquity in the heart once and for all from whence and individual is raised up to newness of life by the power of God. It is then that we are to be diligent and be careful we remain steadfast in the faith. It is the way of life.
God bless.
We are not saved by works because men can do works for all manner of motivation. Hence the outward deeds of the law can never justify someone because they can be performed with guile.
Instead God looks at the heart of an individual. God looks at whether an individual is faithful to God in their heart.
Also never confuse temptation with sin. A "wrong thought" is not necessarily sin because temptation is common to man. Blessed is the man who endures temptation. We are tempted in order to test our faith and the trials we face build character.
When the Bible says we are saved by grace through faith it is teaching that salvation is rooted in meekly receiving the implanted word within. In other words we yield to the leading of God from our heart and stop resisting. In doing so an inner transformation takes place hence God is the author of the salvation of those whom obey Him and our hearts are made pure via obedience to the truth via the Spirit. Life is found in abiding in the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ. This is what the Bible clearly teaches.
You will not find a single passage in the Bible which states that "Jesus paid the price you deserved to pay." Think about that for a minute. This "paying you sin penalty" is such a popular and bedrock teaching today yet it is absent from the Bible. It is inferred by piecing together isolated verses, yet we ought to seriously consider is that what the text is really saying? The blood is the means by which we approach God in order to be cleansed, it washes us of all sin, the blood does not cover sin that we can keep on sinning. There is no sacrifice for ongoing rebellion to God for the blood is the means of a fresh start where we can serve God out of a pure heart.
The truth is that Jesus bought you so you can serve Him faithfully. Jesus overcame sin in the flesh so that righteousness can be fulfilled in you. Righteousness is fulfilled by faith for faith works by love and love works no ill. Thus love is a fulfillment of the law.
We enter into a faithful relationship with Jesus Christ through repentance. Godly sorrow works a genuine repentance unto salvation. As a wild horse must be broken before it will submit itself to the leading of a rider, so must a sinner be broken on the rock of Christ before they will submit themselves to the leading of the Spirit.
Thus the old man who walked according to the service of selfish desire in rebellion to the light revealed in conscience must be crucified once and for all. This is where the axe is laid to the root of iniquity in the heart once and for all from whence and individual is raised up to newness of life by the power of God. It is then that we are to be diligent and be careful we remain steadfast in the faith. It is the way of life.
God bless.
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H
God knows the beginning and the end of all things, because he has planned it all. If you are chosen by God from all eternity to be saved you will be saved and in the meanwhile, here on earth, if we are seeking God and trying to trust and obey Him in our life, He will give us the assurance of our salvation in due time. If you are not chosen for salvation then you will not want to be saved, and you won't seek God for His salvation. It will be good for you to study a passage like 2Pet.1 and learn how God gives us assurance, also read I John where God shows how to gain assurance of salvation. It takes, 1. repentance 2. faith in Jesus and 3. good works, obeying Jesus to be saved. Don,t think you are save by faith only while you are still living in your sins, that is a bad sign, you are not saved. If you still live in sexual sins then ,you are not saved yet. If you just have temptation to sin, don't worry about it, just ask God to forgive you, even 100 times a day, the evil thoughts will never leave you totally, but you will get better at throwing them out of your mind and going on, as you put good thoughts into your mind the evil thoughts will lessen. All that God has created is good and beautiful, even sex, so you can think on sex,and still be holy. Just don't lustfully live in sexual thoughts. Whenever I see a sexy woman, I say, WOW, she is made by God, but it is not for me, so I forget her ,and move on. remember the thought is not sinful,even lust is not as bad as the act. Pastors mess up peoples minds,by saying "the thought is as bad as the act." That is a lie. God hates the act but not the thought. "All things are pure (lawful) to the pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving ,even their mind and conscience is defiled." How is your heart, defiled or clean? Titus 1:15 Love to all, Hoffco
C
You do sound very confused, and sound as if you are trying to do a lot of this on your own efforts. We can never be perfect, ever, so don't think that you will be. The Bible says to strive for perfection, which means we are daily living the life with God's help, that God would want us to live. We have shortcomings, which comes into the area that you are talking about with never thinking another sinful thought. We are all human, so of course, we will all fall short of the glory of God. We will all have thoughts that we should not have. However, succumbing to those thoughts, then brings forth sin. We are to renew our hearts and MINDS, and ask God to cleanse our thoughts as well as our actions. We are to abstain from the world and all that is in the world and keep ourselves unspotted from the world, which means we keep ourselves from sin. But of course, there are the sins of thoughts, or even words, and shortcomings. Seems you are thinking that you must be perfect in thought, word and deed, and that is impossible for man. But with God's help and asking God to give us the strength through the Holy Spirit, we can be as God wants us to be. That is why we REPENT DAILY. We need to ask for forgiveness even for our thoughts. The Holy Spirit was given to us to lead us and guide us, to warn us when we are about to enter into sin, to comfort us, to tell us what to do and what not to do. If we are obedient to the spirit's leading and guiding, HE will keep us from sin. Don't rely on your own efforts. Rely on God and His spirit to keep you.
R
First, the kingdom of God is something now, not just the afterlife.
Second, you can think sexually and not think immorally. You can still fantasize about a woman as long as you aren't fantasizing about stealing one from a guy, or fantasizing unnatural things, letting them cause you to act inappropriately, and so on. Let's get real, if you stop looking at women completely, and never touch yourself, and think all sex is bad, guess what - you'll have "that dream", and do you think God will "punish" you for a built in biological maintenance routine?
If you fantasize, fantasize about Godly unions not worldly ones.
People are too stuck on thinking sex is dirty. Who told you that you were "naked?" A preacher? Society? A nun? Hmpf!
Third, salvation is from "being of the world" and from your self, not just from something that comes after you die.
Four, works won't save you, but when you are saved, works will be something that you do because you love people and God. If you don't think you're saved, but do good works anyway, the reason you do them might let you know if you are saved.
Five, feeling inadequate does not mean you aren't saved or aren't doing good works. How can a person ever feel totally "adequate" without boasting?
Love God every minute of your day.
Love every person you meet every minute of your day. (If you can't, it's because you don't want them to be saved from their woes. And even the worst person you can think of was once an innocent child that God still loves)
Repent, which means turn around and do your best to walk away from sin.
Those 3 things are all you really need to know. Making it too complicated is nailing Him to a cross again.
Trying to be perfect, even though you can't know that you are, is perfection.
Trying to be righteous, even though you can't know you are, is being righteous.
Having trouble identifying "all your sins"? Well pick something little in your heart you do know is wrong, pray and try to fix it. Like raising your voice at someone. Or pricing your goods five cents too high so you can afford extra shoes.
One at a time. God will tell you what you need to change along the way.
Don't be knocked down and dragged out by church and how cryptic the bible is.
Be a low-drag-high-speed model of loving others and drive away from causing any hurt.
It's supposed to be difficult. Otherwise, you can't appreciate the new you.
Your sins are already forgiven in God's eye, but you're not effectively forgiven unless you also understand that, and that's the reason to stop them. Otherwise you are abusing a freebie from God by continuing to do them.
Jesus told people their sins were forgiven without them asking, to explain it and comfort them. Not as if to grant it in that moment, which is what the pharisees thought and most people today think.
Don't beat yourself up, but if you do, don't beat Jesus or others up.
Second, you can think sexually and not think immorally. You can still fantasize about a woman as long as you aren't fantasizing about stealing one from a guy, or fantasizing unnatural things, letting them cause you to act inappropriately, and so on. Let's get real, if you stop looking at women completely, and never touch yourself, and think all sex is bad, guess what - you'll have "that dream", and do you think God will "punish" you for a built in biological maintenance routine?
If you fantasize, fantasize about Godly unions not worldly ones.
People are too stuck on thinking sex is dirty. Who told you that you were "naked?" A preacher? Society? A nun? Hmpf!
Third, salvation is from "being of the world" and from your self, not just from something that comes after you die.
Four, works won't save you, but when you are saved, works will be something that you do because you love people and God. If you don't think you're saved, but do good works anyway, the reason you do them might let you know if you are saved.
Five, feeling inadequate does not mean you aren't saved or aren't doing good works. How can a person ever feel totally "adequate" without boasting?
Love God every minute of your day.
Love every person you meet every minute of your day. (If you can't, it's because you don't want them to be saved from their woes. And even the worst person you can think of was once an innocent child that God still loves)
Repent, which means turn around and do your best to walk away from sin.
Those 3 things are all you really need to know. Making it too complicated is nailing Him to a cross again.
Trying to be perfect, even though you can't know that you are, is perfection.
Trying to be righteous, even though you can't know you are, is being righteous.
Having trouble identifying "all your sins"? Well pick something little in your heart you do know is wrong, pray and try to fix it. Like raising your voice at someone. Or pricing your goods five cents too high so you can afford extra shoes.
One at a time. God will tell you what you need to change along the way.
Don't be knocked down and dragged out by church and how cryptic the bible is.
Be a low-drag-high-speed model of loving others and drive away from causing any hurt.
It's supposed to be difficult. Otherwise, you can't appreciate the new you.
Your sins are already forgiven in God's eye, but you're not effectively forgiven unless you also understand that, and that's the reason to stop them. Otherwise you are abusing a freebie from God by continuing to do them.
Jesus told people their sins were forgiven without them asking, to explain it and comfort them. Not as if to grant it in that moment, which is what the pharisees thought and most people today think.
Don't beat yourself up, but if you do, don't beat Jesus or others up.
H
Hi joshuab,
Christians are all at different stages of growth so we should not compare ourselves with each other and panic over why don't I understand scripture or live as good a lifestyle as another Christian does. Just trust in God and let Him do His work in your life.
Scripture is spiritually discerned, hence we should not try to interpret it in purely physical terms.
1Cor 2:13-16
These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
So what is sexual immorality (also called fornication) and drunkenness?
Consider Rev 17:1-2
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Here God tells us of those who were drunk with the wine of fornication/sexual immorality. These drunkards (kings of the earth) were clearly not fornicating physically with some physical and notably great harlot, and nor do we make physical wine from fornication. Instead it's speaking spiritually.
So what is spiritual fornication/sexual immorality?
Firstly, remember that Christians are one spirit with the Lord.
Consider 1Cor 6:15-18
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body
The harlot with whom we are to flee sexual immorality/fornication with is Hagar, who is symbolic of the old covenant doctrine of righteousness by works of the law.
Gal 4:24
which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar—
There are many scriptures warning against following any doctrines of righteousness by works of the law (which is fornicating with Hagar). Such doctrine of works are preached by some on this forum too.
Note God's will in 1Thess 4:3
For this is the will of God, your sanctification (which we have when we believe in Jesus, Heb 10:10): that you should abstain from sexual immorality (with Hagar)
We see often in scripture the importance of abstaining from fornication/sexual immorality. It's God's will. And as we see in the scriptures I've quoted already, God is referring to abstaining from sexual immorality with Hagar/righteousness by works of the law.
Christians are one spirit with the Lord. We were saved by grace. Therefore we should not turn back to works of the law for righteousness. We must not even try to mix grace with works of the law, as some try to do. God says you cannot mix grace with works of the law.
Rom 11:6
if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
Anybody who follows doctrines that mix grace with works of the law is being lukewarm, and God will spew such persons out of His mouth, (Rev 3;15,16)
Repentance is often misunderstood.
When we received Christ we had repented of dead works of self-righteousness.
Heb 6:1
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God
Christians repented of their dead works and have submitted to God's righteousness instead. Now it's our faith that is counted for righteousness, Rom 4:5.
And a Christians works are to believe in Jesus, as Jesus himself said in John 6:29
Sadly, the drunkards who are drunk with the wine of fornication with Hagar/righteousness by works of the law, they have not repented of their dead works. They may profess to no God, but by their works of the law for righteousness, they deny Him, Tit 1:16. They are in unbelief, which is the sin the world is convicted of, John 16:9.
The thief on the cross who called Jesus "Lord" was saved without any works of the law to accompany his way to paradise.
God offers this same gospel of grace to you, so you can stop worrying and just trust in Him.
Grace is not a license to live selfishly though. No Christian is going to profit by doing wrong. God disciplines us. Consider King David who comitted adultery and murder.
And as you grow in your relationship with God you will find that your lifestyle will improve anyway.
Just trust in Him.
Christians are all at different stages of growth so we should not compare ourselves with each other and panic over why don't I understand scripture or live as good a lifestyle as another Christian does. Just trust in God and let Him do His work in your life.
Scripture is spiritually discerned, hence we should not try to interpret it in purely physical terms.
1Cor 2:13-16
These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
So what is sexual immorality (also called fornication) and drunkenness?
Consider Rev 17:1-2
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Here God tells us of those who were drunk with the wine of fornication/sexual immorality. These drunkards (kings of the earth) were clearly not fornicating physically with some physical and notably great harlot, and nor do we make physical wine from fornication. Instead it's speaking spiritually.
So what is spiritual fornication/sexual immorality?
Firstly, remember that Christians are one spirit with the Lord.
Consider 1Cor 6:15-18
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body
The harlot with whom we are to flee sexual immorality/fornication with is Hagar, who is symbolic of the old covenant doctrine of righteousness by works of the law.
Gal 4:24
which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar—
There are many scriptures warning against following any doctrines of righteousness by works of the law (which is fornicating with Hagar). Such doctrine of works are preached by some on this forum too.
Note God's will in 1Thess 4:3
For this is the will of God, your sanctification (which we have when we believe in Jesus, Heb 10:10): that you should abstain from sexual immorality (with Hagar)
We see often in scripture the importance of abstaining from fornication/sexual immorality. It's God's will. And as we see in the scriptures I've quoted already, God is referring to abstaining from sexual immorality with Hagar/righteousness by works of the law.
Christians are one spirit with the Lord. We were saved by grace. Therefore we should not turn back to works of the law for righteousness. We must not even try to mix grace with works of the law, as some try to do. God says you cannot mix grace with works of the law.
Rom 11:6
if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
Anybody who follows doctrines that mix grace with works of the law is being lukewarm, and God will spew such persons out of His mouth, (Rev 3;15,16)
Repentance is often misunderstood.
When we received Christ we had repented of dead works of self-righteousness.
Heb 6:1
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God
Christians repented of their dead works and have submitted to God's righteousness instead. Now it's our faith that is counted for righteousness, Rom 4:5.
And a Christians works are to believe in Jesus, as Jesus himself said in John 6:29
Sadly, the drunkards who are drunk with the wine of fornication with Hagar/righteousness by works of the law, they have not repented of their dead works. They may profess to no God, but by their works of the law for righteousness, they deny Him, Tit 1:16. They are in unbelief, which is the sin the world is convicted of, John 16:9.
The thief on the cross who called Jesus "Lord" was saved without any works of the law to accompany his way to paradise.
God offers this same gospel of grace to you, so you can stop worrying and just trust in Him.
Grace is not a license to live selfishly though. No Christian is going to profit by doing wrong. God disciplines us. Consider King David who comitted adultery and murder.
And as you grow in your relationship with God you will find that your lifestyle will improve anyway.
Just trust in Him.
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Like your answer. New thought on the eye plucking out scripture. Still think I go with theme which I also found in wikipedia:
'This' loses the wordplay. Where normally eyesight is what prevents one from stumbling, Jesus here states that eyesight should be sacrificed to prevent the greater stumbling of sin. God bless
'This' loses the wordplay. Where normally eyesight is what prevents one from stumbling, Jesus here states that eyesight should be sacrificed to prevent the greater stumbling of sin. God bless
