All are either lost sinners or found saints. ! cor 1.2 makes clear that even the weakest Christian is a saint. He is sanctified in Christ Jesus.
No condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, Amen.
true
But who is in Christ Jesus?
All who have left the reign of the law and have entered the reign of grace Rom 5.20-21.
You say you follow Pauls words. But he ran a race, walked in fear and trembling,
was very careful to be blameless, pure, holy, righteous, a true example.
But he sometimes stumbled as we all do, 'sinners, of who I AM chief'.
So much and so clearly he said he was the example to follow.
true.
Now Paul talked about following the Spirit, and not carnal desires or the flesh. The Spirit is love, caring for others, being spiritual, spending time with God and man.
he had been reborn and no longer walked after the flesh but after the Spirit. This is true of all Christians, but whilst we do not walk after the flesh, the flesh s still with us,
If you take a point Paul makes and isolate it, it makes sense, but comes at a price
of rejecting the rest of scripture and truth.
Following Paul is never at a price of rejecting the rest of Scripture. Those who think so prove themselves wrong.
A sinner is a different person than Gods Holy people.
It depends on what you mean by a sinner. God's holy people are 'sinners' while on earth. Their holiness depends on Christ. We are a holy people because we are sanctified in Christ,. No one is of themselves completely holy.
If by a sinner you means someone who is dedicated to sin, then yes, he is not one of Christ's.
The question has always been, what is the real difference?
Christ in you.
And this centres on what are we as human beings, and most of our existance?
It centres on whether we are in Christ or not.
The sad reality is we are our experience and things we have programmed in to
our lives. Sinners are the result of internal unresolved conflicts which create
inappropriate behaviour, which all societies identify as a problem.
That is why we need to be renewed by the Spirit.
God declares this has all come about because we have rejected Him and live alone.
True for the unrenewed person.
But you do not become a saint overnight, and all the things you have learnt to do
do not miraculous change at gaining faith. There is no such thing as instant perfection.
Actually you do. A Christian is a saint, sanctified in Christ (1 Cor 1.2).
And once we are renewed by the Spirit we begin a new life even though the drag of the Flesh may hinder us. But we have God working in us to will and do of His good pleasure.
And that is the point. If faith alone changed us, the church would be full of perfect
people walking perfect lives.
Christ changes us. Faith is merely the channel.
so to follow Jesus is to commit to change and work, which bears fruit in a different person being created.
This is where you go so drastically wrong. We are recreated FIRST. That then leads on to change and work and bearing fruit,
It is the desire we want to be different that inspires us to walk after Jesus, so to deny this is to deny why we are
following. Unless ofcourse you are happy as you are, you just want heaven as well, lol.
But we will never have that desire until we have recognised that we are under the wrath of God and come to Him to be justified solely as a result of what Christ has done for us (Rom 3.21-5.21). His righteousness is credited to us, our sin is laid on Him. Once this takes place and we are reborn, THEN we will want to be different. THEN we will follow Christ. But first we must be born again, and that follows immediately on our being justified once for all.
