Alligator, even in the midst of your sin you are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Remember that, and also know that the Lord doesn't condemn you. He loves you. Even when you are in sin, He loves you. Imagine, even when we were sinners, He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for you. Your sin is washed by the blood of Christ, and He remembers your sins no more.
You may sin, but it doesn't make you a sinner. In the OT when someone sinned, they did so as a sinner. There was no righteous act a sinner could do to be a non-sinner. in the same way, we are the righteousness of God, and there is no sin we can do to make us unrighteous. It (the righteousness) wasn't based on us to begin with, but it was imputed to us by what Christ did.
1 John 3:5-9
King James Version (KJV)
5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
I am curious of your interpretation of these verses? I will give you a hint. It has to do with our nature(hence being born-again. Second hint, old man being put off). I know that Christians still do things of the flesh, but remember that we are born-again. We have put off the sin nature(not we, but Christ has circumcised us) and are a new creation. Once spiritually dead and now made alive. You throw those verses at me as to insinuate this His Word is not in me, but you take my words and even these words(the verses) out of context. That or you misunderstand what is being said, Alligator.
My tip to you on the verses you quoted, to try to insinuate the Word isn't in me, is to study those verses and look into Gnosticism and how John had to deal with that. Those verses are basically refuting the position of Gnosticism.
To clarify, though a Christian may perform an act that is considered to be sinful, it by no means make the Christian a sinner. His sin nature has been put off, he is a new creation in Christ. To sin would go contrary to his new nature, but that doesn't mean he doesn't commit such acts.
Are you a saint or a sinner? The NT never calls you a sinner once you've accepted Christ. Any time the churches were addressed they were addressed as saints... I mean, look at the Corinthian church:
1 Corinthians 6:1-2
King James Version (KJV)
6 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
it goes on to say...
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
We are saints, the body of Christ is made out of saints. Once sinners, but now saints. To say that we are sinners saved by grace, is inaccurate. We were sinners saved by grace. We are now saints standing in that grace. Not that we have done something to be called a saint, but because of Christ. This isn't self-righteousness, because no one is a saint based upon their conduct. They are so called a saint because of Christ and the new-birth (which is because of Christ). One could say we are sinners saved by grace, but it neglects the fact of the old nature being put off and being a new creation (sin nature being circumcised by Christ, through baptism). We were crucified with Christ. To identify ourselves with who we were, is to deny who we have become in Christ.
I don't know if I worded this improperly(or not) and gave off the wrong vibe or some holiness doctrine that we are saints and not sinners, but this isn't being said as a self-righteous thing. We did nothing to be called saints, it is not our conduct and is nothing we can boast of. Just like you can't boast about your salvation, as it was all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
I suppose its a mindset thing, but not necessarily. Its a truth thing. Our old nature(sin nature) has been put off.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, emphasis mine).
If you're offended by this post, sorry saint. It isn't meant to be offensive, but thought provoking.
You may sin, but it doesn't make you a sinner. In the OT when someone sinned, they did so as a sinner. There was no righteous act a sinner could do to be a non-sinner. in the same way, we are the righteousness of God, and there is no sin we can do to make us unrighteous. It (the righteousness) wasn't based on us to begin with, but it was imputed to us by what Christ did.
1 John 3:5-9
King James Version (KJV)
5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
I am curious of your interpretation of these verses? I will give you a hint. It has to do with our nature(hence being born-again. Second hint, old man being put off). I know that Christians still do things of the flesh, but remember that we are born-again. We have put off the sin nature(not we, but Christ has circumcised us) and are a new creation. Once spiritually dead and now made alive. You throw those verses at me as to insinuate this His Word is not in me, but you take my words and even these words(the verses) out of context. That or you misunderstand what is being said, Alligator.
My tip to you on the verses you quoted, to try to insinuate the Word isn't in me, is to study those verses and look into Gnosticism and how John had to deal with that. Those verses are basically refuting the position of Gnosticism.
To clarify, though a Christian may perform an act that is considered to be sinful, it by no means make the Christian a sinner. His sin nature has been put off, he is a new creation in Christ. To sin would go contrary to his new nature, but that doesn't mean he doesn't commit such acts.
Are you a saint or a sinner? The NT never calls you a sinner once you've accepted Christ. Any time the churches were addressed they were addressed as saints... I mean, look at the Corinthian church:
1 Corinthians 6:1-2
King James Version (KJV)
6 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
it goes on to say...
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
We are saints, the body of Christ is made out of saints. Once sinners, but now saints. To say that we are sinners saved by grace, is inaccurate. We were sinners saved by grace. We are now saints standing in that grace. Not that we have done something to be called a saint, but because of Christ. This isn't self-righteousness, because no one is a saint based upon their conduct. They are so called a saint because of Christ and the new-birth (which is because of Christ). One could say we are sinners saved by grace, but it neglects the fact of the old nature being put off and being a new creation (sin nature being circumcised by Christ, through baptism). We were crucified with Christ. To identify ourselves with who we were, is to deny who we have become in Christ.
I don't know if I worded this improperly(or not) and gave off the wrong vibe or some holiness doctrine that we are saints and not sinners, but this isn't being said as a self-righteous thing. We did nothing to be called saints, it is not our conduct and is nothing we can boast of. Just like you can't boast about your salvation, as it was all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
I suppose its a mindset thing, but not necessarily. Its a truth thing. Our old nature(sin nature) has been put off.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, emphasis mine).
If you're offended by this post, sorry saint. It isn't meant to be offensive, but thought provoking.
[h=3]Matthew 7:20-26[/h]King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]20 [/SUP]Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
[SUP]21 [/SUP]Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
[SUP]22 [/SUP]Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
[SUP]23 [/SUP]And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
[SUP]24 [/SUP]Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
[SUP]25 [/SUP]And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
[SUP]26 [/SUP]And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: