Charles Stanley is a wolf who appears as a lamb.
Lord, Why Can’t I Change?
By Charles F. Stanley
Have you ever vowed to put an ungodly habit behind you, only to fall again soon after? Feelings of guilt can lead to a renewed commitment to never do something again. But the very next day, the cycle repeats itself as we give in to the same temptations. Our defeat leaves us wondering,
What’s wrong with me? Our despair at repeated failure produces a sense of hopeless resignation and confusion. We want to know,
Lord, why can’t I change?
All of us have experienced the problem of wanting to honor God and yet reverting back to old, sinful ways almost immediately. Isn’t the Christian life supposed to be more liberating and victorious than this? After all, the Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (
2 Cor. 5:17).
Why, then, does habitual sin take hold of us? Wasn’t Christ supposed to change all this? If we are new creations, why do we still act like old ones? We feel as stuck as a ship run aground.
So how do we shake free from our sinful behaviors? First, we need to examine the way change occurs in the Christian life.
Salvation is an instantaneous work of God, which happens the moment we receive Jesus as Savior. But from that point on, we enter a continual process of transformation called sanctification. The Lord’s goal is to mold us into the image of Christ, but this process requires our cooperation. That’s what the Bible means when it says, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (
Phil. 2:12). If we neglect this responsibility, we’ll find ourselves struggling with the same issues over and over again. But if we submit to the Holy Spirit, He’ll exert His influence in every area of our lives. Old sinful habits will pass away and be replaced with new godly behavior.
Charles Stanley teaches that salvation is purely abstract and judicial in application and that being set free from sin is something that occurs later on in sanctification. In other words you can be "saved" and yet still engaged in vile and filthy sins due to the "instantaneous" abstract work of God which is totally disconnected from the actual condition of the heart.
These false teachers defend ongoing sin in a most insidious and deceptive way via teaching that salvation itself has nothing to do with the total transformation of the heart.
Charles Stanley teaches sin/repent/sin/repent/sin/repent with no true victory over sin.
Perhaps you feel as if you’re the rope in a tug of war between God and sin, constantly being pulled in two opposing directions.
Don’t beat yourself up when you fail. Rather, confess and repent as quickly as possible (
1 John 1:9).
During those times, remember that you are engaged in a long process, and that you cannot renew your own mind. Trying harder and making promises to God will only discourage you, because in your own strength, you will never be able to change.
True transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit—and it takes time. Therefore, submit to His leading, heed His warnings, and obey His voice.
As you persevere in choosing which thoughts to allow, the bondage of sin will diminish and your mind will be renewed. This transformation, which began internally, will now be worked out externally as behavior changes. When you think right, you’ll act right. Areas of your life that you were powerless to adjust on your own will be refashioned. And Christ’s victorious life will be beautifully demonstrated through you so that others will see and be drawn to Him.
Notice the bondage of sin does not end but only "diminishes" gradually.
Paul taught...
om 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For
he that is dead is freed from sin.
Charles Stanley teaches that "henceforth we should not serve sin
as much."
Charles Stanley teaches that "he that is dead is freed from sin
gradually."
Paul taught...
Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 6:12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Rom 6:13
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Charles Stanley doesn't teach the above, instead he teaches that "don't let sin reign
as much" and "don't yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin
as much."
He dresses the above up in great swelling words which give the impression of a form of godliness yet he denies the actual reality of what salvation actually is. The grace of God that brings salvation teaches us something and Jesus gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and make us pure.
Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Jesus did not give Himself for us to leave us as Romans 7 wretches sinning in thought, word and deed every day. That is a mockery of the power of God because it basically teaches that the salvation of God is not powerful enough to truly break the bondage of sin over our lives.
Paul taught...
Rom 6:14 For
sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Rom 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Rom 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Shall we sin because we are under grace?
No.
Don't we realise that to whom we yield ourselves as servant to obey (either sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness) reveals who we actually belong to?
Thanks God that we
were the servants of sin but through obedience from the heart (changed heart) to the doctrine of Christ that we have been delivered from sin in order to become a servant of righteousness.
Peter teaches that we are to grow in the "grace and knowledge" of Jesus Christ as we remain steadfast in the truth being weary of the error of the wicked.
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
2Pe 3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
2Pe 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
2Pe 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
2Pe 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Thus we are to be holy in all conservation (conduct) and godliness having escaped the corruption in the world through the knowledge of Jesus Christ in which we are given all things that pertain to life and godliness.
2Pe 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2Pe 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
These celebrity preachers like Charles Stanley are deadly wolves who preach a false message of repentance and a false message of salvation. While they may preach a moral message of doing the right thing by faith they utterly deny the real victory over the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life through the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ whereby we have the righteousness of God fulfilled in us.
There is no serving two masters in authentic Christianity. Don't be deceived but dig deep and study to show yourselves approved. We need to examine ourselves if we are truly in the faith and stop listening to those who are proclaimed as experts.
The doctrine of Christ is all about the heart being truly transformed whereby we can have true fellowship with the Father. A pure heart is pure, it is not still filthy in transition. While we grow in knowledge and understanding we do not grow whist still being servants of sin, the service of sin stops in repentance otherwise it will never stop.
Charles Stanley quotes taken from...
Lord, Why Can’t I Change?
