you guys think i am joking?
anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
(Romans 6:7)
don't fret. trust Him. rejoice in Him!
consider yourselves dead to sin & alive to God through Christ Jesus.
in Him we have died as far as the law is concerned -- there is now no more condemnation for us. i am crucified with Christ, and i no longer live - who will bring charges against me?
get the other 2/3 of the gospel: may your joy be complete!!
That last part, there, kills me.
The hypocrisy is staggering.
Dying in Jesus is only the beginning.
Just as one who is charitably released from prison, with a life sentence yet to be served, by some unknown stranger who owed you absolutely nothing, the concept that we are free then to live however we please is beyond............silly.
"Go forth and commit no more crimes" says the stranger. Just as Jesus said, "Go forth and sin no more."
(John 8:11)
How utterly selfish and unappreciative would we be if we went forth and continued to commit the same crimes that got us imprisoned in the first place?
The New Testament is 'LITTERED' with commands to cease all sin and obey God's commands. Beginning with Jesus, himself.
(John 14:15) "If you love me, keep
'MY' commands."
And who is this 'MY' referring to? Well, Jesus made it plain as day that He was Almighty God. Did He not?
(John 14:9) ...he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father;.......
Dying in Christ is the release from the prison of sin/spiritual death. Yet, out of absolute reverence for this stranger and the free gift of early release from our well-deserved punishment, we are then to work as hard as we possibly can to avoid 'ALL' sin. This is a big part of the Holy Spirit, to 'enable' us to do this.
Anyone who says that sin is unavoidable is absolutely 'LOST'.
What sin, in particular, is absolutely unavoidable? I'd love to see a thread on this one.
What sin can we not keep from committing?
-Drinking alcohol
-Cursing
-Thinking lustful thoughts
-Thinking evil thoughts
-Stealing
-Raping
-Incest
-Adultery
-Murder
Seriously, what sin is absolutely too difficult for anybody who 'CLAIMS' to love our Lord and Savior to put behind them and sin no more?
(James 3:2) states that we 'ALL' stumble often. But remember that in order for it to be an actual 'STUMBLE', we must first be striving with everything we've got to achieve clean, holy living out of reverence for the unprecedented kindness that was afforded us by that certain Someone who 'FULFILLED' all of God's commands in the sense that He was the only man EVER to live without committing a single sin.
Jesus did 'NOT' end all of God's Commandments. He 'PROVED' that we can live without them. Via 'HIS' Holy Spirit.
God Bless