Listen i am all for not sinning but when you say something like this....Willfully sinning is the evidence of apostasy,a seared conscience and soon to be worker of iniquity. that is when i have a problem. It is not for you to decide what is in a persons heart based on your own doctrinal beliefs, it's fine if you believe what you do and live it out the best you can but for you to say something like that about people is simply wrong.
I knew a girl who was a new believer and studied under this pastor at this church i used to go he believed very firmly what you do and would constantly drill into her about willful sin, every time she screwed up and sinned even though she asked for forgiveness she felt worse and worse she never could live up to God's standards she continued to ask why she couldn't stop messing up and the pastor only kept talking about sin being a choice she wouldn't listen to me only him.
about a month later i came to visit her at her home but her mom was in tears holding a note in the note was her daughters handwriting she apparently had killed herself because she could not stop sinning no matter how hard she tried and felt that she was not worthy of God. Your whole sin is a choice doctrine killed my friend because she could not live up to standards and i apologize for my last post i was infuriated because of the severe damage this doctrine has done to my friends family and to me as well losing a close and precious friend because of a doctrine that is impossible to live up hurts very badly and in my weakness i blew up on you and i apologize for that
First of all, I am very sorry your friend felt she had no other choice available to her. She was precious to God and she is now with Jesus....
I am not talking about being perfect or preaching condemnation and that is what you seem to think...
Let this burn into your ears and into your spirit...I will not held accountable for something I was not a direct part of.....Where was your high powered righteousness indignation when your friend was in such depression she could not escape condemnation and took her own life...did you act on any of the spiritual discernment the Holy Spirit was giving you when this was going on!?!? It seems to me you are lashing out at people but did nothing to stop this....How incredibly arrogant and immature this is......If you need your guilt purged because of this situation then go to the throne of grace and seek the grace and mercy and help you need to get over it, but do not pin the tail on my donkey ever again....you are forgiven for your moment of weakness...
Do you even understand what sin is a choice is? It is evident your former pastor was preaching something not fit for babes....He will answer for it, but the doctrine is not false it is hard to follow for those that have not spiritually matured to the point of understanding it.
God told Cain in Gen 4 he had a choice regarding murdering Abel, just as his Mom had a choice not to eat the fruit...
Titus 2.11-16 says
[SUP]11 [/SUP]For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, [SUP]12 [/SUP]instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, [SUP]13 [/SUP]looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, [SUP]14 [/SUP]who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
[SUP]15 [/SUP]These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
That grace everyone is fond have talking about here also gives you your choice regarding Sin back....Saints have sinned, or will sin in the future and they do and will...but we have our choice back...
Willfull sin and apostasy is not what your friend suffered with...she was under condemnation, because some over zealous hireling was not telling her how she got her choice over sin back and how she can grow to stop sinning over and over....
I do not have the time to post what willfull sin is and how it relates to the state of apostasy, but rest assured this preacher has no clue what he was/is teaching....
People have to be fed according to their spiritual maturity and again, I am sorry for your loss, but this was not my doing ...the doctrine you say is mine comes from the word, it is the same doctrine Jesus preached and said was not his own....when you come to another level of spiritual maturity you will see it and understand it...