It was.... the oppression of "condemnation."
For sure. Jesus certainly did not die to sear my heart from conviction whenever I am in need of repentance.
It was.... the oppression of "condemnation."
If you sin, you are a sinner.....
Better to say, "If you lead a lifestyle of sin and are not of a penitent and contrite heart, you are a sinner."
Not so.Exactly true, but I'll go a step farther and say that it's impossible for a Christian to not have a penitent and contrite heart. It is possible for one who confesses to be a Christian to not have a changed heart but the very act of salvation creates a new heart.
Ezekiel 36:26King James Version (KJV)[SUP]26 [/SUP]A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Not so.
A Christian's heart can be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin to the point where they can depart from the living God and this is precisely why we ought to be admonishing one another daily:
"But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation." (Hebrews 3:6-15)
for sure by mercy we are being transformed and regenerated.
for sure by His Spirit working in us we are being made into His likeness.
for sure He is able to complete in me the work He started.
for sure He is able to keep me steadfast until that day when He returns and we know Him fully.Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners -- of whom I am the worst.
(1 Timothy 1:15)
why is this in present tense -- not past tense?
Paul had pretty good Greek, right?
You can disagree all that you'd like to, but you're disagreeing with the Bible and not with me. Here is who the writer was addressing in what I previously quoted:Sorry, I disagree. Hebrews was written to the Hebrew people. The children of Israel were not born again, so yes they hardened their hearts. Paul is speaking to a group of people, some Christian but some still practicing the old covenant law.
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
That evil heart of unbelief is an unsaved heart. You can't have both a saved heart, which is a new creation where old things have passed away ,all things are new, and all things are of God and an evil heart of unbelief at the same time.
Btw, Paul never said anything about "the flesh being crucified daily". Here is what he actually said:Let me clarify something. I'm not saying that a Christian can't ignore the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit. What I'm saying is that it's impossible for a Christian to sustain the same heart relationship with sin that they had before being saved. To be saved the Spirit becomes one with God. They can certainly be lead by their flesh which should be considered dead and must be crucified daily.
If you sin, you are a sinner - if you are a sinner, you belong to the devil. I've already posted the Scripture stating sinners are going to hell.
Do the words "SIN NO MORE" ring a bell?
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.Btw, Paul never said anything about "the flesh being crucified daily". Here is what he actually said:
"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Galatians 5:24)
HAVE crucified.
In relation to dying daily, Paul said:
"And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die." (I Corinthians 15:30-32)
Paul "died daily" in that he daily put his physical life in jeopardy for the gospel's sake. He didn't need to somehow "crucify his flesh daily".
"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." (I Corinthians 9:24-27)
Paul did bring his own body into subjection to Christ via temperance which is one of the fruits of the Spirit, but to say that he needed to somehow "crucify his flesh daily" is rather preposterous. I mean, Paul said that he was crucified with Christ, didn't he? If Paul needed to be crucified daily, then does Christ need to be crucified daily as well? Think about it, please.

I just recently addressed this on another thread, so I hope that you don't mind me providing you a link to that as an answer to your questions:We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Here in Romans 7, Paul is speaking in the present tense, is he not? I am wondering how it squares with you saying Paul does not need to crucify his flesh daily. Is he not saying he is still a slave to the law of sin in his flesh, which he overcomes by the power of God?
Thank you for the link, no I do not mind at all, I shall check it out now, thanks again!I just recently addressed this on another thread, so I hope that you don't mind me providing you a link to that as an answer to your questions:
http://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/119657-godless-american-church-8.html#post2226807
If you have any further questions after reading what I wrote there, then I'll be happy to answer them for you to the best of my ability. Thank you.
You're more than welcome and your politeness is rather refreshing, so thank you as well.Thank you for the link, no I do not mind at all, I shall check it out now, thanks again!![]()
It is a long post, but what I see right away is the claim that we are no longer in the flesh once we are born again. I do understand the distinction you make to say flesh equals being under the law and we are born again of the spirit. However, as others are pointing out to you, how can that be the total end of the desires of the flesh, since we are still alive in this earthy body in a fallen world and subject to the desires of the flesh. You said:I just recently addressed this on another thread, so I hope that you don't mind me providing you a link to that as an answer to your questions:
http://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/119657-godless-american-church-8.html#post2226807
If you have any further questions after reading what I wrote there, then I'll be happy to answer them for you to the best of my ability. Thank you.
Paul did bring his own body into subjection to Christ via temperance which is one of the fruits of the Spirit, but to say that he needed to somehow "crucify his flesh daily" is rather preposterous. I mean, Paul said that he was crucified with Christ, didn't he? If Paul needed to be crucified daily, then does Christ need to be crucified daily as well? Think about it, please.
Here in Romans 7, Paul is speaking in the present tense, is he not? I am wondering how it squares with you saying Paul does not need to crucify his flesh daily. Is he not saying he is still a slave to the law of sin in his flesh, which he overcomes by the power of God?
Where do you find any mention of "the works of the flesh" in what you cited from I Corinthians chapter 3? There isn't any.It is a long post, but what I see right away is the claim that we are no longer in the flesh once we are born again. I do understand the distinction you make to say flesh equals being under the law and we are born again of the spirit. However, as others are pointing out to you, how can that be the total end of the desires of the flesh, since we are still alive in this earthy body in a fallen world and subject to the desires of the flesh. You said:
Again, being delivered from the law and no longer being in the flesh are the same thing...whether you like it or not. Those who are delivered from the law serve in newness of spirit and/or those who are no longer in the flesh bring forth fruit unto God.
Paul said: in 1 Cor 3:10-13 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Is he not saying we need build with care because the works of the flesh can creep in, such works counting for nothing in the end, being burnt up even though we ourselves will still be saved? Always we are being exhorted to be vigilant and stand fast, because the tendency to err is great. Even Paul had a thorn in the flesh as a saved Christian, which he prayed God remove, but which was not removed from him.
I do not sin every day and currently I am not abiding in any sins unto death (such as lying. Lust. hate, etc.).
For some, they do both good and evil at the same time pretending to uphold righteousness when in reality, they are not. I am not sure it is an issue for some. Sin. Some just are not overly concerned about it because they got their ticket to Heaven.