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Satan wants Christians to think that it's impossible to cease from sin. To prove this he whispers to the believer that every time they have an evil thought or desire, that they have already committed sin...and this is wrong! This Satanic deception depends on the false premise that a believer who has these evil, lustful thoughts is committing a sin. That simply is not true, the Bible carefully distinguishes between a person's "SIN NATURE"...as described in Romans 7:17, and Galatians 5:17: "...sin that dwelleth in me." "...the flesh lusteth against the Spirit." ...and COMMITTING SIN as found in 1 John 3:8: "He that committeth sin is of the devil..."
There is a great difference between the sin nature as an active force in man and committing sin which is rebellion against God. The Sin nature is that which urges us to commit an act of sin.
Comparing Acts of Sin and the Sin Nature:
AN ACT OF SIN consists of an intentional choice to break one of God's Commandments with full knowledge that it is wrong. The Bible refers to this as "Presumptuous Sin" as opposed to sins of ignorance. A sin done in ignorance of the law could be atoned for by the offering of a sacrifice (Lev 5:17) but willful transgression of the law was punished by death. (Lev 20:10 - Adultery). If a Christian is obeying God up to the knowledge he has and unwittingly breaks one of God's Commandments it is not an act of willful sin and he is not condemned. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus (The Blood of Christ) covers any sin done in ignorance until such time as the Holy Spirit makes the believer aware of his wrongdoing. We can see the principle clearly illustrated in 1 John 1:7: "But IF we walk in the light, as he is in the light...the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." Look closely, the condition for cleansing is that we must walk in the light. If a believer is doing what he knows to be wrong, he is not walking in the light and therefore he is not covered by the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus only cleanses from sins done unintentionally or in ignorance of God’s law. If the Christian has come to know that it is wrong, and continues to transgress the law, he is guilty of rebellion. If he will not put that sin away completely and forever, he is a rebel against God's Kingdom and will be condemned to death. He will not inherit eternal life. This is what John meant when he said: "All wrongdoing is sin, but there is SIN which is not mortal." (1 John 5 :17) "....SIN is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4) All wrongdoing is transgression of the law, but any transgression done in ignorance is not mortal.God does not consider a sin to be mortal unless there is rebellion in the heart. Without an attitude of rebellion there is no act of sin. So it is with sin, we do not "commit sin" unless we are aware that what we are doing is against one of God's Ten Commandments, and do it anyway. The word "commit" implies an intentional act as in: commit murder...commit robbery...commit Adultery. No one can commit sin accidentally.
Does a born-again Christian "commit sin"? The apostle John said NO!... "No one born of God commits sin." (1 John 3:9) Many who think they are born-again are not. The fact is that a person is not "born of God" the moment he first believes. Just as in the natural world where a child is begotten before it is born, so it is with the spiritual rebirth. First we are "begotten from above" then if we continue to grow we are born. The seed in the womb has "power" to grow and so do we! John said: "But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power TO BECOME children of God..." (John 1:12). Please notice that John did not say "...all who believed in His name ARE children of God, but that all who believed had power TO BECOME children! With the new birth comes the power to obey through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The true child of God will suffer anything, even death before he will deliberately offend God by disobeying even one of His commandments. According to the scriptures, if we do not obey God's commandments we do not love God! John said: "For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments." (1 John 5:3) If that is not clear then listen to what Jesus said: "He that hath my commandments, AND KEEPETH THEM, He it is that LOVETH me" (John 14:21) Only those who love God are going to inherit eternal life! Is it possible for someone who is born-again to commit a deliberate act of sin against God's law? Yes, because he still has free will and is able to choose good or evil. But woe to him if he chooses evil...!!! Think about it...this is a blessed person who has made a covenant with God to obey Him, and in turn has been given the faith, the strength, and the power to obey; yet he treacherously chooses to rebel and betray the one who has shown him great mercy. He spits in the face of the Holy One who suffered the agonies of the cross and died in his place. The return of a born-again believer who has come to the “knowledge of the truth” unto willful and deliberate sin is an act of high handed treason. (See Heb 10:26). God's righteousness demands judgment without mercy and eternal destruction for such a wretch. (Read Proverbs 1:28-33 and Hebrews 6:4-8...and tremble!)
In order to keep new believers from understanding these things and recognizing that they must stop "committing sin", the Devil wants them to put errors such as lustful thoughts and angry words, in the same category with deliberate acts of rebellion such as Lying, Stealing, and Adultery. He wants them to think that it is normal to "commit sin" every day so that they will lose the distinction between rebellion against God and simple manifestations of the Sin nature. THE SIN NATURE is that part of man which generates evil desires. The Sin nature is used by the Devil to tempt a person to commit sin. Through the Sin nature, Satan is able to stimulate the body, soul and mind towards evil. The spiritual powers of Satan's kingdom work directly through the Sin nature in order to tempt a person into breaking God's law. Like the carrot on a stick held in front of a donkey, Satan dangles the reward of pleasure as an inducement to lure the person along the path towards actual transgression of God's Ten Commandments. Through rewards of greater and greater pleasure the unwitting victim is drawn ever deeper and deeper into his own lusts, until lust overcomes him and he becomes willing to rebel against God and commit an act of sin. Sinful lust is best defined as: "desire for that which is forbidden". The scriptures teach that although lust in itself is not an act of sin (i.e. a deliberate transgression of the law) it will soon lead to an act of sin if not checked. Here is the way James described the process by which our lusts lead us into transgression and death: 1st Stage: DRAWN AWAY! "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." The moment the Sin nature is given an opportunity it begins to act on a person's will by drawing him away from what is right through his own lust. - (Greek: Epithumia 1939, "a longing for what is forbidden.") Those "longings" will soon entice. - (Greek: Deleazo 1185, "to entrap.") Once the person is entrapped, his desires have grabbed hold of his mind, and the sin nature will work to draw him on toward actual sin by rewarding him with pleasure or the promise of pleasure if he will continue to entertain his "longing for what is forbidden."
2nd Stage: SIN BROUGHT FORTH! "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:" Very soon the lust will have "conceived," and the living seed of rebellion is planted in the fertile soil of the mind. It begins to take root and grow and then bringeth forth sin. - (Greek: Tiktei 5088, "to produce from seed.") Once the seed of rebellion has taken root in the mind of the believer actual transgression is not very far away and is inevitable unless the person slams on his spiritual brakes and puts a stop to the process. This can only be done by an express act of the will and calling upon Jesus to rescue him from Sin's power.
3rd Stage: AN ACT OF SIN AND DEATH! "...and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (James 1:14, 15) If the person does not stop entertaining his lusts, the power of sin will have its way and the person will soon commit sin by choosing to set aside God's Law. Then Sin, "when it is finished (Greek: Apoteleo 658, "to complete entirely i.e. consummate.") BRINGETH FORTH DEATH"! Listen to the warning that Paul wrote to the born-again Christians at Rome. What he said to them, he said to us: "...his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of SIN UNTO DEATH, or of obedience unto righteousness." (Romans 6:16). A true Christian will not long entertain lustful fantasies about forbidden desires because he knows they are evil, dangerous, and offensive to God. The mature Christian knows that the longer one does entertain wrong thoughts or desires, the more one will suffer when trying to shut them off. The longer they are entertained, the deeper they become rooted and the more difficult to overcome. The Christian need not fear that he will not be able to overcome temptation because God promises that He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can endure. (See 1 Cor 10:13). That same verse also proves that anyone who really is born-gain and has the Holy Spirit of God is able to say "NO!" to any temptation that comes his way...
(I pray that any believer who finds himself unable to avoid acts of sin will realize that he is not yet born of God and will cry out for God's Holy Spirit, and surrender himself completely in obedience to God's Law.)
If the Christian will not turn away from his lusts--then he wants to keep them. If so, then sooner or later, he will inevitably succumb to the power of the Sin nature, reject the Lordship of Christ and commit sin. If he was truly born-again and then turns away from obedience to God's law, he will be lost! Not only lost, but according to Peter the punishment for the dog returning its vomit will be worse than for the unbeliever who was not able to obey. Christians, beware of your desires that are contrary to God's law, for the Devil is patient and has lots of time.
John says that "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." (1 John 3:9) Feeling desire is simply the first stage of temptation. Temptation to commit sin does come through lustful desires, fantasies, etc. but those lusts are not in themselves an act of sin because temptation does not involve rebellion.
The Bible says that all Christians are tempted and drawn away of their own lust, but "He that committeth sin is of the devil." (1 John 3:8) The Devil wants us to commit sin and "sin is the transgression of the law." Those who knowingly choose to disobey any part of God's Ten Commandment Law (including the Sabbath) are obeying the Devil. They are his servants and will share his fate on Judgement day. Paul warned: "Know ye not that, to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are..." (Romans 6:16)
The most important question a Christian can ask himself is: Whose servant am I? "Jesus answered...Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." (John 8:58)
Awesome post. It lines up with ALL of scripture, and it lines up with our King and His commands. It also lines up with the OT requirements of the Spirit.
...21 years ago I confessed Jesus as my Lord and Savior...21 years ago...and it was prophetically declared to me on that day, that if I would walk in the way of the Lord, and follow Him, that He would bless my daughter...21 years ago...
21 years of:
ridicule...rejection...failure...despair...pain... trauma...
darkness...depression...testing...testing...testin g...trials...
trials...trials...temptations, one right after the other...choices...mostly bad...very few right...tears...more tears...and even more tears...false teachings...confusion...searching...seeking for truth...21 years...
Last night my beautiful daughter Dawn and I sat here in front of my desk, while my precious little baby grand-daughter slept in the crib just 5 yards away. Here we are...her and I, at midnight, discussing God...Jesus...the Holy Spirit...the Truth of God's Word...keeping the commandments...honoring the Sabbath...the two pastors in my life; Benny Hinn, for 13 years...and my present pastor, John, at my present place of worship, and their false teachings...her life...her purpose...her value...her importance...her responsibilities, not only for herself, but for our beautiful little baby, Teagan...and her future...but most importantly...building her and Teagan's future upon a solid foundation, beginning NOW...with her, (Dawn) showing her child by example, Who Jesus IS!...
...she got it! She received it...we cried...the Holy Spirit was heavy upon both of us. We could barely talk...tears just flowed freely...
Focusing on one area of our "multi-faceted" conversation: our "sinful nature"..."temptation"...having only 2 options; one being choosing to not sin, and the other being choosing to sin...and how it all boils down to obeying the ten commandments...ALL TEN OF THEM.
This revelation of truth hit her just like it hit me when I first heard it...the confusion went away for her...she said so!! All these years, 21 years, her and I both have been so confused...never able to interlock the pieces of the puzzle, and come together in peace, with hope, like we've never known before!.........fastforward.......
...to this morning. Dawn and I loaded up the baby in the car, with all her luggage, and we proceeded to the drug store to pick up some last minute items she needed for her plane trip back home to Minnesota. From there we would go to the gas station, and gas up for our trip to Orlando to the airport.
Before we left the house, my mother asked her if she needed any money, and Dawn said no, that she had enough to check in her luggage, and that was all she needed. She then stated that she thought she had brought more money than that, but she must have been in a hurry and left Minnesota without grabbing all her cash. So, my mother asked her how much she needed and Dawn said, "Maybe $20.00...would that be o.k?"...and mom told me to go by the bank, on our way to the airport, and get $40.00 for her instead. So we did just that...we went to the bank first, withdrew $40.00, I gave it to her, then we went to the drug store. As Dawn opened her wallet to put the $40.00 cash inside, she found the $100.00 bill, that she had placed in a little side pocket...and so delighted she had found it!...<<<
...Here is where the test began...for both of us...
She knew I didn't have a dime...so she handed me one of the $20's of the $40.00 mom gave to her, I smiled and said, "O great! Now I have some gas money!" And she placed the other $20.00 back into her wallet, and went inside the drug store, while I remained in the car with the baby in the cool air-conditioning.
The Holy Spirit said to me..."You have to give it back to your mother; the $20.00 in your hands, and the $20.00 that Dawn has in her wallet. What kind of example are you going to be for Dawn after your beautiful conversation last night concerning making choices to sin or not to sin...?" WHOAH! AWWWWWWWWWKK!! Instant conviction...INSTANT! I answered him...I said, "Forgive me Father, for even thinking for one second that I could keep this $20.00...I will not keep it, and I will inform Dawn about what you just showed me...thank you Holy Spirit...for your precious love for me and her."
When Dawn got back into the car, I immediately told her what the Holy Spirit said, and explained how God was testing us to see where our hearts were, and reminding her of what we discussed last night...and she was so convicted, she couldn't get her half of the $40.00 out of her wallet fast enough, and handed it to me...we cried, we praised God for His Holy Spirit within us...showing us our error in our thoughts, and giving us a chance to make it right!
Remember the song I gave to you all called "The Revelation Song," the one where I told you of how I was singing to it and the Holy Spirit put you all on my heart to pray for you!...and so I shared it with you? Well, as soon as we made the right decision, this song came on the radio, and Dawn and I sang it to the top of our lungs in the car! We considered it a "gift" from God to us, telling us how happy He is with us!...The 45 minute trip to the airport was so amazing...Dawn and I KNEW we were filled with the Holy Spirit...we felt so good knowing we made the right choice...and she told me that I was an amazing mother, and she thanked God for me! Then she got right on the cell phone to call my mother to tell her all that had just occurred...my heart was and still is so blessed, and so full of the love of God...JESUS!!! PRECIOUS JESUS!!!
Evil, lustful thoughts are not the sin...making the choice to go through with the thought, and turn it into an active choice, is the sin. Thank God our thoughts do not bring death to us...we were given a chance to make a choice...and we made the right choice...we chose LIFE!!!...what a joy!!!
In the love of Christ!!!
Verna.
Last edited by Verna Perry; 08-20-2009 at 09:17 PM..
Benny Hinn? Honoring the Sabbaath? I think we need to talk a little more about that.
Quote:
Benny Hinn, for 13 years...and my present pastor, John, at my present place of worship, and their false teachings.
I think Verna used to listen to Benny Hinn and now does not. He does not observe the sabbath and Verna did not before when she listened to Benny Hinn. Now she observes the Sabbath
Yes, it absolutely is Miss Blue! His grace enables the believer to overcome the temptation to sin...overlooking our sinful nature through the precious shed blood of His Son Jesus...and claiming victory over sin!!!
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Originally Posted by Miss Blue
If it was possible for us to cease from sin then doesn't that make void the work of the cross?
No, not one bit..in fact it shows our love and appreciation for His suffering for us.
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Originally Posted by Miss Blue
I wonder why Christ included "forgive us our trespasses" when he was giving an example of how to pray?
Because we should always pray and ask God to forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us...we cannot be forgiven of Him if we do not forgive others who have hurt us...forgiving is more for our own hearts well-being...unforgiveness is like cancer...it grows inside us and kills any chance of growth, spiritually.
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Originally Posted by Miss Blue
Seems if we could cease to sin that we would not be flesh and blood since flesh dies because of sin?
I'm not sure of what you are asking here Miss Blue. I'm sorry. Could you break it down for me? Thank you.
Anyone who seeks to be justified by the law is fallen from Grace. (Gal 5:4)
Anyone who seeks to be justified by the law has definately fallen from grace...just like the Pharisees and the Saddusees did...BUT anyone who seeks to be justified by FAITH in Jesus Christ...will be counted as righteous on the day!!!
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It lines up with ALL of scripture, and it lines up with our King and His commands. It also lines up with the OT requirements of the Spirit.
Food For Thought...
AWWWWWWWWWKK!! Instant conviction...INSTANT! I answered him...I said, "Forgive me Father, for even thinking for one second that I could keep this $20.00...I will not keep it, and I will inform Dawn about what you just showed me...thank you Holy Spirit...for your precious love for me and her." 
His grace enables the believer to overcome the temptation to sin...overlooking our sinful nature through the precious shed blood of His Son Jesus...and claiming victory over sin!!! 