Just thinkin'
Last night at kinship I made a case for the fact that we will not continue to sin as Christians and it resulted in some good discussion. I like it when we think about God topics and hold up what we think to what others think to what the Bible thinks. There's generally no resolve but it's fun to chew on this stuff.
People often respond to topics like Grace, Forgiveness, Repentance and Sin by holding fast to the idea that when we sin there is a separation or a wall between us and God until we do something about it (which we call repentance).
How much of my sin did Jesus die for? When I say I am forgiven by the blood of Christ do I mean only for those sins I have repented of? If repentance is the key then we certainly don't need the cross do we? We can keep with the old system, it fully provided for that.
Is the blood that covers my sin only activated by my repentance? Or does the cross provide for more than that?
The law says I must do something about my sin, grace says Jesus has done everthing about my sin. The law condemns and says I am separated until I do something about it, grace enables and says nothing can separate me and there's nothing for me to do but accept the grace of God.
That's too easy for us, the news is too good to believe. So we bring grace down to our level of reasoning. We must repent.
I'm wondering if our preoccupation with sin and separation from God is a key reason why many of us do not embrace freedom in Christ and do not grow in victory. I see it the same as doubt in healing; we doubt God can heal us and so we don't get fully healed. We doubt the cross can fully save us so we don't get fully saved.
You don't have to agree, I'm just thinkin'
Pa
posted by MaPaMumby @ 10:46 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
I think you are misunderstanding what I (and Amanda) raised at kinship.
There is no more sin, Jesus ended it at the cross, period. Yet, it still affects our lives and can in fact put me in bondage! What is going on! It can be so bad that a believer under the new covenant can have demonic spirits and need deliverance.
If there is no sin for the believer how can I have a demon attached to my sin nature? This is the big question people have when you teach that sin is no longer an issue. I understand you were not really talking about this but were talking about how its not an issue on God's end.
The point I was making at kinship is that we live between the times, the already and the not yet. The kingdom is fully here and is fully coming. When you teach about the sin nature in absolutes people get confused and can't figure it out unless they understand this paradigm. They also have to understand how the enemy's lie based system works.
Then there is the whole sanctification thing. If I am already rid of my sin nature why must I be sanctified, or transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ? I thought Gal 2:20 covered all that?
That is the other point, man's free will, this was Amanda's point. She explainted that you can distance yourself from God by not repenting. Distance is a bad word for it as you cannot really distance yourself so I'll use the term, "deny access". He stands at the door and knocks and I can choose to not answer the door.
To quote you: "there's nothing for me to do but accept the grace of God."
How do I accept this grace? I answer the door, I repent. I have to accept it as God will not violate my free will. He's standing at everyone'd door with the inheritance of the Father and I can choose not to take it.
Quote you: When I say I am forgiven by the blood of Christ do I mean only for those sins I have repented of?
No your sin nature is dead. However, as a last days believer the sin nature will need reminding that it is dead. This is the work of sanctification. How does that work? Often I will have to repent of believing the lies that keep me in bondage to the old system. This is what Amanda and I were talking about. Sadly these lies are designed to drive a wedge between the believer and the inheritance of God.
A.
Post a Comment
<< Home