When are the saved like Jesus? etc.

[Gerr]

Quote:

Well said. We were sanctified through what Christ did .... not what WE do through Him now.

If we are sanctified (made holy) solely on what Jesus DID which was 2000 yrs ago and nothing to do with what He is doing IN the believer NOW, why then is sanctification "the work of a lifetime?"

[Twilight]

I just checked the last two pages (6,7) of this thread and found only one reference to a Bible text that wasn't from either Paul, EGW, or the unknown writer of Hebrews, and that was from Revelation (thank God).

Why is it that virtually NO ONE on this thread will use the words of Jesus Christ as found in Matthew, Mark or John to show how sanctification works? Get a grip, people, and go directly to the source of Truth. If you are going to use an intermediary then at least prove the point by quoting Jesus Christ. It seems only fair.

Because many here accept the inspiration of the Holy Spirit acting through men, which you and others seem to deny?

Mark :-)

[Woody]

Quote:

Well said. We were sanctified through what Christ did .... not what WE do through Him now.

If we are sanctified (made holy) solely on what Jesus DID which was 2000 yrs ago and nothing to do with what He is doing IN the believer NOW, why then is sanctification "the work of a lifetime?"

Guess you should ask Ellen White. The Bible is very clear on this particular issue.

[Twilight]

Originally Posted By: Gerry Cabalo

Quote:

Well said. We were sanctified through what Christ did .... not what WE do through Him now.

If we are sanctified (made holy) solely on what Jesus DID which was 2000 yrs ago and nothing to do with what He is doing IN the believer NOW, why then is sanctification "the work of a lifetime?"

Guess you should ask Ellen White. The Bible is very clear on this particular issue.

It is indeed.

But are you sure you are the one with "clarity"?

Mark :-)

[Woody]

I trust the Bible. You can't go wrong that way.

[skyblue888]

Red, I am glad to hear you say that you trust the Bible.

"The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life." Luke 1:73-75.

Do you believe what these verses are saying? What does it mean to live before God in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life?

thanks Red

sky

[Gerr]

Yes, the Bible is pretty clear that sanctification is a PAST and PRESENT experience. Read 1 Cor 6:11 & Heb 10:14. If it's a present experience, that means a lifetime, however long that is.

[Just*]

Quote:

Well said. We were sanctified through what Christ did .... not what WE do through Him now.

If we are sanctified (made holy) solely on what Jesus DID which was 2000 yrs ago and nothing to do with what He is doing IN the believer NOW, why then is sanctification "the work of a lifetime?"

"The sinner could not be happy in God's presence; he would shrink from the companionship of holy beings. Could he be permitted to enter heaven, it would have no joy for him. The spirit of unselfish love that reigns there --every heart responding to the heart of Infinite Love --would touch no answering chord in his soul. His thoughts, his interests, his motives, would be alien to those that actuate the sinless dwellers there. He would be a discordant note in the melody of heaven. Heaven would be to him a place of torture; he would long to be hidden from Him who is its light, and the center of its joy. It is no arbitrary decree on the part of God that excludes the wicked from heaven; they are shut out by their own unfitness for its companionship. The glory of God would be to them a consuming fire. They would welcome destruction, that they might be hidden from the face of Him who died to redeem them. {SC 17.2}

[Robert]

"The sinner could not be happy in God's presence; he would shrink from the companionship of holy beings. Could he be permitted to enter heaven, it would have no joy for him. The spirit of unselfish love [agape] that reigns there ....{SC 17.2}

First of all God will not take sinners to heaven. We are changed before our entrance. What is not changed is our frame of mind...or mind set. That's not to be equated with perfection for Paul, speaking for the immature believer, said:

"For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man [converted man]. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."

This man has had a change of mind...a change of direction. Now he loves God's agape, where before he loved the principle of self-love. So there's a change that takes place in the mind. This mind set we will take to heaven with us....

[oldsailor29]

Of course the sinner is not happy in God's presence. God's presence makes sinners very uncomfortable. That's why it is called hell.

[Just*]

Originally Posted By: Just*

"The sinner could not be happy in God's presence; he would shrink from the companionship of holy beings. Could he be permitted to enter heaven, it would have no joy for him. The spirit of unselfish love [agape] that reigns there ....{SC 17.2}

First of all God will not take sinners to heaven. We are changed before our entrance. What is not changed is our frame of mind...or mind set. That's not to be equated with perfection for Paul, speaking for the immature believer, said:

"For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man [converted man]. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."

This man has had a change of mind...a change of direction. Now he loves God's agape, where before he loved the principle of self-love. So there's a change that takes place in the mind. This mind set we will take to heaven with us....

"It is not enough to perceive the loving-kindness of God, to see the benevolence, the fatherly tenderness, of His character. It is not enough to discern the wisdom and justice of His law, to see that it is founded upon the eternal principle of love. Paul the apostle saw all this when he exclaimed, "I consent unto the law that it is good." "The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." But he added, in the bitterness of his soul-anguish and despair, "I am carnal, sold under sin." Romans 7:16, 12, 14. He longed for the purity, the righteousness, to which in himself he was powerless to attain, and cried out, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death?" Romans 7:24, margin. Such is the cry that has gone up from burdened hearts in all lands and in all ages. To all, there is but one answer, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29. {SC 19.1}

[Woody]

Of course the sinner is not happy in God's presence. God's presence makes sinners very uncomfortable. That's why it is called hell.

Not being in God's presence IS Hell.

[skyblue888]

But God is everywhere present. We cannot hide from Him. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" Ps.139:7.

[Gerr]

Of course the sinner is not happy in God's presence. God's presence makes sinners very uncomfortable. That's why it is called hell.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I wonder why the tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners seem to congregate around Jesus?

[Guest]

He says come as you are, but a person who is not ready to give up their sin and change, it is uncomfotable to be around where Jesus is.

[Woody]

Being willing to give up sin and actually doing so .... are two different things.

[Guest]

No they're not. If you have the willingness, he has the means. If you don't utilize that, it's only because you are unwilling.

[Woody]

I disagree but then I don't want to argue with you .... Ha Ha

[skyblue888]

If we are not willing, we can consent to be made willing for God can work in us both to will and to do His good pleasure as it is expressed in the precepts of His holy law. Phil.2:13.

sky

[Guest]

I had to be made willing. I did not have the willingness on my own, and the process for making me willing was not pleasant. But if the Lord rebukes you and chastens you, it means he loves you.

Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

[Guest]

The LORD will show me more sins that I need to give up. If he showed them all at once, we couldn't take it.

[Woody]

The LORD will show me more sins that I need to give up. If he showed them all at once, we couldn't take it.

I'll bet you that some zealous Christian will beat the Lord in disclosing the sins that you need to give up!!! But, I very much agree overall with your statement.

[LifeHiscost]

Originally Posted By: oldsailor29

Of course the sinner is not happy in God's presence. God's presence makes sinners very uncomfortable. That's why it is called hell.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I wonder why the tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners seem to congregate around Jesus?

Very good point, Gerry. We that invite Him to abide with us, all have a personal testimony that answers that question.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. "John 3:17 NKJV

Blessings!

[Musicman1228]

The LORD will show me more sins that I need to give up. If he showed them all at once, we couldn't take it.

Richard, my friend,

What you have just done is describe perfectly the 'process of sanctification', which is little by little removing the sin/lies in your life (only through the power of the Holy Spirit) and replacing those sins/lies with the truth.

Is there an end to this process of sanctification, and if so what is it?

[Guest]

Spotless white robes and eternal life.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, Isa 61:10