A Must For Every Christian

[skyblue888]

"We are near the close of probation, when every case is to pass in review before God. Now, in probation, is the time God has given us for the formation of pure and holy characters. If this time is not improved, if the thoughts are impure, if the heart is not sanctified, if unholy practices are indulged, be sure that the portion of such will be with the unholy, the debased, the abominable. {HP 196.5}

Solemn!

It hits home, doesn't it?

Thank you for sharing this statement Gibs

sky

[Woody]

I will always sin. But praise God - I sin and He forgives.

God accepts each person where they are at and will restore them at the Second Coming.

[Gibs]

Rather than legalism - I suppose we can call it blasphemy. For it's blasphemy to attempt to present one's self as God or Jesus. To think that we can walk as Jesus walked would be placing ourself on His level. This is what Lucifier attempted to do. And we know where that got him.

From all I can learn Woody we are to walk as He walked. Here's is just one, EGW has many I believe.

1Jo 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

That is the secret right there, abiding in Him and He abiding in us as Paul loved to tell it.

Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

[Woody]

With that philosophy Gibs - you would place Lucifer in Heaven.

[Overaged]

Gibs & sky, were either of you perfect today. Did you have any thought that was impure?

[Gibs]

OV,

Satan sends them but cast them out, we don't have to entertain them. We don't hold on to a rotton apple, cast them away as you do the rotten apple.

Satan tried Jesus the same way in all points as one of us and we can walk as He did, He in us and we have no excuse!

It's the power of your will, will you or will you not? You choose!

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

[skyblue888]

Right on Gibs. Temptation is not sin. To be tempted with an impure thought is not sin. It is what we do with it. Do we dwell on it or do we by the faith of Christ cast it out of our mind?

"The great mass of professing Christians will meet with bitter disappointment in the day of God. They have not upon their foreheads the seal of the living God. Lukewarm and halfhearted they dishonor God far more than the avowed unbeliever. They grope in darkness, when they might be walking in the noonday light of the Word, under the guidance of One who never errs." E.G. White, 7 B.C.970,

"The seal of the living God will be placed upon those only who bear a likeness to Christ in character." RH May 21, 1895.

Do you tremble at these words?

I do.

sky

[Gerr]

Gerry, You must see we can do all things through Him that strenghtens us. He did not leave it so any need fall short of being overcomers of committing sin.

I think you are taking Phil 4:13 farther than Paul intended it to be. "Like" does not mean "exactly the same!" The little light on my candle will NEVER be exactly like the light from the Son of Righteousness. And until you can show me ONE person who has walked EXACTLY like Jesus, love exactly like Jesus, obey exactly like Jesus, all is just theory. But here is what the same Paul said:

ESV ‎‎Ro 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

"Fall short" is present tense, check out the Greek. God is infinite, neither you nor I can EVER match His love or righteousness. We can try to walk in His steps, but walking EXACTLY as He walked? I believed that once 30 years ago. Oh, how deluded I was! As long as we are in this "body of sin", we will ALWAYS be falling short.

Now, if you are talking about ceasing from all intentional, deliberate, "high-hand" sinning, then I agree with you.

Again I ask you, at what point can I claim assurance of eternal life?

[Woody]

Gerry - you certainly are demonstrating a high degree of patience in trying to get your questions answered. Hang in there.

[Gerr]

Right on Gibs. Temptation is not sin. To be tempted with an impure thought is not sin. It is what we do with it. Do we dwell on it or do we by the faith of Christ cast it out of our mind?

Do you think Jesus ever had impure thoughts?

[Woody]

Originally Posted By: skyblue888

Right on Gibs. Temptation is not sin. To be tempted with an impure thought is not sin. It is what we do with it. Do we dwell on it or do we by the faith of Christ cast it out of our mind?

Do you think Jesus ever had impure thoughts?

Yep - it's a pretty tall order to 'be like Jesus' lol

[Gerr]

Gerry - you certainly are demonstrating a high degree of patience in trying to get your questions answered. Hang in there.

Woody, the reason it's hard for me to let this go is because I believed that I could achieve perfection 30 years ago. It didn't take me long to realize it is one of the most hopeless teachings I have ever encountered. Gibs doesn't see it, but it's back to MY works all over again although he claims it's Christ working in me.

[Woody]

Originally Posted By: Woody

Gerry - you certainly are demonstrating a high degree of patience in trying to get your questions answered. Hang in there.

Woody, the reason it's hard for me to let this go is because I believed that I could achieve perfection 30 years ago. It didn't take me long to realize it is one of the most hopeless teachings I have ever encountered. Gibs doesn't see it, but it's back to MY works all over again although he claims it's Christ working in me.

You're doing an admirable job Gerry. Hang in there. And it's a good review for me to read it. So, I'm sure it's a blessing for others to see also.

[skyblue888]

If Jesus was not tempted with impure thoughts from his human, fallen nature or from the enemy of all righteousness, then it could not be said that "he was tempted in all points like as we are." Heb.2:14; 4:15.

By such a teaching we would be making God a liar.

Temptation is not sin.

"Many look on this conflict between Christ and Satan as having no special bearing on their own life; and for them it has little interest. But within the domain of every human heart this controversy is repeated. Never does one leave the ranks of evil for the service of God without encountering the assaults of Satan. The enticements which Christ resisted were those that we find it so difficult to withstand. They were urged upon Him in as much greater degree as His character is superior to ours." D.A.116.

"The soul that is yielded to Christ becomes His own fortress, which He holds in a revolted world, and He intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus kept in possession by the heavenly agencies, is impregnable to the assaults of Satan." D.A.324.

This is the standard. I would not want to belittle it.

Who would!

sky

[Gibs]

Yes Woody, If Jesus did not come and dwell in us to empower us it would be a very tall order with just our fallen human nature.

But He made it so we too would have the power also of His Divine Nature and that is the mystery Palul reveals to us Gentiles. Three pertinent verses,

Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Christ in you and the law of love is your law of love, we no longer need them unless we slide back and then that law rebounds before our eyes to condemn us. The schoolmaster to awaken us to come back again.

Now we can do it, no excuse, it is a matter of our will, will we or will we go back in sin? It's our choosing, He has left us the choice to choose His way or Satan's.

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

[Woody]

Sorry Gibs - but what you are saying is just an old trap of the Devil. I will choose God's way - but it ain't what you are preachin'.

[skyblue888]

Originally Posted By: Woody

Gerry - you certainly are demonstrating a high degree of patience in trying to get your questions answered. Hang in there.

Woody, the reason it's hard for me to let this go is because I believed that I could achieve perfection 30 years ago. It didn't take me long to realize it is one of the most hopeless teachings I have ever encountered. Gibs doesn't see it, but it's back to MY works all over again although he claims it's Christ working in me.

Gerry, I know exactly what you are talking about. The Pharisees in the days of Christ believed and taught that the law must be kept but they did not keep it because they knew only the letter of the law. They were as dry as the hills of Gilboa, without dew or rain.

Paul before his coversion was such a man, even a Pharisee of Pharisees. As far as the outward observance of the law was concerned he was blameless. But when he saw the spirituality of the law, he realized his utterly helpless condition. Like the disciples of Christ he must have thought to himself, Who can be saved? Who can stop sinning?

The christian life is a high standard. I too have felt like giving up many times in the last 35 years but I have always reasoned that if I were to give up believing the Word of God which says that through Christ we can be made "more than conquerors," (Rom.8:37) where would I go? what would be the purpose for me of continuing to profess to be a follower of Christ?

sky

[Overaged]

Right on Gibs. Temptation is not sin. To be tempted with an impure thought is not sin. It is what we do with it. Do we dwell on it or do we by the faith of Christ cast it out of our mind?

"The great mass of professing Christians will meet with bitter disappointment in the day of God. They have not upon their foreheads the seal of the living God. Lukewarm and halfhearted they dishonor God far more than the avowed unbeliever. They grope in darkness, when they might be walking in the noonday light of the Word, under the guidance of One who never errs." E.G. White, 7 B.C.970,

"The seal of the living God will be placed upon those only who bear a likeness to Christ in character." RH May 21, 1895.

Do you tremble at these words?

I do.

sky

Gibs, and sky; I did NOT ask you if you were tempted today. I asked you if you had any impure thoughts today, and if you were perfect today. There is a huge difference between "impure thought" and 'temptation. And I am NOT asking you about if you were tempted. My question has nothing to do with that. So again. Were YOU perfect today? Even for just an hour? Do you tremble at that question?

[Gerr]

If Jesus was not tempted with impure thoughts from his human, fallen nature or from the enemy of all righteousness, then it could not be said that "he was tempted in all points like as we are." Heb.2:14; 4:15.

By such a teaching we would be making God a liar.

Temptation is not sin.

Temptation is not sin. Agreed.

But, when you see a naked woman and the impure thought comes, is the thought something whispered to you by an evil angel? Or does the evil thought come because what you saw aroused something that is already IN you and has nothing to do with the devil at all. IOW, if the devil were to take a holiday, would every sinner stop sinning also?

BTW, here's a quote you might want to consider:

Would that we could comprehend the significance of the words, Christ “suffered being tempted.” While He was free from the taint of sin, the refined sensibilities of His holy nature rendered contact with evil unspeakably painful to Him. Yet with human nature upon Him, He met the archapostate face to face, and single-handed withstood the foe of His throne. Not even by a thought could Christ be brought to yield to the power of temptation.

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 7. 1980 (F. D. Nichol, Ed.) (927). Review and Herald Publishing Association. (EGW quote)

Christ “assumed the liabilities of human nature” (EGW ST Aug. 2, 1905), but His humanity was nevertheless “perfect” (DA 664). Although, as a man, He could have sinned, no taint of, or inclination to, corruption rested upon Him; He had no propensity toward sin (EGW letter 8, 1895, see p. 1128). He was “tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (see on Heb. 4:15). See Additional Note at end of chapter.

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 5. 1980 (F. D. Nichol, Ed.) (901). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

[Woody]

Quote:

Do you tremble at that question?

Yes, I suspect there be a lot of tremblin' going on with at least two peoples here.

[Gerr]

Gerry, I know exactly what you are talking about. The Pharisees in the days of Christ believed and taught that the law must be kept but they did not keep it because they knew only the letter of the law. They were as dry as the hills of Gilboa, without dew or rain.

Sky, every morning the first thing I do is consecrate myself to God. Do you ever get irritated or loss your temper when somebody pushed your button?

Quote:

Paul before his coversion was such a man, even a Pharisee of Pharisees. As far as the outward observance of the law was concerned he was blameless. But when he saw the spirituality of the law, he realized his utterly helpless condition.

Even AFTER conversion, Paul still had this to say:

‎ESV ‎‎Php 3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Quote:

Like the disciples of Christ he must have thought to himself, Who can be saved? Who can stop sinning?

If we were ONLY dealing with the letter of the law - yes, I can say: Yes! I did not bow to idols today. I haven't stolen anything, etc. etc. But the law is more than that!!!

Quote:

The christian life is a high standard.

Yes, so high that the only way I can attain to it is by receiving the perfect obedience of Christ by faith!

Quote:

I too have felt like giving up many times in the last 35 years but I have always reasoned that if I were to give up believing the Word of God which says that through Christ we can be made "more than conquerors," (Rom.8:37) where would I go? what would be the purpose for me of continuing to profess to be a follower of Christ?

I just don't believe that to be a conqueror is to have PERFECT, FLAWLESS, PERFORMANCE! "Be of good cheer, I (Jesus, not me) have overcome the world."

[Overaged]

[Woody]

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

Can one be "perfect" while one is asleep?

echh..."perfection" is such an obtuse word. So is the phrase, "without flaw".

Thoughts are so emotionally-driven. And emotions are notoriously adept at listening to the devil sitting on one's shoulder.

"Impure"? That's a loaded word.

[Overaged]

Can one be "perfect" while one is asleep?

echh..."perfection" is such an obtuse word. So is the phrase, "without flaw".

Thoughts are so emotionally-driven. And emotions are notoriously adept at listening to the devil sitting on one's shoulder.

"Impure"? That's a loaded word.