Either separate yourself from your Sins or....

[Stan]

Would you agree/disagree with this:

Either seperate yourself from your Sins or from your God

[Robert]

I disagreed. The problem is that no one is sinless because while God's Spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. Shall we then live for the flesh to follow its lusts as a way of life? God forbid!

Christ has done it all! He has legally reversed our condemnation from Adam. We stand complete "in Him". Unless we harden our hearts we shall stand with the redeemed.

Now, does that mean that Christians should enjoy the flesh as a lifestyle? No! Why not?

The flesh - the sin nature - or what Paul calls "the law of sin" is anti-Christ. By that I mean against Christ. Since God is love and the flesh hates that kind of love, it, if not surrendered to God will take us out of Christ and out of salvation. So while accepting the gospel might be easy (unless you are being persecuted), Christian living is hard.

Why? Gal 5:17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

The nature is self-centered - it is self-loving - in fact it wants to take Christ off His throne and place its self there. Therefore if it is given full control - if one lives for the desires of the flesh - that nature will get that person to renounce Christ and hence become lost. That is a hardened heart. In fact Paul tells us that if we leave Christ and go back to the world we will be lost forever.

I'm not talking about backsliding; I'm talking about apostasy - a deliberate act of the will that continually denounces Christ and His salvation.

Don't think it can't happen - don't think that "the deceitfulness of sin" (your own nature) can't close the heart against God's Spirit. It can and we, through Christ, must guard against this.

Rob

[Look Alive!]

I likewise disagree. The work of separating anyone from their sins is done by the Holy Spirit, not by oneself. There is no "separate yourself from your sin." It is impossible. That is God's work. I would venture to state it is even impossible for us to separate ourselves entirely from God, given Romans 8:35-39 and Psalm 139:1-12. Even if we flee we cannot escape His Spirit or His Love. He continues to break through in thousands of ways. He is not proud, and will gladly scatter Love and rays of His Light on even the darkest paths and places most abominable, just so we might find it and be reminded of Him there. (Isaiah 19:18-25 speaks of this as well in terms of Him leaving a witness to Himself in unlikely places and calling unlikely peoples His own).

So I disagree with the premise of the poll. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to HIS mercy He saved us."

[Gerr]

The Bible is very clear to me that sin separates us from God. Isaiah plainly says so, "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." Isa 59:2 NKJ.

Lucifer & his followers were cast out of heaven because of sin. Adam & Eve were removed from Eden because of sin. King Saul lost God's favor because of sin. Judas became the "son of perdition" because of sin. Ananias & Saphira died because of sin.

It is the willful/intentional/deliberate/unrepented sin that separates us from God, not the unintentional kind.

Gerry

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

Quote:

It is the willful/intentional/deliberate/unrepented sin that separates us from God, not the unintentional kind.

that was one VERY helpful thing for me to read - thanks Gerry

[Naomi]

Yes, Gery I second Pam's thanks on using this verse in this situation ... and it relationship to Stan's question.

If we don't let go of our sins, which we feel are more important than our relationship with God, we are walking on thin ice

[David Koot]

It is the willful/intentional/deliberate/unrepented sin that separates us from God, not the unintentional kind.

Gerry

What the Bible identifies as unintentional sins, is unknowing sins. We are not aware that we are doing wrong. Such things as losing our temper, being impatient and the like, are not unintentional sins.

[Look Alive!]

They are if they are not done intentionally, and if the person's intent is to change and do otherwise.

"Intent" is a somewhat slippery thing, I've noticed, and very easy for one person to insinuate upon another without any way of proving or disproving it. If I lose my temper with you, how do you KNOW whether I did so "deliberately" or whether I simply slipped up while trying to maintain a level of self-control that perhaps I've not reached yet in my walk? You cannot see my heart, so you have only two choices: you can pass judgment on me (which scripturally speaking is not your right to do, though this is typically the choice most opt for) or you can accept my word for it (and risk being fooled in case I'm lying).

There is scriptural precedent for opting for the latter, in both the injunction to look upon others in the best light possible (give benefit of the doubt) and in Jesus' teaching that we are to forgive one another "seventy times seven times" (i.e., don't keep track or count, just keep forgiving). There is NO scriptural precedent or exoneration for presuming to dictate what lies in another's heart.

[Guest]

~Shalom~

Come apart and be holy because He is holy..yes?yes!

Shall we continue..in sin..? Nay! nay!

[Amelia]

*tacking on

The Amish have separated themselves from the world. Have they then separated themselves from sin too?

[olger]

The Amish have struggles too. This morning I prayed with an Amish man & his wife for healing from past hurts. They are on a journey, a good jorney.

olger