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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/1/2008 11:54:02 PM
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Walker311
Posts: 1466
Joined: 4/11/2005
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I received this email and don't think this poster would mind me posting it...
I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT A TRUE CHRISTIAN CAN CONTINUE TO SIN...I KNOW THAT I FIND MYSELF FALLING BACKWARDS IN SMALL WAYS AND IMMEDIATELY ASK FOR
FORGIVENESS...LIVING IN GODS WORD IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME....BEING A GOOD
CHRISTIAN IS ALL IMPORTANT TO ME....
SOMETIMES I FIND IT HARD TO DO CERTAIN
THINGS AS IM SO USE TO DOING THEM AND I KNOW I HAVE TO CHANGE...I TRY TO KEEP MY MIND CLEAR AND FOCUSED ON GOD AND THE COMMANDMENTS...I PRAY FOR GUIDANCE AND I KNOW ...GOD IS BY MY SIDE...
----------------------------------
We all strive to grow spiritually in our own ways as Christians, but the universal understanding among us all is that we cannot embrace or control sin. The more that we play with sin, the more it begins to control us and then we are faced with the question... what about Jesus? The sin becomes larger than Christ and the Holy Spirit prompts us continuously with... what about Jesus?
Many Christians take it as far as losing everything. Their families, their careers, and even their lives.
Just as my friend said in the above email... "I KNOW THAT I FIND MYSELF FALLING"... sin does not sneak up on us. It is always a choice and we always have help.
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 2:49:05 AM
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Ephesians4_32
Posts: 1709
Joined: 4/30/2005
From: The Crossroads of America
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quote:
ORIGINAL: URForgiven
Thank God the Christian life is not about sins. Thank God that Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves. Thank God that our sins are forgiven.
Thank you Jesus for your work on the cross, for the forgiveness you have provided once and for all. Thank you Jesus for now offering every man, woman and child life. Your resurrected life. Eternal life. The wages of sin is death. The only thing a dead person needs is life, and the only One who has life is you Jesus. Thank You Lord. Amen.
And what constitutes the Christian life? It encompasses regeneration, justification, sanctification, and finally glorification.
And just what is sanctification?
Is it not God's gracious and powerful work of making sinners holy in heart and conduct through the internal ministry of the Holy Spirit, applying the death and resurrection of Christ to them, so that they increasingly die to sin and live unto righteousness in the whole man?
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 7:59:03 AM
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SonInMe1
Posts: 3424
Joined: 4/16/2005
From: my mom by God
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quote:
It encompasses regeneration, justification, sanctification, and finally glorification.
Sure does....but for what purpose are these things done in us? Is the bible just some self help book making those who believe into better people? Is our walks limited to....us?
These things are done in us for HIS glory and His purpose. His purpose? To love others as yourself and to love God.
Certainly there are benefits for living a holy life but if you do that for yourself only you lose the purpose beind them.
That is wht perfection, while it is the goal, is not as important as how that perfection influences others. Our christian walk is all about Jesus, and others....
and I'll add another aspect here. Christians who proclaim some kind of perfection are the same christians unsaved people use to support their claims of hypocracy in the church.
_____________________________
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
James 4:4
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 9:56:33 AM
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MrsOliver
Posts: 88
Joined: 3/19/2008
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SoninMe~
Good Word, AMEN!
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 10:06:01 AM
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jbow
Posts: 783
Joined: 2/16/2007
From: Dixie
Status: online
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Stacy08
I have been a Christian throughout my sin. I was a back-slidden Christian however. I went through spurts of being passionate about God, and a couple of times where I fell to sin. I found that when I couldn't fill the hole in my heart that only God could fill, I was very, very, succeptible of the advances of men. My husband was busy drinking and doing everything else but spend time with me. I finally succumbed to the advances of another man...soon neither of us could stop. Every week I believed that it would stop, that I would never see him again, but it always happened again. He was a sex and romance addict, he couldn't phsically stay away from me, and every time he'd come by he purposely tried to seduce me. The same went for me, it was a vicious cycle that would never end until one of us stopped it. Despite his claim that he could and would stop...and his plea to me to tell him "no!", he wouldn't stop persuing me. Finally, I completely surrendered myself to God. I realized that I was an addict, love, relationship, and possibly even a sex addict.
So to sum it up, I still believed in Christ, I believed that I was saved, however I questioned whether I would lose my salvation through my sin. I still considered myself a Christian, yet I was hopeless to stop sinning on my own, I had to counstiously push God out of my mind. So take that as you see it...I can't explain it other then sin is a choice, however, when it comes to addiction, it is very hard and sometimes impossible to break. Without God, that is. If it were just a matter of will and prayer, we wouldn't have millions of addicts. However, God does have the power to transform us...but we have to do the hard work.
Stacy... we are so much alike. Your story sounds just like mine.
I am a really bad person. My flesh is really bad. On my own I am not a good person. I think many churches are full of people who are really nice by nature.. I am not one of them. It takes the life of Christ in me all the time to keep me from being horrible. Until I began to understand grace I was in and out/ up and down constantly. I could have written your post.
God is FAITHFUL....
J
_____________________________
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 10:10:00 AM
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jbow
Posts: 783
Joined: 2/16/2007
From: Dixie
Status: online
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So.. if you say that you sin all the time and you can never be free from sin, let me ask you this...
What sin is it that you are comitting right now, this very moment, and why don't you repent?
I'm curious.
J
_____________________________
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 10:21:56 AM
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blue1914
Posts: 410
Joined: 6/21/2005
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Walker311
quote:
so if you believe this: then why the statement?
this is the very essence of our Christ Walk! We will fall and we will be guided back...'the sin' doesn't matter.
Your statement does suggest judgement. Because it is false even according to your quote from above..so you really are contradicting yourself, are you not?
msoliver,
The statement stands on it's own merit without my help or slinging scripture... and you know it!
God hates sin and it's a big deal. Not because I say it is but because He says so. Sin is not a booger (sorry! it just seems to fit) that sticks until you can sling it off, SIN is always choice and it is not something that we can carry with us into heaven.
God knew how difficult it would be for you and I to live in this flesh and though at times it may seem that we will lose the fight, He built conviction into salvation which causes us to be miserable.
I know what it is like to be living in a continuous lifestyle of sin and then sweating in church under great conviction. I either had to repent or turn my back on God.
I appreciate your input and your opinion even if it does not line up with mine. Btw! "The Sin" does matter! Also, I agree with your statements about love but that is not what this thread is about.
Here is where my confusion in what your original topic is begins, so let me give an illustration and ask you to comment on what you mean.
Let's look at a habitual sin-say the sin of gluttonous overeating (and I call this one to the forefront because it is one that I struggle with). As a typical rule, in most churches today this is a "wink" type of sin-we make jokes about it, we nervously laugh about it and it's very rare that you will hear a sermon from the pulpit condemning it-but it is sin according to the Word of God.
Some Christian leaders even have a real problem with this sin-they show evidence of this by their size and other areas in their life. Again, since we as Christians tend to wink at this sin, they are rarely reprimanded for this nor is it called a sin-so they are free to continue with the sin and with little to no real accountability for it.
Conversely, a practicing homosexual would be considered anathema in any church body that I would feel comfortable fellowshipping with. In this same body, there are many who do not make real efforts to control their eating but they are quick to point out he "horror" of the other habitual sin.
From your topic starter-are those who choose to overeat continuously to the point of abusing their bodies (the temple of the Holy Spirit) in sin (and that's rhetorical in my opinion because the word of God is pretty clear on the subject-not meant to start a debate on overeating, just trying to understand where you are coming from)? If they are in sin, does your topic starter apply to them as broadly as it applies to the more obvious sins? Finally, if it does, why do we as Christians not only tolerate but flock to overweight ministers?
In answering that question on a sin that's a little more common to us all, we tend to find much more of a justification for the sin-they are trying to lose weight and eat properly, the temptations of food are all around them, yada yada yada. That said, we tend to find much more absolute rules for the other less acceptable sins-and that again returns me to your topic starter on continuous sin-is it possible that continuous sin is no different of an animal than trying to resist a great cheeseburger (and we all know how often we tend to fail on that one-we've got a VeggieTales song as proof  )?
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 10:38:35 AM
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URForgiven
Posts: 1080
Joined: 3/22/2008
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What constitutes the Christian life is discovering all that we already have in Christ Jesus, and learning to depend upon Him who is the author and finisher of our faith.
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 10:49:38 AM
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bluestone
Posts: 2934
Joined: 2/25/2008
From: United States of America
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Willfully continuing in sin results in a seared heart. The person no longer sees that particular sin as sin, nor do they feel conviction about it.
That is why it is so important to obey the Holy Spirit when we are checked about that pet sin we want to cling to.
Christians will sin. A Christian following God will give up willful, blatant, continuous sin. The temptation may always be there. We all have a "thorn in the flesh" to tolerate.
_____________________________
I need Christ. Not something that resembles Christ.
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 11:24:40 AM
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jfaye
Posts: 702
Joined: 12/18/2007
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quote:
In answering that question on a sin that's a little more common to us all, we tend to find much more of a justification for the sin-they are trying to lose weight and eat properly, the temptations of food are all around them, yada yada yada. That said, we tend to find much more absolute rules for the other less acceptable sins-and that again returns me to your topic starter on continuous sin-is it possible that continuous sin is no different of an animal than trying to resist a great cheeseburger (and we all know how often we tend to fail on that one-we've got a VeggieTales song as proof )?
'Blue1914', I thought I should stay away from this thread to comment further because I have taken things
a step beyond the OP in some ways but I would like to comment on your comments, if it's okay!
My main concern, and admittedly it is 'my take' perhaps, is that there are sins, that we fall more naturally into
but that do not have such a 'repulsive' nature to them as some others. There are sins, that carry a much
higher price tag to us, personally and the testimony we have of our Lord.
Over-eating is very common to our culture these days. We have a huge buffet of tasty delights and I
think most Christians fellowship around the table more often than anything else so the temptation and availability
of food is much more winsome.
I do not look at an over-weight person and say, "how can he claim to know the Lord and continue to eat like he does?"
because the harm being done is mostly to ourselves when we do that. I have observed, as you have
that there are many 'men of God' who obviously struggle with this sin, and I do, as well! I also feel it can be the
result of 'hurry up and eat' and get to doing what needs to be done, not being 'careful' about the nutritional value of what
we take in and in the frenzy consume way more than is needed. I don't mean to make an excuse for us but I
think there is a difference in the intention of succumbing to eating too much as compared to other sins.
But, I do find myself wondering about (as an example, not the end all of such sin) "How can someone who has
experienced the forgiveness of the Lord, and turned themselves over to Him fully, continue to live
with another as though they are married in the sight of God and man, and claim the salvation of the Lord, rightly?"
Why can I do that, because it is a daily, minute by minute agreeing to continue in a sinful 'situation' that I believe is
not 'comfortable' to a true believer. His Spirit will not give us 'ease' and 'comfort' and 'peace' and 'joy' in forcibly
bringing His Spirit along to the bed of an unholy union!
I have spoken with those who have been involved with adultery as 'children of God'! One said to me that
one should NEVER say "I would NEVER DO THAT!". Why, because she did the same thing and has found herself
doing that very thing. It is prideful to think we are not subject to any temptation, and I know that to be true.
But it is not 'prideful' to say we must not do that thing! It is not 'prideful' to say we 'dare not' allow ourselves to
be drawn in by the lust of our eyes and our sinful hearts. It does do damage and sometimes it is so far reaching
as to boggle the mind.
Another I spoke with, admittedly did not want to give up the sin of adultery with another. I put it to her, that it
wasn't that she couldn't give it up, "you choose not to" and she agreed to that statement. It was proof that
she was not 'loving the Lord her God with all her heart, mind, soul, body and strength' because she was actively
choosing the sin over obedience to Him. I led this person to the Lord a couple of years before, I thought!
Is she saved? I can't tell! That is the irony and the great sorrow of such choosing to sin, it leaves us wondering.
I have prayed for her long and hard and was so blessed to see her 'saved' and now I wonder! It breaks my heart!
I do see that she is very uncomfortable and miserable and fearful and physically sick, filled with anxiety
and fear that she will go to hell! Is that proof that His Spirit is making her very uncomfortable--I hope so!
So, my conviction isn't that we can't do that, and know the Lord, but that we cannot be 'left alone' to enjoy it and
continue in it without cost to us personally, and SO MANY OTHERS that we intentionally and unconsciously
involve and harm in the continuance of it.
Am I being 'judgmental' in doing that? You may think so, but am I not doing what anyone does when they
look and see and try to figure things out? Am I saying they are going to hell because of their lifestyle?
No, but I am confused! It makes me wonder if they are able to do that, how do they rest in peace and have
the joy the Lord means for us to have when we can come to Him, unashamably having confessed our sin
and thrown ourselves on His mercy!
It all points to our living for the glory of God. That glory being the truth of God being living proof in us.
We say He forgives our sins and He is able to put us in a right 'standing' before Him. Is that not part of the 'standing'
to live before others the proof of His enabling to deliver us from our sins?
Sin is sin in God's eyes and Jesus had to die for them all. But we fool ourselves if we think there are not sins
that carry with them more baggage, more destruction to us and those we involve in it, and it hurts the glory
and testimony of Christ in us, to say we cannot live above them in His power!
The sin that cripples us, and enslaves us, is more often than not a choice to satisfy self above doing the right
thing in His eyes. What is it about sin, that is more appealing than the right standing with our God? What is
more pleasant than freedom from enslaving sins? Why do we cling to the sins that ensnare and corrupt our
testimonies of His faithfulness?
How can we be a testimony to others, of the mercy and enabling power of our God, that He is worth it all,
to give up the enslaving sins, that hold us down, and prevent us from enjoying His good pleasure?
[edited to add what I feel was prompted of the Lord the following passage]
Matthew 18:7" Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling
blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!
8 "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for
you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal
fire.
9 "If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you It is better for you to
enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell."
This may well, be addressing the unsaved who lure the 'saved' into severe sin. But, it points to the seriousness
of being one who causes another to 'stumble' by involving them in our sinning! It's serious stuff!!
< Message edited by jfaye -- 4/2/2008 11:38:41 AM >
_____________________________
Thankfully His,
Janice
"We cannot appreciate God's mercy until we realize He is first the God of justice!"
"O taste and see that the LORD is good;
How blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him!"
Psalm 34:8
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 11:47:14 AM
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blue1914
Posts: 410
Joined: 6/21/2005
Status: offline
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jfaye:
I read through your reply and several things immediately jumped to my mind.
I guess I'll ask in context of the original topic (so that we both can stay on topic ), using your explanation, are you feeling that "continuous sin" as you see it is that sin which is not only:
1. Habitual
but also
2. Destructive?
From what you were saying, I interpreted that you did not feel overeating to be nearly as destructive as adultery-is that what you were saying or do I misunderstand (this is a sincere question to better understand your position)?
That said, if indeed you define continuous sin as both habitual and destructive (and there are some sins that do not fit that criteria based upon with I inteprete from what you have written), what would then the Christian response be to that sin which is merely habitual but not deemed especially destructive?
I guess the question at the heart of what I'm asking is-do you feel that there are some habitual sins that we can get a "pass" on and others that we must regard as much more dangerous? If so, why is the standard for continuous sin (A true Christian will not continue to sin, per the original topic) not applied to the "passable" sins (as in do we feel that God applies a different scale of measure to different sins, not our opinion on sins in general)?
Thank you for pondering this topic-your viewpoint definitely does challenge me to press in to discover exactly what God would desire to see from me on this topic!
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 12:17:45 PM
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doinkdom
Posts: 4259
Joined: 4/12/2005
From: The higher lowcountry
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: rcjames
quote:
ORIGINAL: doinkdom
What about the prodigal son?
He was in continuous sin - for a time - and then repented.
So...does continuous sin have a shelf life? And if so...who decides how long that is? Paul talked with frustration about knowing what to do and not doing it in full awareness of his own sin.
How do we reconcile all this?
Are we sure that the son was saved before he wasted his inhetitance, or is the parable saying that no matter how we have sinned we can still become a child of God?
Thsnks
RC
It says neither.
I find hope in God's grace in my life while I play about in my own pigpen, struggling through my own sanctification.
Sometimes, Christians need to stay in their pigpen longer to learn, achieve or figure out what God is doing in their life.
I've come to the Lord at various times with cornhusks squarely placed on my head and sticking out of my mouth, begging forgiveness and asking for repentence...only to find myself right back in the pen with other "sins" to work through.
_____________________________
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 12:36:45 PM
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jfaye
Posts: 702
Joined: 12/18/2007
Status: offline
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quote:
I guess the question at the heart of what I'm asking is-do you feel that there are some habitual sins that we can get a "pass"
on and others that we must regard as much more dangerous? If so, why is the standard for continuous sin (A true Christian
will not continue to sin, per the original topic) not applied to the "passable" sins (as in do we feel that God applies a different
scale of measure to different sins, not our opinion on sins in general)?
re: do we feel that God applies a different scale of measure to different sins, not our opinion on sins in general)?
I think, that God does indicate that all sin is destructive in many ways. All sin takes away from our ability to
have freedom from guilt, freedom from oppression and denigrates the image of Christ in us. Some sin is
more damaging to the whole than others, but all does damage. Some sins are habitual and while they don't do
the large-scale damage some others do, they are damaging in that we are in 'the struggle' and
can feel so
defeated by them.
The enemy is always at work to give us a sense of defeat and if he can readily use what we already have within us,
he will. It saves him the trouble of having to be clever to ensnare us with those sins we have not heretofore had the
struggle with. Now, that is just my thinking, not Scripturally supportable, I think!
I do not want to be guilty of down-playing the seriousness of sin on ANY level. But, I think we can SEE that certain
sins have a far wider ramification of consequential damage than others.
If I over-eat, and damage my health, and cause greater expense to my husband, and our government in dealing
with those issues, it is not right.Will it cause others to want to be like me---will it make being too fat attractive to
the weaker Christian, who while believing sees others indulging in sins of immorality as not such 'a deal' may be
inclined to participate in such deeds themselves? I think it can work that way with some sin, whereas I doubt ANYONE
will WANT TO BE FAT!
Can my over-eating cause my children to find being over-weight desirable and acceptable to me, and therefor
reasonable for them to pursue? I hope not, but if I am living with a man, not my husband, and I speak of the
love and forgiveness of God, the salvation through Jesus, allow them to go to church and hear the truth and yet
still live in MY very obvious sin, my immorality, what am I teaching my children! At the least, hypocrisy! At the
worst of it--'it must be okay to ignore some of what God is telling us'!
We see more damage by half-hearted Christianity, by those of us who 'say one thing' and live another,
than anything else, I believe! We say it is alright to say we love God, and yet it is also alright to keep Him
at arms' length in how we live out our lives, claiming all the while, "He is Lord" of our lives! Children see through us,
like no one else can and we will be held very accountable for that failing to present Him as He is and that His word
is to be taken as 'the word of life'!
I will say though, that much can be accomplished through those of us who have lived the victory of overcoming
such ensnaring sin. There are far more who live lives imprisoned by sin, than those who have come through the
process to where they can unabashably say 'it is possible'! I pray that those who have experienced His grace in
such ways will be very bold to come forward and proclaim that it is indeed POSSIBLE and probable to any who
truly are willing to die to 'self-desire', 'self-fulfillment' to come and be filled by Him, by being daily and deeply in the
word, prayer and accountability to other strong believers. I strongly doubt, anyone will come forward and say,
"I passionately applied myself to the word, to time in it and time sharing it with others, fully devoted to it,
and I daily and continually throughout my day, offered my thoughts in prayer to the Lord, surrounded myself
by His people for encouragement and support and yet, could not resist the sin that ensnares"!
Tell me, if you or I can truthfully say such a thing!
I fear I have to say so much to say what I mean and there is SO MUCH more I could give you as examples
but does this help you understand, my understanding, so far? Am I making any sense or am I beating at the air?
_____________________________
Thankfully His,
Janice
"We cannot appreciate God's mercy until we realize He is first the God of justice!"
"O taste and see that the LORD is good;
How blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him!"
Psalm 34:8
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 1:01:01 PM
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Ephesians4_32
Posts: 1709
Joined: 4/30/2005
From: The Crossroads of America
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: SonInMe1
quote:
It encompasses regeneration, justification, sanctification, and finally glorification.
Sure does....but for what purpose are these things done in us? Is the bible just some self help book making those who believe into better people? Is our walks limited to....us?
Those who have read my posts know that I've never considered the Bible just some self-help book.
quote:
ORIGINAL: SonInMe1
These things are done in us for HIS glory and His purpose. His purpose? To love others as yourself and to love God.
Certainly there are benefits for living a holy life but if you do that for yourself only you lose the purpose beind them.
That is wht perfection, while it is the goal, is not as important as how that perfection influences others. Our christian walk is all about Jesus, and others....
and I'll add another aspect here. Christians who proclaim some kind of perfection are the same christians unsaved people use to support their claims of hypocracy in the church.
My point is "A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin!" He doesn't say, "I'm saved; now I'll do what I please."
quote:
ORIGINAL: SonInMe1
That is wht perfection, while it is the goal, is not as important as how that perfection influences others. Our christian walk is all about Jesus, and others....
How can you say it is not as important as...? It is about God, others, and yourself. We are to love others as who? Yourself.
Mark 8
36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
quote:
ORIGINAL: SonInMe1
These things are done in us for HIS glory and His purpose.
AMEN!
quote:
ORIGINAL: SonInMe1
His purpose?
Titus 2
14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
1 Thessalonians 4
2For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
3For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
4That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
5Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
6That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
7For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
1 John 2
6He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Only what's done for and with God will last.
quote:
ORIGINAL: SonInMe1
Certainly there are benefits for living a holy life but if you do that for yourself only you lose the purpose beind them.
Living a holy life for "yourself only" is an oxymoron. It can't be done.
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 1:21:40 PM
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Liveloved
Posts: 1841
Status: offline
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quote:
I am a really bad person. My flesh is really bad. On my own I am not a good person. I think many churches are full of people who are really nice by nature.. I am not one of them. It takes the life of Christ in me all the time to keep me from being horrible. Until I began to understand grace I was in and out/ up and down constantly. I could have written your post.
Thank you, jbow, for sharing this. This, too, could be my post.
I always say (and truthfully mean) that I am THANKFUL that I am so bad because I cannot be deceived or confused about who or what I am like 'nice' people can! God has made it perfectly clear who I am and why I need Him so desperately! Yes, it is my sin that glues me to my Savior. And I am THANKFUL indeed for JESUS!
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 1:30:23 PM
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Liveloved
Posts: 1841
Status: offline
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quote:
Here is where my confusion in what your original topic is begins, so let me give an illustration and ask you to comment on what you mean.
Let's look at a habitual sin-say the sin of gluttonous overeating (and I call this one to the forefront because it is one that I struggle with). As a typical rule, in most churches today this is a "wink" type of sin-we make jokes about it, we nervously laugh about it and it's very rare that you will hear a sermon from the pulpit condemning it-but it is sin according to the Word of God.
Some Christian leaders even have a real problem with this sin-they show evidence of this by their size and other areas in their life. Again, since we as Christians tend to wink at this sin, they are rarely reprimanded for this nor is it called a sin-so they are free to continue with the sin and with little to no real accountability for it.
Conversely, a practicing homosexual would be considered anathema in any church body that I would feel comfortable fellowshipping with. In this same body, there are many who do not make real efforts to control their eating but they are quick to point out he "horror" of the other habitual sin.
From your topic starter-are those who choose to overeat continuously to the point of abusing their bodies (the temple of the Holy Spirit) in sin (and that's rhetorical in my opinion because the word of God is pretty clear on the subject-not meant to start a debate on overeating, just trying to understand where you are coming from)? If they are in sin, does your topic starter apply to them as broadly as it applies to the more obvious sins? Finally, if it does, why do we as Christians not only tolerate but flock to overweight ministers?
In answering that question on a sin that's a little more common to us all, we tend to find much more of a justification for the sin-they are trying to lose weight and eat properly, the temptations of food are all around them, yada yada yada. That said, we tend to find much more absolute rules for the other less acceptable sins-and that again returns me to your topic starter on continuous sin-is it possible that continuous sin is no different of an animal than trying to resist a great cheeseburger (and we all know how often we tend to fail on that one-we've got a VeggieTales song as proof )?
AMEN!
Let's be real! This is real! Thank you, blue1914!
If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. (IJohn 1:8, John 3:19-20)
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 1:43:06 PM
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Liveloved
Posts: 1841
Status: offline
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quote:
the harm being done is mostly to ourselves when we do that.
Janice,
Love you dear sister, but I heartily disagree. This is darkness and thinking that has run to darkness to hide. Is not Christ equally dishonored by gluttony? I say yes. This is an area of 'stumbling' that we creatively overlook because it would mean we have to look at ourselves and see the accurate reflection (and, yes, oversized reflection).
This is the very kind of TRUTHFULNESS the Lord demands of each of us. Is it difficult? ABSOLUTELY! Each morning as I quietly spend time with Him and then throughout the day, He shows me my sin---and that includes the manipulative, creative ways of focusing on and making much of the sins of others and minimizing my own. O Lord, help us.
He desires truth in the inward parts---absolute, total honesty about ourselves. No excuses.
If the church would begin to live this, live in TRUE REPENTANCE, real contrition for the wrongs we are doing, we would see revival. We would see people come to Christ because they would see HIS REALITY in their midst---not just some superficial show and fluff.
That was my prayer for the church this morning. And it continues. And, yes, it has to begin in me. Repenting for MY evil is the beginning of revival.
Love ya, dear sis! LL
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 1:53:55 PM
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inthysite
Posts: 770
Joined: 2/12/2008
Status: offline
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Blue1914 raises a valid point. It is obvious when the sin is socially unacceptable, such as fornication, adultery, drunkeness, etc. But what about the more common sins such as gluttony, pride, unforgiveness, gossiping, hypocrisy, the list goes on. There are plenty of Christians who continually live in these sins.
_____________________________
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer - Psalm 19:14
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 2:23:13 PM
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bluestone
Posts: 2934
Joined: 2/25/2008
From: United States of America
Status: offline
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LINK TO GLUTTONY THREAD
_____________________________
I need Christ. Not something that resembles Christ.
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 2:36:24 PM
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jfaye
Posts: 702
Joined: 12/18/2007
Status: offline
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quote:
quote:
the harm being done is mostly to ourselves when we do that.
Janice,
Love you dear sister, but I heartily disagree. This is darkness and thinking that has run to darkness to hide. Is not Christ equally dishonored by gluttony? I say yes.
And I love you, too, LL but I do see the Lord more dishonored, directly, by some sins than others. Note the word 'see'!
I think it does Him greater dishonor when He says 'flee immorality and it's lusts', and we proclaim His name we attach
to us, and then we live it out in disobedience to the degree that we join His body with the body of sin, it does more damage.
Again, children and young and weaker christians are greatly influenced by what they see in us.
It is wrong, and sinful to do anything in direct disobedience to God's commands. I hope I have made that clear, but along with that, comes a huge price tag to us physically as well. In gluttonly, we know all too well what we have brought onto our bodies. But, many times size is not a true reflection for what is going on inside a person to make it very difficult for them to maintain the look of our culture in these days. Look at artwork from centuries back and forward and tell me---if God has it in His mind, for us to maintain a look that is evident in size, why is it so very difficult for many to maintain that size? Has His mind changed over time as to what that look and size should be?
But, immorality carries with it, the breakdown of our heart attitude toward purity and the way we prepare and preserve ourselves as His Bride. It carries with it greater risks. Being overweight, usually isn't transmitted partner to partner. STD's are! Over-eating does not produce children out of wed-lock! Over-eating does not progress to the dimension that it affects all of society, corrupting from one family to the next. Sexual immorality can. Over-eating does not lead to pornography and the sanctioning of exploitation of children and the abuse of a marital partner, the dishonoring of the marriage bed! I think there is a difference in the progression of certain types of sin.
In over-eating, we are defeated and discouraged and often times it makes us reluctant to go out and be amongst others for the sake of Christ. How damaging is that to ourselves and yes, it inhibits the Spirit being able to use us effectively if we allow it to put us on the shelf! But who is hurt most in that defeat? Who is dishonored by it, most?
Some people can tolerate eating more calories and carbs than another. Our one daughter, was so damaged by
various medical treatments that she got to a point of never being able to be healthy in size again. Several physicians
told her this. She underwent the extreme procedure to enable her body to stop the process, but it also means for her
that she has to spend at least one hour a day on the treadmill and sometimes longer to maintain her weight even
with the surgery. She cannot tolerate any carbs without it showing on the scales very quickly. Another person I know, with
the same procedure can eat any and everything, in lesser amounts, no exercise, but at least nothing puts her in danger
of gaining back her weight in moderation. Not so with our daughter!
So, who looks more righteous, the one who has to work the hardest, unseen to our eye, or the one who has little to
do to maintain the look of disciplined eating and yet we say she is not guilty and the one who if extreme measures
are not taken, they will look like they are 'out of control'? We do judge by appearances and that is why we have to
be sure we give no impression of sinning, as an enslaving and constant defeat of our lives, because it does nothing
to validate the victory of the Lord in our lives!
Again, I hope I've made myself clear, to a fault perhaps, but sin is unacceptable on any level.
Walker--I apologize--I know this has gone way beyond your intention! I've tried to redirect this discussion, by starting another
thread, but it seems not to be anything anyone, so far is interested in! 
_____________________________
Thankfully His,
Janice
"We cannot appreciate God's mercy until we realize He is first the God of justice!"
"O taste and see that the LORD is good;
How blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him!"
Psalm 34:8
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 2:43:48 PM
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bluestone
Posts: 2934
Joined: 2/25/2008
From: United States of America
Status: offline
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So to God, eating too much stromboli is the same as tortuing and murdering a child?
_____________________________
I need Christ. Not something that resembles Christ.
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 2:58:56 PM
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blue1914
Posts: 410
Joined: 6/21/2005
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: bluestone
So to God, eating too much stromboli is the same as tortuing and murdering a child?
James 2:8-10
8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.
9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
11For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,
13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
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RE: A Christian WILL NOT Continuously Sin! - 4/2/2008 3:11:35 PM
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jbow
Posts: 783
Joined: 2/16/2007
From: Dixie
Status: online
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Janice...
Would you do me a favor and when you post maybe do a synopsis of what you are trying to say and then elaborate.. I am too lazy to read such long posts and tend to skip them. I do want to know what your point is though... I realize that it is my problem, not yours.
J
_____________________________
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
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