A quiz would be appropriate now! Answer each question with either Yes or No!
Christians should ask God to forgive and cleanse them when they sin?
Please notice I am not addressing a lost person, I am addressing a saved, born again person who is a new person! We who are born again must remember that keeping 1 percent or 99 percent of the LAW is one and the same. Point: If you were able to keep most of the Law, you struggle with one besetting sin, the point is that whether we obey none of the Law or most of the law, we are still UNDER ITS CURSE. You break one iota of the Law you are cursed! You are lost without Christ and in need of a Savior. The Law was not designed to save us but to show us that we really are sinners and need a Savior. See Galatians 3:10.
The commandments are not intended to supervise Christians. They do not curb sinful desires for one moment. In fact, as we find out the Law is used by Sin to cause MORE sinning. Notice:
Romans 7:5, “While we WERE in the flesh, the Sinful Pleasures (passions), which WERE aroused by the Law, WERE at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for Death!” Romans 7:8 – “But SIN, seizing the Opportunity afforded by the Commandment, PRODUCED IN ME every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, Sin was Dead.”
So based on that living a life controlled by the Ten Commandments RESULT in a ungodly life not a godly life. The facts are, if we live under the Law, SIN WILL dominate your life. If we live FREE from the Law (under Grace), sin WILL not overpower us. LISTEN carefully to what GOD says in Romans 6:14 – “SIN SHALL NO LONGER BE YOUR MASTER, BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE.”
Principles, rules, and standards — no matter how “Christian” we believe they are —- are poor substitutes for a Life animated by God Himself. NOTICE Colossians 2: 20-25 which states that rules and their lack of value for Christians is exposed:
“Since YOU DIED with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, WHY, as though you still belonged to the world, do you SUBMIT to its Rules: “Do not handle, do not taste, and Do not touch!” These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have An Appearance of Wisdom, with their Self-imposed Worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the Body, but they LACK ANY VALUE IN RESTRAINING SENSUAL INDULGENCE.”
He (Paul) is speaking about our approach to life AFTER we DIED with Christ. How will true worship take place now? What brings about REAL humility? What brings actual Victory over Sin in our Lives? Rules and regulations are not the way to go. Paul is compelling the Galatians that is not the way to go, notice this: Galatians 3: 2-3 – “I would Like to learn just one thing from you: Did you RECEIVE the SPIRIT by observing the LAW, or by Believing (trusting, confiding, relying on, depending on) what you heard? Are you so Foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to Finish by Human effort? (That is keeping the Law or Rules etc.?) Self-improvement by rules and the Law is out. We DIED to the LAW and to Sin! We are IN CHRIST JESUS ALIVE to GOD and CHRIST and DEAD to the world, the flesh and the Devil and the LAW!!!
Isn’t the Presence of the resurrected Christ INSIDE OF YOU ENOUGH?
The Point also is this: If we are IN Christ, Dead to Sin, Alive to God and Christ Jesus, and are Justified by Faith alone, we are under the FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS PAYING FOR OUR SINS AND HE PROMISED TO REMEMBER THEM NO MORE, AND HE IS NOT GOING TO HOLD THOSE AGAINST US ANYMORE AND THAT IS THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE ONES. IT IS NOT JUST THE PAST ONES IN OUR LIFE, BUT THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE ONES ALSO!
So, why are you confessing them to HIM since they are ALL forgiven and we are no longer held under a curse of a law breaker when the LAW we are DEAD to can’t be used against us? You bring up the LAW and it condemns, and guilt and a curse comes upon us! We don’t want that and that is NOT what Salvation brought. One however says, then what do we do if and when we sin and we do sin still as Christians? We listen to Paul when he states in Romans 7: 4-6 and 14-25:
“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to DIE to the LAW, through the body of CHRIST, SO THAT you might be joined to another, to HIM who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For while we WERE IN the Flesh (past tense), the sinful passions which were aroused BY THE LAW, were at work in the members of OUR BODY to bear fruit for death. But NOW we have been RELEASED FROM THE LAW, ((MY NOTE: IF YOU HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM THE LAW THEN YOU DO NOT BREAK THE LAW AND YOU ARE NOT CONDEMNED OR BROUGHT BACK TO DEATH FOR LAW KILLS AND SLAYS PEOPLE)!…..”HAVING DIED to that by which we WERE bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and NOT in oldness of the Letter (Law)! ….(14-25)…”For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh (SARX in Greek meaning sin (singular that is it abides in his body), sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very THING I HATE. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I AGREE with the Law confessing that the Law is good. So NOW no longer AM I THE ONE DOING IT, BUT SIN WHICH DWELLS IN ME. FOR I KNOW THAT NOTHING GOOD DWELLS IN ME, THAT IS IN MY FLESH; for the willing is present in me, but the DOING of the Good is Not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
But If I am doing the very thing I do not want I AM NO LONGER THE ONE DOING IT, BUT SIN WHICH DWELLS IN ME. I FIND THEN THE PRINCIPLE, THAT EVIL IS PRESENT in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the Law of God in the Inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. WRETCHED man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh, the law of sin. CHAPTER 8: Therefore THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS FOR THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS HAS SET YOU FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND OF DEATH.”
So, when we live out our life and we find we sin, and we do sin in some fashion every day I am sure of that, we do not have to go to God and act like a Roman Mass has to take place crucifying Jesus all over again when HE stated that IT (THE ATONEMENT MADE BY SHEDDING HIS BLOOD) WAS FINISHED WHEN HE HUNG ON THAT CROSS AND DIED. HE DIED ONCE FOR ALL AND NEEDS NOT BE A SACRIFICE AGAIN. IT WAS DONE. WE WERE SET FREE! NO LONGER UNDER A CURSE AND NO LONGER LOOKED UPON BY GOD AS A SINNER BUT RATHER A SAINT AND THE SONS OF GOD.
Now we have a physical body which has NOT been born again or resurrected or translated and SIN (singular) resides in it and it does act out and seeks to get total control 24/7 in your life but that is impossible since we Died to Sin and Died to the Law which is used to slay us and bring death to us. We are NOT dead but Alive and set free now from sin and death and the curse and we no long pray like we are still lost in bondage to Satan people. That is an insult to our Christ and our Savior.
We are Forgiven totally before we even think about it. We can certainly talk to the Lord about His glorious redemption and LIFE in Christ we have now and that our sins have been forgiven and no longer held against us and we can see and should always seek the Power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to be doing its work in our lives 24/7, but realize we are forgiven saints. 1 John in speaking about sin in the 1st epistle he wrote was speaking to LOST Gnostics who had wormed their way into the local Church, and he was exposing in his epistle their ideas that Jesus was not God in the flesh for being in the flesh in their minds was being in Evil and Sin. So, he made sure to remind them that when we were lost, we were sinners and had to confess we were, and they should also, and that Jesus paid the price for our sins, and we are no saints and Cannot Sin any more due to our new nature and status in Christ. Our body has sin still there and it expresses itself and we struggle with it with the Holy Spirit, for sure. But even if we sin it is Already Forgiven for, we confessed it in order to Get Saved in the first place, and so it is ALL forgiven as it takes place even to the very last breath we have in this body. We are FREE in our New Nature. We must realize WHO we really ARE!!! We are FREED, SET FREE, NO LONGER IN BONDAGE, NO longer under the Bondage of SIN, ETC., AND FORGIVEN AND THIS IS SPEAKING ABOUT ME AND YOU AS THE NEWBORN ONES, THE BORN-AGAIN ONES, THE SET FREE ONES, THE NEW NATURE ONES, WITH A NEW HEART, NEW SPIRIT, NEW SOUL, NEW INNER MAN! SO, WE DON’T ACT LIKE LOST SINNERS WHEN WE PRAY AND WE NEED TO RETHINK OUR WORDS TO REFLECT WHO WE ARE!
IMPORTANT INFO TO HELP EXPLAIN HOW WE ARE TO PRAY ABOUT ALL OF THIS!!!
I do not wish to lead one astray on this. This information is mysterious for sure to the natural man’s thoughts etc., but we must realize we can speak to God directly now going to the Throne of Grace in time of need concerning our personal failures, sin(s) and weaknesses, for HE invites us to do that and get help! As we come, we can say Lord, I am sorry for the failure, the sin, the weakness I engaged in today please help me to overcome such. I know you paid for that sin(s), and I know that you have given to us all things necessary in order to live our life in victory and in holiness. So, help me see the flesh (sin) still dwelling in my body be controlled by your Spirit and Word and may I run to you when tempted. I thank you though, you have forgiven these sins as you paid for them on the Cross.
If we harm others and do them wrong, we do ask for their forgiveness directly for such, etc.! But before God, sin(s) are Already forgiven and NEVER being held against us regardless of what it may bring to our bodies which are still fallen. Our new Man is absolutely NEW. God Swallows up our sins with GRACE. Not even sin can thwart God’s Love and Grace!
I know many of you this seems to be radical, but think about it, when God say’s He has delivered you, redeemed you, took away our sins, will not remember them no more, and you have died to Sin, died to the Law (Moral for all is moral if God demands it), and you have these promises that His anger, wrath, condemnation is removed, THEN IT IS REMOVED FOREVER! The Bible states that HE never changes but stays the same and if He promised this took place it took place. So how can we speak against God and His promise and His work? Also, how can we invent theological concepts and words in order to make it become something that it isn’t? Be careful out that folks things are not what they seem to be as orchestrated by the denominations and church groups that exist today! Romanism of the past had nothing on our groups of Evangelicals, we almost outdo them.
As I present this great truth of the Good News, remember that we do have many who teach basically these teachings I have spoken of who realize these things but some whom I admire highly and respect seem to now present it well and may not even recognize it well, so pray for them, and pray for me as I struggle with unpacking the great truths as given to us in the precious word of God. There have been times in world history where the entire Gospel has been corrupted and not spoken correctly by the majority of those who claimed to be Christians. History proves this so let us not think such could not be going on today for the evil one is always at work to do so. But God warns us and instructs us to remain faithful and uphold and lift up His name and His word and rightly divide it regardless who may or may not believe it. We must follow God and Christ and not mankind in general and especially those who proclaim they are Christians but yet are missing some real important aspects of the Gospel. One of the things we do a lot is to read other materials and ideas about things relating to the Bible. That can be good and helpful, but always remember that spoken and written by man is not the inspired word of God. Mine INCLUDED. So, one must check out the actual words and compare them with the Holy Scriptures to see if they are so! Jesus changes things always!
One thought came to me today again, the Bible proclaims that God and Christ NEVER change in their character and nature of being and also in their word which they speak about matters. God changes things and people but He remains the Same always! So, He gives gifts to people when HE so chooses and NEVER has told any preacher or man or woman that HE will NEVER give gifts (special ones also) to anyone anymore! That is a outright false view but it is preached by many of the people I admire in terms of things they preach and say today. But that is one among some other matters they are absolutely wrong on. Sometime I think it is because a great big push back exists due to some denominations and groups along with their ministers are way off base on many major Bible Doctrines and yet they falsely try to make people thing they have special signs and gifts and they do not!! But we can’t stop believing in God and His word because some are lost in the pulpits and some are false prophets etc., only to remember not to listen to them and expose them which is right. But not let the Truth be dropped out of our work and service due to them!! We don’t quit preaching because of false prophets and we don’t deny the word either because some abuse it. One has to have a Clear Word from God that something is true and that word has to be in context and really mean what someone says it means!!
So, let one not think the Old Testament is not to be studied and used in your life as a Christian. For instance think of this – notice how much is revealed to us in the Old Testament:
- In the O.T. we see God punishing the Israelites for their sins. But in the N.T. we see that God punished Jesus for our sins.
- In the O.T. we see God withdrawing His presence from His people, but in the N.T. we see that He will NEVER leave us or forsake us.
- In the O.T. we notice a man after God’s own heart, David, who pleaded with God to not withdraw His Holy Spirit from him, yet in the N.T. we see nothing about such activity taking place in the N.T. saints. He never leaves us!
Life is readically different on this side of the cross. A truth we must recognize as we study the O.T.! We read of dietary restrictions, ceremonial regulations, requirements such as Sabbath keeping and Tithing, yet none of these are demanded of the N.T. saints. But these things gives us a fuller appreciation of what Jesus Accomplished on our behalf! We are No longer under the LAW and remember the LAW speaks of both or all aspects of the Law given by God to Israel. It is a package and can’t be carved up like ministers do today and take some of the Law and make us fall under its domination and toss out the rest. You are either under the total LAW and outside of the Grace of God or you are friend and died to the LAW and are INSIDE of Christ Jesus now, with ALL of His law keeping put down on your account and God sees you as His saved, forgiven, child and sons or daughters. Believe God and not modern day preachers!!!
Lamar Carnes
GRACE WORXS 