The sin thread got me thinking more deeply about what sin is and frankly stoked a fire that has been lacking... and for that I thank Deerslayer even though the spirit gives me a different understanding as his.

I want to take a little time and try and explain the way I reason all of this and the importance of Jesus. Not to criticize any personal beliefs, but in hope that telling the same story through a different set of eyes may give someone who doesn’t share in grace with us a calling from the spirit to do so. I’m not as elegant and certainly not as smart as most but I’ll give it my best shot.

To first understand just how hopeless without Christ we are we have to understand what sin is at its core. Sin is not merely an action that we commit, if it were we would be able to recognize it all the time and through dedicated self restraint could prevent it.

Sin at its core is any action, reaction, thought etc; from the heart that doesn’t value God over all things and give him the praise... sin is a condition of the flesh,“Nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” (Romans 7:18). We can also conclude from just that verse ( there are better examples but just to save time I’ll use this one) that we are incapable of being perfect all the time. Sin is not something that is avoidable by the flesh and when you’re in Christ you don’t separate from your body. Therefore sin is inherent and unavoidable in us all, both Christian and non-Christian.

The Bible says that the penalty for sin is death (Hell). So since sin is inescapable and the consequence is Hell then we are doomed as a race to eternity in Hell. But God is not unjust... by his own design out of love he gave you and me the only way. Jesus is it.
Without him we don’t have a chance and that’s what makes it so important and absolutely freeing to believe in him. He provided the perfect sinless life in the flesh so when we believe through faith we aren’t doomed. He provided a way for us to glory when otherwise it was impossible.

But we’re not done, since he provided the sinless life for us, we don’t have to. But without getting into a theological debate that doesn’t mean we should do what we want to. In fact it’s the opposite. In steps sanctification... to shorten this up I’ll try an analogy for it. The spirit guiding you is ( I hate to use this as an analogy) like a headache. When you have one you can do one of two things, ignore it and hope it goes away or do what steps you take to get rid of it. You don’t have to get rid of it but it usually wont get better until a change or action is taken. I know that’s a terrible analogy but it’s what popped in my head.

Like I said I know I’m not the smartest or most elegant but maybe it’ll give you something to think about as you digest all that turkey today.
Happy Thanksgiving and God bless.

You mention sanctification. Let me present to you a different,and correct way of looking at that.

A huge problem in the Body Of Christ today is that we are trying to attain something that we attained at the moment of salvation.Most Christians have the idea that they will reach a place where they are more like Jesus,and they strive to get to that place,thinking that if they could just study scripture enough,pray enough,have enough faith,they could finally be like Jesus and God would do for them all the things he has promised for the real faithful believers in the bible. I know I was like that at one time.

The truth is that we were made one with Christ at the moment of salvation.The Holy Spirit came into our Spirit to live inside us and guide us. We can't get any more like Jesus. The huge problem is that we don't believe it. We don't believe it because we are too sin conscious. We only look at things after the flesh rather than looking with our spiritual eyes.

It's a huge trick of the devil.God has made us perfect in his image and we can't see it because all we can see is the flesh. So then because we believe we aren't yet holy,we don't act holy.

Take the example of a Christian that is trying to overcome addiction. Let's say he was a pot smoker and just got saved.Now he wants to quit but he is battling his flesh wanting to get high. He is in this huge battle,not because he isn't yet sanctified,but because he doesn't know he is sanctified. He wouldn't light up a joint in church,or in front of his pastor,but he will do it when he is alone because he has no revelation yet that he is never alone. If he ever had a real revelation that Jesus is right there with him,in him,all the time, he wouldn't want to light that joint. Not only that but he would be so excited about what he could ask Jesus a do for Jesus that he wouldn't have time to waste on getting stoned anyway.

I'll leave with a couple of verses.
Hebrews 10:10-14King James Version (KJV)

10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.



And concerning our sin consciousness
Hebrews 10:2King James Version (KJV)

2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins

Hebrews 1:3King James Version (KJV)

3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

We should not even be conscious of our sins. I'm not saying that we shouldn't repent ,which literally means to change your mind about, things that the Holy Spirit deals with us about.

What I'm saying is that we should not ever let the thought of our unworthiness keep us from doing the things God has called us to do or to receive all the blessings God has promised.

A sin consciousness will prevent you from doing anything for God or
receiving anything from God because you will always think you have to reach some level of higher perfection,striving to perfect your flesh.

I hope this isn't taken the wrong way but stop and think how the threads got started and how God works in mysterious ways.

It went from a tragic event to one that has got folks thinking.

Good point. One thing I would like to say about that is that God never causes those bad things to happen.He will however use them to teach us, because it if often only then that our hearts are open and receptive to what God is always trying to tell us.

It's sort of like how I might teach my little boy about something if he was hurt doing something. If he burned his hand on the stove,I would use that moment to teach him something about safety around the stove,but I didn't set it up so he would get burned,so I could teach him.

I am loving all these post on faith, sin, etc. The times I have had the most growth in my life is when something has challenged me and caused me to really dig in what scripture tells us.
If you ever go, or have been, to the Walk to Emmaus, you will hear what is referred to as the “grace talks” that are given by the clergy working that Walk: prevenient grace, justifying grace, and sanctifying grace. Each talk was very informative when I first went many years ago. Most of the time we don’t stop to think of all the grace we are shown in life.

Truth

WGAF!

Nice touch. Very classy.

" For HE shall save HIS people from their sins ". It is "finished". Done. Period.