Laura wrote: > What happens when one of these "hard sinners" is > saved. Is he immediately perfect? Perfect in the > sense that he never sins again.
I've met both types. Some immediately clean up an start a new life. Others appear that way for awhile, but stumble and have to get back up again. Laura wrote: > A man is a drug addict and living on the streets. > You come along as a street preacher or whatever > and he gets saved. He is delivered from his addiction. > Someone has to disciple him and you refer him to a > church or group to do this. Is he immediately going > to stop swearing and clean up his life. Of course not. Don't be so quick to say, "of course not." It depends upon the kind of conversion that takes place, which I think is dependent upon the faith of the person, and which often is dependent upon the kind of message delivered to him when he believed. Some of them do clean up immediately, never swear again, never smoke again, drink, or do drugs again, and the discipleship needed is not to deal with addictions and sin, but to learn the Word of God and how to minister the Word to others. Laura wrote: > It takes time and love and growth. Maybe I just have > never come across the kind of salvation that makes a > person immediately perfect and without sin. John Wesely's teaching on Christian perfection is one that is along the lines that you speak here. He sees it as a maturity thing, and says that men can grow and mature in such a way that their attitude, thoughts, and everything they do is centered around Christ and they no longer sin. I agree with Wesley's perception in the sense that for many, this is how it happens, but I do not restrict it to a maturing process. Mainly because I have known people, both in jail, and out of jail, who have experienced a very sudden transformation. Of course, only God can tell you to what extent they were really "perfect," but I was not aware of any hidden sin in their life, and was blessed by seeing how much in love with Christ they were. In the Bible, I think Mary Magdalene had that kind of transformation. I do not think she underwent extensive discipleship for years to deal with her many years as a harlot. Jesus cast the devils out of her, and I think she instantly fell in love with our Lord and went and sinned no more from that point forward. Peace be with you. David Miller. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.