Lance wrote: > Please tell us with as much clarity and precision as > is possible the THIS you're believing. > ... don't quote scripture.
I'll try to take a few minutes to explain my basic understanding, but I sure hope that this does not sound like I am trying to be divisive. Please consider what I am about to say as a rough draft of my perspective and not something which I walk around thinking about all the time. I have been considering your request from the first time you shared it, and a brother at church today shared a message which stimulated me to present it to you in the following fashion. I have observed Christians approach the problem of sin at two different levels. First there are those who upon recognizing the problem of sin, see Jesus as the answer out of the dreaded dilemma of facing God on judgment day. They recognize that their own personal sin has separated them from God, but they also have learned and believe that Jesus paid the price for their sin so that they will inherit eternal life despite their sin. Then when they sin, their conscience condemns them, but they see this condemnation as being a lie from the devil because they reason that the blood of Jesus has covered their sin. They might describe this situation in the following way: "the devil tries to point to what I did last week and convince me that I'm no good, but I tell him he is a liar and that Jesus has paid the price and that one day Jesus will return and change me and then at that time I will be a new creature and never walk this way again." In other words, they look at their continued defeat in the area of morality as something that will always continue until the second coming of Christ. They consider any sense of condemnation for their sin as a lie of Satan in their life. They do not deal with the sin, but have a hope that one day Jesus will return and make them new creatures which will not have the same temptations as they have now. They look at the solution of having victory over sin as being the removal of the temptation of sin. It seems to me that this approach perpetuates what historians have called the Messiah complex. It is the idea that when Messiah comes, all things will be restored. It continues to look to a future when restoration is done, and it does not see moral restoration as something that has already happened with Christ's first coming. The second way that some Christians approach sin is to see that Christ came not only to forgive sin, but to break the power of sin in our life. This approach perceives that the way to holiness has been made right now, and that we do not need to wait until Christ returns the second time in order to be made free from sin. While sin continues to be ever present in the sense that we will always be tempted while abiding in these corruptible bodies, we can live a life of victory over those temptations in every situation. The way the second approach to sin is dealt with is very different than the first approach. The condemnation and guilt that is associated with sin is not looked upon as a lie of the devil, but as a direct consequence of the sin. If I were to sin today, I fully expect to experience guilt from sin, even though Jesus has died for me and atoned for my sin. I could say a lot more here about the atonement and its effect on past, present and future sins, but I think it best to skip that for right now. My point right now is that I deal with sin in a most serious way. The idea of experiencing guilt and a darkening of the conscience and a dimming of the communion and fellowship with the Father is a huge motivation for me not to sin again. I deal with sin by hating it and forsaking it, not by some knowledge that when Jesus comes again he will transform me and make a way for me to have victory over sin. I see victory over sin as a reality for right now, because of Jesus Christ. I can be a New Creature right now. I don't have to wait for it. It is a reality right now. I am greatly encouraged and blessed to hear this news. It is the GOOD NEWS, the BEST NEWS that I have ever heard in my whole life. More importantly, this good news has a reality when it is believed, and it is experienced in a most powerful way within the conscience of man. Christ truly has made a way for the conscience to be perfected. I can't prove it to anyone except by testifying to its reality, hoping they will believe it, and then when they experience it, they will see that what I have testified is really true. Well, this is a brief and very rough sketch. I hope it helps. I would have been much more comfortable sharing Scripture along with it, which to me is filled with the truth of what I just shared. Nevertheless, I have tried to answer you in the manner that you requested. I pray it helps you understand better where I am coming from. Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida. ---------- "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.
