Debbie wrote: > ... I do believe I am accountable to God for how > I live, but I admit that on the question of exactly > when and how (and how often?) I will be called > to account, my thinking is in flux.
The Bible has hundreds of passages about the coming judgment. Why would you be in flux regarding this question? Do you think that perhaps you might put the teachings of men on the same level as the Holy Scriptures? Debbie wrote: > My charge of ignorance had to do with your statement > about Caroline. Assuming your version of how this calling > to account will occur, how could you possibly know whether > you would not want to be "in Caroline's shoes", as it were, > on that occasion? What do you know of her works, or how > they compare with yours??? That's where I thought you were > proceeding on ignorance. How her works compare with mine? Where did that come from? Such a concept should never enter our minds. The only one we should compare ourselves with is Jesus Christ. When we believe upon him, and make him our Lord, then our life no longer becomes our own. We are committed to living as he lived, and if anything in our life is not according to him, we should repent (change our mind), and turn back toward him. My comment about being her before the judgment seat of Christ had to do with what she said on this forum. Surely you know that each of us will give account to the Lord for every word we type in this forum. Caroline joked about the judgment of hell fire that God brings upon the unbelievers. She described warnings about the judgment of hell as "#($&%^ you guys (in good KJV biblical lingo)." I would be extremely embarassed to come before the Lord and have this brought up, and I was expressing such to her, hoping that she will reconsider her cavalier attitude toward the judgment of God. Debbie wrote: > Caroline, John, and (less often) I have numerous times > tried to make clear that our complete and unqualified > reliance on God's grace and mercy in spite of our sin > does not mean that we are cavalier about such sin or > our behaviour. On the contrary ... I know from my own > experience that this reliance on God's unconditional love > is just what nourishes my desire to be conformed to his > image, and is what produces that conformity over time. Empty words. It is easy to claim that you are concerned about sin, but when people joke around about it, that indicates something else entirely. Furthermore, since you mention John, he professes to continue in sin and teaches that the tension created by not wanting to sin but sinning anyway is what gives him indication that he is saved! It is very clear to me that your theology has caused many like John not only to be unconcerned about his own sin, but unconcerned about the sins of others. How can we watch our neighbors sin, knowing that such actions bring forth the wrath of God, and stay silent? It seems to me that a theology that teaches all are already saved in Christ whether they believe or not contributes to such apathy toward sin gaining ground. More than that, it actually has caused some, like Caroline, to jest about it! Debbie wrote: > P.S.: I started a post some time ago, in response to one > of yours, which I never sent. It dared to suggest that perhaps > the people who continue to acknowledge sin in our lives do > so because we actually look to a higher standard of obedience > than you do. Well, let's talk specifics then. First, how often do you confess sins? Do you confess sins every day, every week, every month, what? What kind of sins are you confessing? Are you confessing getting angry without a cause, impure thoughts, stealing from someone, coveting, fornicating, drunkenness, what? Are you confessing not helping your neighbor? Let's get specific and examine this thing. If my standard of obedience is too low, then I will certainly confess my sin of having this too low of a standard right away and repent. I hope you understand that I am not against confession and repentance. I am against people using confession as a "get out of jail free card" that would enable them to continue in sin. When we acknowledge our sin, we need to change our mind about it and start living right. That means you would not expect to be confessing that particular sin again, right? By the way, I taught at church this last Wednesday night on Eternal Judgment. I connected it to holiness at the end of my homily, exhorting the believers to put away all sin and be conscious of the Biblical fact that they will stand before Christ on the day of Judgment, whether they be Christian or not a Christian, and they will be judged by the works they have done. I received a lot of feedback after the service was over, and one woman said to me, "I really needed to hear that. I'm realizing that I need to ask for forgiveness every day." Now, I have no problem with this response. Her awareness of her shortcomings is increased by hearing God's standard of holiness. However, even though I don't have a problem with her increase of confession and asking forgiveness, I do hope that she moves away from asking forgiveness to repenting of her sins and having a clear conscience. In other words, I want her to walk in holiness, walk in the Spirit, not just come to the realization that her behavior falls short of God's glory. First there is confession and repentance, then there is faith toward God and walking in the Spirit. 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.
