John wrote: > Do you understand that I believe that "event sin" > can be stop immediately but other types of sin > cannot? There are addictions, character failures > such as pride and selfishness that are the foundation > for other sin AND are listed as sin (selfishness is a > sin but it is not an event).
Step away from looking at the problem holistically and try to reduce the problem into separate elements. First, consider that sin has a defiling effect. The person overtaken with pride did not get there overnight. As he continued in the "event sins" as you call it, there was a defiling effect upon his character. These character flaws can be stopped immediately by a miracle, or without a miracle, can progressively improve as long as the "event sins" are forsaken. The thing is, while his character is improving, he is not condemned as long as he does not engage in "event sins." In other words, he is not sinning, even though his character might not be as great as the believer who has been walking without committing sin for 10 years. This leads us to consider separating the concepts of sin and temptation. If one has a tendency toward pride or toward selfishness, is this sin? No, this is temptation. Jesus had these same temptations. He was human just like us. He had fleshly desires tended toward self preservation and pride just like the rest of us. The difference is that he did not yield to these temptations. He put them in their proper place. John wrote: > There are sins of omission when we should be doing > something and we choose not to. Why would a person committed to Christ not always choose to do what he knows he should be doing? Do you have an example of this? John wrote: > Some sins stop -- but others only decrease in influence. I think you are confusing the source of sin, temptation, with sin itself. I also think you are confusing poor character with sin. One of the reasons believers need to stop all sin is so that they can grow spiritually, which produces good character. One reason many so-called "Christians" do not have great character is that they indulge in sin from time to time, thinking that everybody else does it too. John wrote: > Some may never be completely gone. It is true that some element of the sinful desires of the flesh will never be completely gone until the resurrection, but this is not sin if we do not follow it. It is only temptation. We are promised that we will be tempted, but we are also promised that we can have victory over that temptation in every case. John wrote: > It is my opinion that there is absolutely no alternative > to this -- that those who disagree share a much narrower > definition of sin than I I think there is some truth to this statement. I think you are stricter than God in regards to your definition and understanding of sin. This is one reason why I have claimed that you are every bit a legalist as I am (in my opinion more of a legalist), it is just that you have changed the object of your legalism. You have forsaken the law and so you are not a legalist in regards to the law. You have instead become a legalist in regards to the grace doctrine. In doing so, you have broadened the definition of sin beyond what the Scriptures do in order to magnify the grace doctrine. You equate the source of sin, temptation, as sin itself, and then reason that because such cannot be avoided, everybody sins. The problem with your reasoning is that sin and temptation are two different things. We can avoid sin. We cannot avoid temptation. John wrote: > - and I believe I have a sound biblical argument for my > point of view, not to mention the practical argument. > Much of nearly every letter saved for us in the NT scriptures > contains encouragement to the saints regarding the continuing > battle against sin ----- letters written to those who are in the > family of God. That Scriptural encouragement you talk about is not "sin management," nor is it: "it's ok, everybody sins and always will; grace covers the sin that you do every day." The encouragement of Scripture is that we have an advocate with the Father and that we should stop all sin, and that he gives us power over every temptation. The encouragement is to embrace righteosness and forsake sin. Nowhere in the Bible do we have the doctrine of sin management that you have expressed. Surely you know this. 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.
