Results 1 - 4 of 4
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Are christians sinners or not? | Rom 3:23 | John Reformed | 69265 | ||
Dear retxar, I understand and agree with your arguement concerning our position in Christ. We are no longer under the dominion of sin, but because we have a remnant of our corrupt nature within (the flesh), we still sin on a daily basis. I hope you also will agree, that in the world we live in, when a christian states that he is not a sinner, we must be ready to offer a biblical explanation of how it is we can make such a remarkable claim. Otherwise, most people will take it the wrong way and assume the worst: that we are either liars or decieved. I think it best to confess my weakness and brag on Christ's strength, which has lifted me from the bondage of sin, and has provided me with the grace to fight against it. John |
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2 | Are christians sinners or not? | Rom 3:23 | retxar | 69297 | ||
Yes, I can certainly agree with what you are saying. However, I also know that these same people are also going to have a pretty hard time understanding what John meant in 1st John chapter 3. He made some pretty remarkable claims himself! I think the biblical explanation as you suggested is exactly what is called for. I have never had very much success talking to ANYONE about Jesus who was comfortable in their sin. Getting people saved is easy. Getting them “lost” is the hard part! Those who know the chains that satan has them bound with are the ones who are hungry for Jesus. They already know the “bad news”, because they are living it! They are ready for the good news! They not only want to be delivered from sin’s condemnation, they also want to be delivered from sins domination. I would much rather give these true seekers a biblical explanation of this than giving the sceptics the “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven” story, just to justify myself or others. Jesus said that if He did not do the works of His Father to not believe Him (John 10:37), so I better not expect anything but the same treatment! If I don’t do the works of Jesus, don’t believe me! If the ones we share the gospel with do not see the works of Jesus in us, they are never going to believe what we have to say anyway, so I'm not going to spend a lot of time trying to explain to them why I still sin, cause they ain’t gonna listen! retxar |
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3 | Are christians sinners or not? | Rom 3:23 | John Reformed | 69321 | ||
Dear retxar, It is a good thing that I need not preach John Reformed, but Christ and Him crucified. Many of my friends and family are well aware of the changes that my conversion has wrought in my life. They also know that I am not perfect. I am not always kind and loving, but lapse into selfishness and am irritablility as well. For me to tell them that I am sinless (which claiming that I am not a sinner would infer) would not further the Kingdom of God which is the commission that we have been given. What I have been trying to get across on this point is that our testimony should be focused on Jesus and their desperate need of Him. I can't promise them that they will not sin after they are saved. Neither can I promise them health, wealth and happiness. What I can offer is pardon for all their sins; peace with God and eternal life. I believe that we are messengers sent by God to proclaim the gospel of Christ. The message is that without Christ they will die in their sin and be lost for all eternity. But if they believe they will be saved. This is the all I can do. Salvation itself is the province of the Holy Spirit. He must open blind eyes and unplug deaf ears. It is not the messenger that makes the difference but the saving power of the gospel. The gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing but the power of God for those who are being saved. I wonder if we truly understand. 2 Cor 4:3 "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing," I also believe that we are ambassadors of Christ, and as such we have a resposibility to represent Him by desiring to be as much like Him as we can. Therefore we pray, beseeching Him to forgive us our sins and to mold us into a closer resemblence of our Lord. The robes of righteousness provided by our King, and not our filthy rags, are what we should clothe ourselves with. Especially when we are acting in our capacity as evangelists to a lost world. John |
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4 | Are christians sinners or not? | Rom 3:23 | retxar | 69351 | ||
John, You said “I am not always kind and loving”. Surely you jest! :-) I can't think of anything that we have disagreed on during this exchange except for our difference of opinion on what the word "sinner" means. I guess we should not argue over the meaning of a word, least it create strife (2Ti 2:14). You say we are "sinners" because we still sin, and believe if we say we are not sinners, we imply that we live a sinless life. This may very well be the WORLD’S interpretation, but I can see the WORD saying something totally different, so I guess I will just stick with that. If you know of any verse in the bible that refers to a born again saint as a “sinner”, let me know, as this would add some teeth to your argument. Born again and delivered! retxar |
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