Results 1 - 9 of 9
|
|
|||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is a Christian two persons? | Col 3:9 | Lionstrong | 3208 | ||
Does a man become two persons when he becomes a Christian, the old man or self and the new man or self? | ||||||
2 | Is a Christian two persons? | Col 3:9 | Lifer1J511 | 3223 | ||
As prayon says, the Christian is not two persons. In fact the Christian doesn't even have two natures. The old man, old self, sin nature - whatever label you want to put on in, has been crucified with Christ. This is something that God did. 2 Cor 5:17 - 'Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.' Paul describes it this way in Gal 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ (the old man without Christ); and it is no longer I (the old man) who live, but Christ lives in me(the new man); and the life which I (the new man with Christ) now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Peter says in 2 Pet 1:4 - 'For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.' The Christian has only one nature - a partaker of the divine nature through Christ. The old nature is dead so Paul says live according to that truth. 'Count' yourself dead to sin but alive to God. The Christian still has flesh however wherein the power of sin still dwells. I believe God doesn't remove our flesh so that we will stay dependant on Him for our sufficiency. We, as Christians, can walk according to the flesh (out of self-sufficiency) or according to the Spirit (relying on Christ in us to meet our needs). But our true, real self - the core of who we are - is a new creation in Christ. I hope this helps. |
||||||
3 | Dose "Old Nature" equal "Flesh" | Col 3:9 | Lionstrong | 3324 | ||
Thanks, Lifer, for your answer. Please read my response to Prayon. What's the difference between "old nature" and "flesh?" Thanks again. | ||||||
4 | Dose "Old Nature" equal "Flesh" | Col 3:9 | Lifer1J511 | 3344 | ||
The difference between "old nature" and "flesh" is a subtile but important one. I believe that the Greek word for 'flesh' is 'sarx.' The KJV, NKJV, and NASB all tranlate 'sarx' as 'flesh.' The NIV, unfortunately, translates it as 'sinful nature.' Although I don't claim to have a complete understanding of the subject, I do understand what God says about it. Allow me to explain and also comment on the other posting. When the Bible talks about us being 'dead in trespasses and sins,' this is refering to our being born without the Spirit of God in us. Our spirits are not dead, otherwise we'd be just animals, but they are dead to God. This is a spiritual condition that leaves us having no inherent knowledge about God, only a vacuum where He should be. So Paul says we were alive to sin and dead to God. When we become believers, God's Spirit once again indwells His creation the way that He designed us to be. We are then alive to God but dead to sin. Here's where we need to make the descrepency between flesh and old nature. Somehow, I don't understand the process (maybe someone out there can explain the mechanics), God crucified our old nature, sinful nature, old man with Christ on the cross 2000 years ago. It was buried with Christ, also. Paul makes it clear that it was crucified and is now dead. I understand it best by thinking of it in these terms - nature: what comes natural, instinctively. It was our nature, before Christ, to be sinners. We had no choice. So our 'nature' was to sin. After Christ, it is no longer 'natural' for Christians to sin. We still can sin but that is NOT who we are. The New Testament uses the word 'saint' 63 times to stress our new identity - 2 Cor 5:17 - new creations, creatures in Christ. Believers are NEVER called 'sinners saved by grace.' God has something better. We are saints who may, against our new nature, sin. But sinning is no longer natural for us - it goes against who we REALLY are in the spirit realm. But we still have what the Bible calls the 'flesh.' As I understand it, this is our old patterns of self-sufficiency that we CAN rely on instead of His sufficiency and walking in the Spirit. The old spiritual (our identity) sinful nature is dead, crucified with Christ. The new spiritual nature, a divine nature - (2 Pet 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.) is our true identity but it is housed in unredeemed, still fallen 'flesh.' As Christians, we can choose who we will submit to - Christ in us, our hope of glory or the 'flesh.' That's why Paul says not to yield ourselves to sinning - that is not who we are - instead submit ourselves to let Christ live His life out through us - Hebrews 12. Well, in summation, I don't know if I helped or just confused the issue more. I'm sure there are others in the forum who can probably explain it better than I. The key is that Christians do NOT have 2 natures, 2 natural tendencies, 2 identities. The Christian has 1 identity that is housed in a body that still has old habits. Only as we let Christ live in our bodies can we keep from walking after the flesh. That's why Paul says, in Gal 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." We are now new creatures, not sinners saved by grace. We, because of Christ, are children of God. Let us 'live out' what Christ has put in. God bless. |
||||||
5 | Who's sinning? | Col 3:9 | Lionstrong | 3379 | ||
Thank you Prayon and Lifer for your patients and perseverance. I love this forum. I think it’s a great place for iron to sharpen iron and for Christians to work on becoming of one mind on the things of the Lord. But let me press you a little bit further on this, if I may. I John 3:9, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.”(NJKV) I know some translations soften this, but I won’t quibble. (Now follow me on this.) 1st point: Animals cannot sin. (Your comment on animals also implies this, I think.) Only persons can sin. 2nd point: So when sin is committed, it is committed by a person, not an animal or thing. 3rd point: A nature is a thing. It determines behavior, but it is a thing, not a person. 4th point: Our new man (or self) with its new nature, born of God, cannot sin. 5th point: We sin. 6th and finally: If only a person can sin, and our new man cannot sin, who’s sinning? Thanks again and peace in the Lamb. |
||||||
6 | Who's sinning? | Col 3:9 | Lifer1J511 | 3436 | ||
Lionstrong, Let me share what I believe about sin as taught from scripture. You may disagree, but please hear me out. Unfortunately, most of the time, when we think of 'sin,' because we are raised in a performance- oriented society, we think that sin is primarily wrong acts that we commit (or right acts that we don't). But I believe that acts of sin are a RESULT of a wrong belief system, an end result of wrong thinking. Now, this is not some metaphysical mumbo-jumbo. This is what scripture teaches. Take Romans 14:23 - "But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin." Granted, Paul here is addressing what is proper to eat and not eat, but he has shared an important insight. Faith, in it's simplest form, is believing what God says and, because you believe it, acting accordingly. Consider Adam and Eve. The serpent deceived them by tempting them, not necessarily to just eat the forbidden fruit, but to doubt what God said. His attack was, "Didn't God say...?" and He, of course, twisted what God said to serve his own purposes. Adam and Eve's sin, of first order, was to doubt what God said was TRUE. That is where sin starts. It is born of unbelief in what God says. When this doubt gives birth, it is the act of sinning. Because Adam and Eve did give into to the tempter, they doubted what God said, and that doubt was acted out through their bodies (they ate the fruit). This is why Paul says, "Whatever is not of faith (believing what God says about a thing) is SIN." That wrong belief (sin) will be acted out (sinning, sins) if we doubt what God says. Now, another important thing about sin is what Jesus said in John 16:8,9 - "And He (the Holy Spirit), when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; " Jesus has stated here that the world's sin is, not everything they do wrong - their acts, but, rather, their belief system i.e. who do they say that Jesus is, what do they believe about Him. Jesus paid for all our 'sins' - our wrong acts - at the cross. "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting men's sins against them." The only sin that Christ didn't pay for is the sin of unbelief. That is the one sin that MUST be repented of - what do you say about Jesus Christ? Is He who He says He is? That sin, unbelief in Christ, cannot be forgiven, it must be repented of. You must change your mind about who Christ is. This is the illusive 'unpardonable sin.' If a man does not accept Christ for who He said He is, then he stays dead in his sin - his unbelief. Now, in conclusion, let's look at 1 John. In chapter 1, John is addressing some teaching that had crept into the assembly from the Gnostics. Amongst other things, the Gnostics claimed that: 1) they had fellowship with God but walked in darkness - unbelief (if you have time, use your concordance and study the word 'darkness' in the N.T. - it is always used in reference to belief and unbelief) (vs.6). Because of this, they lie and do not practice the truth. Once again, unbelief results in sin. 2) they said they have no sin (vs. 8) and are thereby self-deceived and the truth is not in them (note 2 John 1:2). 3) they never sinned, thereby calling God a liar and His Word (who is the Word) is NOT in them. 4) that Jesus did not come in the flesh, refuted by John in vs.1-3. These Gnostics (and anyone who held to their teaching) could not be believers, true Christians. In fact, later, John calls them 'antiChrists.' Now, same author, same book, let's look at your question. Here is where John says, "Whoever has been born of God (a believer in Jesus Christ) does not sin (not believe in Jesus Christ), for His seed (the Holy Spirit, who testifies of Christ) remains in him; and he cannot sin (not believe in Christ and what Christ did), because he has been born of God.”(NJKV) In fact, vs. 5 says that Christ appeared to take away sins (the punishment for wrong acts, spiritual death) and in Him is no sin (the unbelieving sin nature we are born with). And vs. 6 says, 'No one who abides in Him (grafted in by the Holy Spirit at conversion) sins (stops believing in Christ); no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him (another stab at the Gnostics). Brother, this CANNOT be an act or acts of sinning (committing wrong doing). EVERYONE (except Christ) does wrong in God's sight. We have all fallen short. If we take 1 John 3:6 as an understanding of an wrong act, then NO ONE knows God. If we, based on the context of the book, and what God says elsewher about sin, understand that it is NOT BELIEVING in Christ, then there is no contradiction. I will leave the conclusion to you. |
||||||
7 | Sin and Sins? | Col 3:9 | Lionstrong | 3950 | ||
"The only sin that Christ didn't pay for is the sin of unbelief....sin of unbelief. That is the one sin that MUST be repented of... That sin, unbelief in Christ, cannot be forgiven, it must be repented of." Dear Lifer, Sorry I was unclear on my last response. Thanks for staying with me. Let's sharpen each other on this sin thing some more, 'cause like I said, your understanding of what sin is is confusing, at least to me it is. So...(1) If this sin of unblief can't be forgiving, why repent? (2)Luke 17:3 "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him." If unbelief is the only sin that must be repented of, why does Jesus expect us to repent for acts of sins? (3)"Jesus paid for all our 'sins' - our wrong acts." If Jesus didn't atone of the sin of unbelief (and we were all unbelievers) then there's stll one sin left that we ourselves have to pay for, or rather that God has to pay us for. And the wages of sin is death. So why don't we still go to hell for this remaining debt of sin? Is God unjust so as not to punish sin? (4)"our 'sins' - our wrong acts" What makes an act wrong? Does it apply both before and after the giving of the Law? How, then, does the Law relate to it? How does it differ from the Law? Thanks again, Lifer. I do find this edifying even though it's work. Lionstrong |
||||||
8 | Sin and Sins? | Col 3:9 | CHERI | 3961 | ||
YES WE NEED TO REPENT OF UNBELIEF,BUT THE BIBLE SAYS THAT THE ONLY SIN THAT IS UNFORGIVEN IS BLASPHEMY,NOT UNBELIEF I PERSONALLY DONT THINK OF THAT AS A SIN,MORESO A LOSS OF THE UNBELIEVER.ALSO IF YOU DON'T BELIVE,THEN YOU WOULDN'T THINK OR KNOW TO REPENT. | ||||||
9 | Sin and Sins? | Col 3:9 | Lionstrong | 4002 | ||
"THE ONLY SIN THAT IS UNFORGIVEN IS BLASPHEMY,NOT UNBELIEF I PERSONALLY DONT THINK OF THAT AS A SIN," Thanks, Cheri, for you response. You said you personally don't think of that as a sin. What do you think is not a sin? Do you think unbelief is not a sin? Question: If God tells us to believe, is it a sin to disobey that command? Mark 1:15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." |
||||||