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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | Morant61 | 228606 | ||
Greetings Beja! I was just heading to bed when I saw your posts. :-) I'll try to address your main points without being overly long winded. 1) Temptation/Sin: I would distinguish between temptation and sin. I would not see temptation as being sin, but giving into to temptation would be sin. But, since your post doesn't depend upon that distinction, we can go on. 2) One would think that all Christians would agree that we are able to live holy here and now. But, many Christians view Rom. 7 as normative for Christian living and see any suggestion of true freedom from sin as being unbiblical. What you are calling entire sanctification, I would call glorification. The difference primarily being one of degree. Those who are sanctified CAN still sin, but those who are glorified CANNOT still sin. Sanctification is tough to define precisely because Scripture speaks of it in so many different ways. Scripture speaks of it as an accomplished past act: 1 Cor. 6:11, Heb. 10:29, 1 Cor. 1:2, and others. Scripture also speaks of it as an ongoing process: Heb. 10:14. Scripture also speaks of it as a future act as well: Rom. 6:19, and 6:22. The easiest explanation that I can think of at this moment is that sanctification has to do with a believers relationship to the flesh (or Sarx). Some believe that Christians live life day by day with competing impulses from the Spirit and from the sarx. Sometimes we follow the Spirit, and sometime we follow the sarx. In this view, sin in inevitable until glorification takes place. My understanding of Scripture is that the sarx is truly dead for a Christian and we no longer have to listen to it. Ephesians 2:3 describes the lost as 'gratifying the desires of the sarx'. But, Rom. 8:9 says of Christians - “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Gal. 5:16 makes it clear that anyone living by the Spirit will not gratify the desires of the sarx. In short, I believe that Sanctification refers to God's act of recreating us so that the old man is dead, and we are new men able to obey Him. (Rom. 6:6, Col. 3:9, and Eph. 4:22). As you pointed out, we can also disobey Him. But, this is a huge change because before Christ, we could only disobey Him. :-) I hope this helps answer some of your questions. If not, let me know and I'll try to be more detailed when I am more awake. ;-) Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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2 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | Beja | 228615 | ||
Tim, Very helpful, thank you. I think the root is that "entire sanctification" really isn't a term scripture uses. So when you said it, I did indeed think of what scripture is calling glorification, the essence of which is the absolute perfect completion of the sanctification begun on earth. I think we may have some minor disagreements if we dig long enough, but I am happy rather to see what we have in harmony. In Christ, Beja |
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