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NASB | Micah 7:19 He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Micah 7:19 He shall again have compassion on us; He will subdue and tread underfoot our wickedness [destroying sin's power]. Yes, You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea. [Ps 103:12] |
Subject: God's Forgiveness of Sin |
Bible Note: (Part 2, conclusion) Once we're infused into the body of Christ, we're never excised from the body, since the Holy Spirit is what places us into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). We are "sealed" by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13; 4:30). That seal guarantees that we are God's everlasting property, and God's plans cannot be thwarted (Isaiah 14:24). However, when a Christian sins, but chooses to remain in that sin, God will discipline him or her just as a father disciplines his children (see Hebrews 12:7-11). When we are saved, a facet of salvation, called sanctification, begins to carry itself out in our lives, to "increasingly" set us apart (1 Peter 1:16). However, this process will not reach its final completion here on earth, but only when we see Christ and become as He is (1 John 3:1-3). But all the while, from the point where you are at right now to that final point with Christ, we as believers must work and strive for perfection, to be in one heart and mind with God! And our sin breaks and interrupts our fellowship with God. So as we are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:11), we will experience a greater communion with God and with our fellow believers if we abstain from sin and do not indulge in it. Not only will abstaining from sin help to put us into the position that He wants us to be to do God's work and will, but it will also help us gain and have more heavenly rewards that await us! And abstaining from sin allows our spirits to grow and our knowledge of Scripture and of Him to increase! Sin only aids to derail us and hinders us in our spiritual growth. It is like a cancer. Sin, and its ill consequences, only works to keep us from being where we should be at, and where the Lord wants us to be for Him. If we are struggling with sin while the Lord needs us to be ready when a "spiritual opportunity" occurs, then our "unreadiness" because of sin could prove to have greater consequences than ever imagined if we had just been ready at the right time and at the right place for God to use us. While it is true that noone can be perfectly without sin on earth (Rom. 3:23), we can renew our relationship with God (which is broken to at least some extent every time that we sin) by repenting of our sins (1 John 1:9) and He will forgive us! However, when a Christian chooses to continue to dwell in their sin, then not only are they in danger of not being "where they should be at" when the Lord needs them, but they are also opening themselves up to many complications that will only seek to thwart, or choke the faith that they once had, making it spoiled (Matt. 13:7,22). The danger in a Christian who does not wholeheartedly seek deliverance from sin is that they do not see the imminent consequences of that sin until it is too late! King David was guilty of this "blindness", and he had already committed adultery and murder before he finally realized the full measure of the consequences of his sin. Then how do we reconcile the parable in Matt. 13 with eternal security? We must break from our love of the world! (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17) The Bible repetitively leads us to the conclusion that those who love the world more than they love Christ will not enter into His Kingdom. We must love Him first and foremost, and repent of every evil thought or deed of sin that we have committed. I am not saying that the parable of the Two Servants (Matthew 24:45-51) is evidence that a person can lose their salvation, but I am saying that the person who does not love Christ more than he/she loves the world was never saved to begin with. And if we do, in fact, love Him, we will obey His commands and repent of our sins. All Christians should be "watchmen", and should keep a lookout for His coming; doing what our Master commands us to do (Matt. 24:46, Ezekiel 33). "But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand." (Ezekiel 33:6, NKJV) "How then can we live?" (Ezekiel 33:10) "..Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 33:11, 2 Peter 3:9) Our behavior is in full view before God, and we must consider that and reform it if need be, so that our behavior will begin to reflect the truth of our positional status before God. Some may feel that there is a "reciprocal" relationship between our behavior and our status before God (i.e., that we can lose our salvation). However, if we have truly once been saved, then our status before God is secure in Christ, regardless of our sin, even though we are admonished to strive for sinless perfection, and to fully cooperate with the Holy Spirit working in our lives to bring us to perfection (sanctification). I hope that this has helped! Blessings to you, Nolan |