Actscelerate.com

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12792 **2/4/13 3:12 pm**

Eph 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
3But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light NASB

bradfreeman

Acts-dicted Posts: 9027 **2/4/13 3:17 pm**

The Greek for "cannot" in 1 John 3:9 is "dunamia" coupled with the strong Greek negative "ou". It literally means that which is born of God is not able to sin...incapable.
_________________
I'm not saved because I'm good. I'm saved because He's good!

My website: www.bradfreeman.com
My blog: http://bradcfreeman.tumblr.com/

Quiet Wyatt

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12792 **2/4/13 3:21 pm**

From Robertson's, which I cited above:

bradfreeman

Acts-dicted Posts: 9027 **2/4/13 3:48 pm**

Quiet Wyatt

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12792 **2/4/13 4:39 pm**

A Christian cannot and does not go on sinning, does not willfully persist in sin. If they sin, they must repent and get back on the straight and narrow path. If they fail to do so, they are on the path that leads to destruction. They must repent while they still have been granted time to repent. See for instance the case of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 and of the false prophetess Jezebel in Revelation 2 whom Jesus said had been given time to repent, but now He was sending imminent judgment upon her and her followers.

As for myself, I do not, as a rule, live in sin. I of course retain the ability to sin if I choose to, and if I sin I must repent, but as a rule, they that are begotten of God do not go on sinning.

Randy Johnson

Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology Posts: 5433 **2/4/13 6:19 pm**

It seems to me in all this discussion about sinning, the emphasis is on sins of commission.

What about sins of omission? How do they fit into this discussion?

17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

James 4:17
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Randy Johnson, Pastor
Ickesburg Church of God
85 Tuscarora Path
Ickesburg, Pennsylvania

Quiet Wyatt

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12792 **2/4/13 6:22 pm**

bradfreeman

Acts-dicted Posts: 9027 **2/5/13 7:31 am**

bradfreeman

Acts-dicted Posts: 9027 **2/5/13 7:44 am**

Quiet Wyatt

Quiet Wyatt · [Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12792 **2/5/13 7:47 am**

In this case the NIV happens to translate the Greek verb tense more accurately, Brad. That is simply how it is. "Does not go on sinning" is a more literal translation than "does not sin." Your gnostic antinomian interpretation is not good news at all, but is in fact one of the oldest lies in the book, that living in sin is something one just can't help because of one's physical body, though our spirit is perfectly holy no matter what we do.

Quiet Wyatt

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12792 **2/5/13 9:01 am**

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 NASB)

Now if what Brad and Watchman Nee say is true, I was every bit as saved as I'll ever be "in my spirit" when I was a backslidden drunkard running from the call of God on my life. I needn't have ever been concerned that I was actually headed for Hell no matter what Paul said in the above passage (and several other passages which say essentially the same thing--that if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the HOLY Spirit you shall live), since, according to Brad, the flesh is not the real me, my spirit is perfect, sinless and holy no matter what works of the flesh my 'sinful body' forces me to do, etc.

Tragically, I have seen the fruit of this kind of teaching Brad is advocating up close and personal over the years. It leads directly to the destruction of families, individuals, church fellowships, and communities, primarily by telling people they can go on sinning and still be "saved in their spirit man" regardless. I've seen men and women, Christian leaders even, use this same logic to justify all kinds of wickedness while still being viewed as a Christian leader by those who agree with this damnable doctrine of demons, only leading to more and more wickedness--in the name of Christ no less.

I am so thankful I was never taught (nor did I ever believe) such a lie, that a Christian is really no different "in his body" than the unconverted and continues to sin all the time due to this supposed sinful body he can't get rid of this side of heaven. Had I believed that, I'd likely be long dead and lost forever.

Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11 NASB)

New Covenant salvation by grace through faith has never been a license to continue in sin! Let everyone who names the name of Christ DEPART FROM INIQUITY! Thank God for salvation from sin!

bradfreeman

Acts-dicted Posts: 9027 **2/5/13 10:04 am**

Daniel Rushing

Golf Cart Mafia Consigliere Posts: 3063 **2/5/13 10:34 am**

Quiet Wyatt

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12792 **2/5/13 11:47 am**

Also Brad, I have already responded to your accusation that my view says we must be saved 1000s of times and are lost with each sin. That is simply not true of my view. As I said, in my view when a believer sins, he is chastened by the Lord so that he may be a partaker of His holiness. If one is not disciplined, one is not a son but is instead illegitimate. If one willfully persists in sin, one is headed for certain doom unless and until he repents.

Here's some foundational teaching by the apostle of grace himself:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:1-23 NASB)

We simply are not at liberty to believe we have more security than the Scriptures themselves say we have. And the Scriptures nowhere reveal that anyone can rightly claim security in Christ while continuing in sin.

bradfreeman

Acts-dicted Posts: 9027 **2/5/13 11:59 am**

bonnie knox

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 14803 **2/5/13 12:08 pm**

Daniel Rushing

Golf Cart Mafia Consigliere Posts: 3063 **2/5/13 12:14 pm**

All of those verses are irrelevant because I understand his use of the word "righteousness" differently than you. I also reject any gnostic reading of Paul and I think Paul had a different agenda for his writing than you do. I have explained this at length to you more than once.