What Noah Could Have Said But Didn't

[Christ's Free Servant]

CFS,

Repentance is very much a part of the normal Christian life, and I believe that very few believers actually teach that we shouldn't need to repent from our sins on a regular basis (Although I know there is a faction of believers who teach that we need not repent because Christ has already forgiven our future sins.  That is absolutely false).  While it is certainly true that we fall into sin quite frequently - even day by day and moment by moment, a life lived out of faith is one that is continually trusting in God to save, not upon any "formulaic" means of trying to remain pure (Which are works in and of themselves).  A genuine believer trusts in the continual efficacy of Christ's blood, and the promise of salvation afforded by God's word and through faith. Thus, faith in and of itself is not a static thing - it is not the concept of having once received the faith and that is a sufficient "curative" for remaining sin.  Rather, genuine faith is a process, a cycle if you will, of trusting in God, drawing our supply from Him, and gaining Him daily.

The main problem with mankind from the very beginning has been that he has sought out ways - processes, formulas, rites, rituals, etc.,  - of bringing God to the point of saving them, rather than taking God's way of salvation.  Know what the biggest problem in Christianity today is?  It is the believers placing their trust - sometimes their absolute trust - in a system of doctrines, creeds, rites, rituals, and teachings instead of the very Christ who loved them and gave Himself up for them.  Believers trust in religion more than they trust God.  Many preachers today, sadly, have fallen into the trap of preaching various formulaic methods of how to be free from various forms of sin and bondage:  Sin and bondage to finances, to the flesh, to marital problems, etc. These are just various ways of distracting the saints from what they really need, which is Christ.

Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with addressing the problems in the church.  Many saints have problems with finances, their marriages, etc.  However, the saints do not need a formula or a method to be freed from these various problems. They just need Christ!  See, that's all that Paul ever preached:  Paul preached Christ crucified, Christ resurrected, Christ in us, we in Christ, Christ lived, Christ expressed, Christ glorified, Christ magnified, Christ, Christ, Christ, and more Christ!

So what is faith really?  We all know the verse in Hebrews 11:1 which says that faith is the substantiation of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Ask yourself, "What are the things hoped for according to the Bible?"  Of course we all have our own concept of things hoped for, don't we?  We hope for a better job, we hope for a happy marriage, we hope for better lives for our kids.  But those things have nothing to do with faith.  By faith we can believe that God will provide for us, certainly.  However, the things hoped for in the Bible are all related to Christ:

"We have been regenerated unto a living hope (1 Pet. 1:3). Our Christ, who is in us, is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27; 1 Tim. 1:1), which will issue in the redemption, the transfiguration, of our body in glory (Rom. 8:23-25). This is the hope of salvation (1 Thes. 5:8), a blessed hope (Titus 2:13), a good hope (2 Thes. 2:16), the hope of eternal life (Titus 1:2; 3:7); it is also the hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:2), the hope of the gospel (Col. 1:23), the hope laid up for us in the heavens (Col. 1:5). We should keep this hope always (1 John 3:3) and boast in it (Rom. 5:2). Our God is the God of hope (Rom. 15:13), and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we can have hope (Rom. 15:4) all the time in God (1 Pet. 1:21) and can rejoice in it (Rom. 12:12). This book charges us to hold fast the boast of hope firm to the end (3:6), to show diligence unto the full assurance of our hope until the end (6:11), and to lay hold of the hope set before us (6:18). It also tells us that the new covenant brings in a better hope, through which we draw near to God (7:19). Our life should be a life of hope, which accompanies and abides with faith (1 Pet. 1:21; 1 Cor. 13:13). We should follow Abraham, who beyond hope believed in hope (Rom. 4:18)." (footnote)

And "the things not seen" are essentially all the things hoped for, which are all related to Christ.  In fact, it is right to say that the main thing which is not seen is just our very Christ Himself.  Since this is the case, it is right to say that faith is a living that is all the time related to the living out of Christ.  So faith is just Christ Himself lived out by the believers. It is the believers cooperating with the Christ in them in complete surrender to His will, that He can be lived out of them. 

The believers cannot cooperate with God unless there is a continual cycle of believing into the Son, repenting - turning away from our natural life to walk by the Spirit, and allowing Christ to be lived out and expressed. This is why Paul preached the need to live under the cross daily, and to walk according to the Spirit (Gal. 2:20; 5:13-26).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Cool! Then, we are in total agreement! See?

[Christ's Free Servant]

OKay.  Sorry for the misunderstanding, CFS.  It seemed to me like you were painting with a broader brush.  Thanks for clearing it up for me. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are welcome! BTW - I loved your definition of faith. If I understood it correctly, it is right in line with what I have been saying. Thanks so much for sharing all of that with me. Nice to hear from you again, too.

[Ovedya]

[Christ's Free Servant]

Oh, this is the quote I was telling you about. It is from "The GOD I LOVE." It is by Joni Eareckson Tada. Joni, at the age of 18, was injured in a diving accident which left her a quadriplegic. God has used her in so many wonderful ways to share the love of Jesus with so many other hurting people in this world. She learned to paint using a paint brush in her mouth, she has written many books and has composed songs and she taught herself to sing and she has many speaking engagements, and she and her husband formed a ministry to disabled children all around the world called "Joni and Friends". Her story is inspiring!

In chapter 4, prior to her accident, she is describing her discovery of God, that he is a "who" instead of some benign force. She finally sees God as personal, a Savior who went to the cross for her and she states:

"But now God felt near and real, alive and vibrant, as if he were sitting next to me on the rock. God was a person.

"The world was suddenly a lot less mechanistic and unconnected. There was a person holding it altogether - a personal God, whispering through his creation and speaking through his Word. This was the meaning behind that beckoning I'd always sensed. No longer was my knowledge of him floating on the surface of life. I had discovered the underlying current, what was underneath. And what was underneath was a who.

"All I could do was let the tears flow. 'Thank you, God. I'm so sorry, I'm so...'

"I couldn't say any more. A movie reel ran before my eyes, images of me snapping at my mother, judging my dad, copying answers off a test paper, kicking that puppy, fighting with my sisters. Worst of all, I remembered the awful night I got up from a couch in a basement party, walked into the bathroom, saw my tired face in the mirror, and whimpered, Who Am I?

"I kept repeating, "Forgive me, please forgive me, please..." As I sensed the presence of this personal God beginning to fill that space in my soul, my tremors became chuckles. Then, muffled laughter, until I yelled, "Yahoo!" and threw my arms open wide.

"The first word that came to my mind was clean. I felt clean and fresh..."

WOW! That is a picture of someone who understands the meaning of the word "faith." But, how often do we see this anymore? When was the last time you saw someone weeping over his or her sin?

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up" (James 4:7-10).

[Fisher of Men]

Adam was literally made a sinner. In Christ we are to literally be made righteous.

The definition of grace cannot be limited to favour, forgiveness etc as a one sided thing from God.

His favour is expressed to us in giving us ability to do that which we before were unable to do; live in a manner that is acceptable to God. The definition of grace that includes the favour expressed to us in giving us strength is seen in Titus 2:11-14.

Also in Rom. 5- When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. He died to give us strength.

In Hebrews Paul refers to sins being taken away, something the law could not do. The OT sacrifices were like a payment for sin but it was necessary that those sacrifices were offered on a continual basis because sinning was a continual reality for those under that first covenant.

There has now been made the one last and ultimate sacrifice to take away sin.

It is erroneously believed that this taking away of sin only relates to taking it out of God's sight as if it is impossible for Christians to behave in a manner that it is acceptable with God.

But the truth is that the new testament lays down the rules for how we are to behave (to some extent a modification of the moral code of the OT) and it also provides the means, by way of its gift of the Holy Spirit for believers to submit to that moral code.

The taking away of sins is in reference to them being taken out of our lives to the extent to what we see in Jesus' life.

He was tempted like as we are, yet without committing that which he was tempted to do. The taking away of sins of which Paul speaks relates to the cessation of committing sin.

It is believed that it is inevitable that we as Christians will continue to sin, therefore sin is excused as long as you stay away from the really bad ones. This causes sin to be taken lightly to some extent when sin should not in any degree be taken lightly.

If it was understood that any committing of disobedience to Christ was not walking in the Spirit and evidence of not walking in the light and is a shortcoming to what Jesus expects of us, there would be more obedience out of love for Him who died for sins to take them out of our lives.

The claim that we can't please God and it is all what Jesus did and denying that what he did was so that we can do, is a subtil means of causing sin to be looked upon in a light that undermines the purpose for Christ's sacrifice. Satan comes as an angel of light.

If the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness.

[WayneB]

Adam was literally made a sinner.

In all fariness to you, I will admit that I have NOT read your entire post. I couldn't get past this statement.

Adam was made a sinner????? What?

Fisher, you have so much wrong and I think this statement is truly at the cruz of your misunderstanding.

God made man in HIS own image...perfect and without flaw. [Genesis 1:26,27] It was Adam who entered sin through his own disobedience.

Honestly friend, you have confused what is credited to man and what is credited to God.

May the Lord Bless you richly,

Wayne

[Guest shiloh357]

Adam was literally made a sinner.

In all fariness to you, I will admit that I have NOT read your entire post. I couldn't get past this statement.

Adam was made a sinner????? What?

Fisher, you have so much wrong and I think this statement is truly at the cruz of your misunderstanding.

God made man in HIS own image...perfect and without flaw. [Genesis 1:26,27] It was Adam who entered sin through his own disobedience.

Honestly friend, you have confused what is credited to man and what is credited to God.

May the Lord Bless you richly,

Wayne

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually Wayne, most of the post is completely wrong. It shows a sore lack of understanding where justification is concerned as well as the purpose of Grace. It is true that Grace is both favor and enabling. That is about the only thing he got right. Where he strays from the truth is the assertion that God's enabling to live righteously somehow plays a part in our eternal destiny.

The error his post is compounded by the assertion that God has removed sin from us to the extent that sin was not present in Christ, and is simply not true. There is where the hang up with justification becomes so apparent. As always people whose theology is similar ilk tend to blur the lines between justification and sanctification, and their relationship with one another.

No one should take sin lightly, but what his post fails to recognize is that we have a war going on inside us between our flesh and born again spirits. There is always part of our lives that the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God brings to our attention. There always parts of us that we need to surrender when the Holy Spirit exposes them. All of us have personality flaws we have to work on. All of us can be selfish at times. As long as we are in this world, we will struggle against the flesh. Anyone who claims they don't, is a liar. Sometimes we lose the battle, and have to go to the Lord and confess our sins, as we are told in 1 John chapter 1, vv. 9 & 10.

[WayneB]

The error his post is compounded by the assertion that God has removed sin from us to the extent that sin was not present in Christ, and is simply not true.

[EricH]

It seems like they are focusing on the new nature we recieve at conversion, and ignoring the fact that the old nature still exists, and that the two are now at war with one-another.

What it really amounts to is an over-realized eschatology.

[Kabowd]

I can't believe you guys are actually still reading his posts...lol.