Slave To Righteousness

[st. Worm]

I had another post, I deleted it, this isn't worth answering.

My advice is:

Do not answer a fool according to his (her) folly, lest you also be like her. Answer a fool according to his (her) folly, lest she be wise in her own eyes.

You figure it out!

sw

[DarkNebulaWelder]

So does that mean I am not capable of sinning anymore?

Or does it mean that if I do sin, at all, that I am not really saved?

No, this is not what it means.

What it means is that, when the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we become more conscious of sin. Likewise, when we do stumble, the Holy Spirit gives us a conviction, so that we may repent and keep in our walk with God.

Of course we all sin....we sin on a daily basis...whether that sin be an outward manifestation of our inward sin, or sins that do not manifest themselves, but take place in the heart, such as pride, greed, lust, envy, malice, anger, etc.

Just because we do not openly sin does not mean that sin does not exist within us. We are all creatures, born of sin, but living in bodies of flesh...sinful bodies in which sin has been passed down in the Adamic gene pool.

I guess it can be compared to the following scenario: If a person is given up for adoption, and raised in a certain family, that person will exhibit learned behaviors of that family, and will grow up with a certain self-image and worldview, based upon those of the adopted family. Even so, there will be certain genetic pre-dispositions within that person that still remain, even if that person has no contact with his/her natural birth parents.

For instance, if a person is born of an alcoholic father, for example, that person may have a pre-disposition towards alcoholism. Now, if that person lives his life free from alcohol, and never takes a drink, that person's pre-disposition towards alcoholism will never surface, because that person had nothing to trigger the behavior....although the genetic tendency towards alcohol is still present. The same is true of the old man, and of internal sin.

We are creatures of sin....we were born into it, and it is in our nature apart from God. This is what makes us sinners, and in need of God's grace.

We are not sinners because we sin...We sin because we are sinners. It is a reflexive property of our heart condition, which is why we need the Holy Spirit to come, renew our minds, and live within us.

Such an action does not guarantee one a sin-free life, as sin is still IN our nature (and by this, I mean that it is IN our nature, but does not DEFINE our nature), and is all around us....but we CAN be sure that when we do stumble, we will have the capacity to repent, and to be forgiven.

Once the "old man" is crucified with Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, our inner man becomes reborn, Our modus operandi is no longer sin, but righteousness....and we long to be righteous because we love God. We can never be righteous on our own, and even after we become saved, we are never righteous on a human level....but we are righteous on a spiritual level, and that is the Holy Spirit working through us.

It is His spirit that makes us righteous...not how often or the degree to which we sin.

[Openly Curious]

tsth,

Your OP was being slaves unto righteousness as we once were slaves unto sin.

There is nothing unbiblical about that for it is a fact taught to us in scriptures.

Their are those that take slaves to mean that we no longer are capable of sin and temptation and that is clearly not the case.

But instead the word "slave" means "servant" of another. We once served Satan in the kingdom of darkness but now being freed in Christ we become servants of the Lord Jesus Christ as we have been translated to the kingdom of light.

Romans 6:16--"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves "servants" to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness."

We were not freed from the old sinful nature whereas we no longer have to deal with its sin and desires but we have been made a partaker of the divine nature of God and He has imparted unto us His righteousness. As now we have two natures within us that we can yield unto being the flesh being the old man of sin or the new man created in Christ Jesus being God's nature. We have a choice which one we want to serve and obey either one will walk in the Spirit or they will choose to give into tempations and walk according to those desires of the flesh.

None of us are above being tempted in the flesh but instead are given promises for enduring those temptations when they come our way.

James 1:2-4--"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers (different) temptations; Knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

The verse above says, "Count it all joy" when you fall into being tempted with various things in your life. Well I can tell you from my experience that being tempted is not very fun at all and certainly not joyous when they are going on and I'm being tossed and torn apart by them. I just fought almost a two year battle with not giving into a serious temptation I have been battling with as I have been resisting with all my might not to give in and I can say first hand it wasn't fun as there were times I thought I was going to fall on my face and give in but I resisted and the temptation is now gone.

And it's at this time I count it all joy cause I know my faith was on trial being tried by Satan and I didn't yield to the flesh but the Spirit I fought the good fight of faith. Many don't fight the fight and just give in but one must resist the devil so he will flee.

I know there will come other battles my way and I'll have to fight them as well as all of our faith's will be tried. For that is what the battle is all about taking our faith from us. It's important to know that when we fall into divers temptations or we have a multitude of temptations hit us all at once that we are not sinners because of this but we are being tested in our faith.

When one can realize this it makes it a little easier knowing what is going on in the battle and how to survive the fight of faith.

It's the perfecting of our faith that it's all about living for Jesus as our faith will not dissappoint in the end as we will be perfect entire and wanting nothing.

OC

[tsth]

Dear OC,

I am in complete agreement! In fact, if you'll look and see, I also posted much of Romans 6 as well....although, I can't remember if it was on this thread or the "Naming the Name of Christ" thread.

I have continually stated that I am referring to the difference between a sin "lifestyle" and a Christian who is desiring to walk in the Spirit and obedience to Christ Jesus.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[Guest]

A Note To Self Et Al

"He must increase, but I must decrease"

John 3:30

Do not answer a fool according to his (her) folly, lest you also be like her. Answer a fool according to his (her) folly, lest she be wise in her own eyes.

Oh Come On Brother

Have A Heart

Show A Little Love

"With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;"

Ephesians 4:2

Bear A Little Burden

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."

Galatians 6:1-2

We Are All Learning

Forgiven Much, Love Much

"Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."

Luke 7:47

She Is His Joy

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrew 12:2

The Peace

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."

Colossians 3:15

The Word

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Colossians 3:16

The Name

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

Colossians 3:17

Provoke

"Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged."

Colossians 3:21

To Love

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:"

Hebrews 10:24

His Eyes Are Upon The Boards Of Worthy

He Hears Our Cries

"The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry."

Psalms 34:15

So...

Post Early, Post Often

Give The LORD The Glory

Post In Love And In Esteem

Show The Beloved God's Love

Be Blessed Beloved Of The LORD

"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."

"And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them."

Numbers 6:24-27

Love, Your Brother Joe

[Openly Curious]

Dear OC,

I am in complete agreement! In fact, if you'll look and see, I also posted much of Romans 6 as well....although, I can't remember if it was on this thread or the "Naming the Name of Christ" thread.

I have continually stated that I am referring to the difference between a sin "lifestyle" and a Christian who is desiring to walk in the Spirit and obedience to Christ Jesus.

In His Love,

Suzanne

Yes, I believe we are in complete agreement and I know you have been quoting from Romans 6 as I've been following the thread from the start and speaking about the same chapter and subject. I was hoping to only bring out what you were trying to get across for others to see. It is difficult to sometimes bring out what we want as we all view scriptures a little differently and it's hard to explain the fight that goes on against the flesh verses the spirit or the law verses grace.

blessings

OC

[tsth]

That chapter is such a perfect picture of the transformation of a believer in Jesus Christ and what it means. I really do rejoice, especially in regard to the setting free and becoming a different type of person in Him.

Romans 6:19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(The above reminds always of what Jesus Christ has done for me and the gift of the renewed life in Him....my life MOST CERTAINLY is no longer what it was before HIM.)

In His Love,

Suzanne

[Eddie B]

Slave to Righteousness

And having been set free from sin,

you became slaves of righteousness.

Romans 6:18

Before you were a Christian you were a slave, in bondage to sin. Even when you did not want to sin, you were unable to do otherwise (Rom. 7:15-24). When God saved you, He freed you from sin, but you remained a slave. Now, rather than being bound to sin, you are bound to righteousness. In every area of your life you are obligated to do what honors God.

There are some who believe that when Christ sets them free, they are free to do whatever they want. That is not so. The apostle Paul realized that when he began following Christ he became a "bondservant" of Christ, and his life was no longer his own (Rom. 1:1). Now, rather than being enslaved to sin, he was enslaved to God and His righteousness. When people mistreated him, he had forfeited the right to respond from his natural feelings but was compelled to offer a righteous response. When he was tempted, he was no longer free to succumb to his feelings. Paul could not enter the workplace and act selfishly. He understood that, as a slave of righteousness, he was obligated to live a holy life, honoring his Master.

Righteous living is not an option for a Christian. Nor is it something we must try to do over time. It is an obligation, mandatory for every child of God. Our freedom in Christ is not freedom to do what we want. It is freedom to live righteously, something we could not do when we were in bondage to sin. Now that we are free to live righteously, we must allow the Holy Spirit to produce in us a holy, sanctified life (1 John 3:7).

In His Love,

Suzanne

Hi tsth,

I have read through this thread and it seems that your interpretation of Rom 7:15-24 that Paul is speaking of a unsaved person is what lead people to ask the ? if your saved then you can not sin.Paul is talking of himself as a saved person who struggles with sin and cant get victory except through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit as stated in Rom 8.None of us ever get complete victory over sin in this live.Dr Ironside was lead to believe in sinless perfection and he had a nervous breakdown before God opened his eyes to this truth.As you went through the thread i would agree with how you clarified yourself but rom 7 is talking about a saved person not a unsaved person.It is obvious that you love the Lord Jesus and want to share his love with others, but it is helpful to others not to just state verses but comment on them as to what you think they mean.

love in Christ, ED

[tsth]

Matthew 5

1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

1 John 3

7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[st. Worm]

Dear Scarlet,

Just because a post doesn't affect you like you think it should, doesn't make it a bad post. Obviously others did receive it as intended, so I guess the post was for those it was intended for. I am not to blame just because a passage of Scripture did not minister to you. I share things, because they minister to me, so I would assume that they would minister to someone else as well. Many passages, just seem to speak for themselves and need no further clarification, or maybe I'm just led to let the passages stand alone for thought, without "my" input. It is not mandatory for me to clarify Scripture, especially to those who claim to be mature in the faith.

As for those of you who were edified by the post, I appreciate that you shared.

In His Love,

Suzanne

Wow. Now your insulting people that have simply asked you to be considerate and answer questions. It's taken 8 pages in this thread, but I have finally figured it out. Those that agree with you, or compliment you on your posts get a reply and commentary, or interaction. Those that don't agree, or ask for clarification, or question you get more scripture with no explanation to 'correct' them. You might entertain the notion that it is Christ-like to treat those that have legitimate questions with as much grace as you treat those who agree with you.

If I'm teaching a Sunday school class, and someone in it asks me a question, am I supposed to answer their question, or just quote scripture at them?

You will eventually wish you had the minutes back that it took you to type that out. She simply doesn't get it and apparently views herself as being on some higher spiritual plane than the rest of us. She is all-knowing regarding Scripture so no explanations are necessary and the rest are unworthy and do not deserve her God-breathed insights. And if you think I might be sarcastic then you are 100% correct. I do find it ironic that she is discussing being a slave to righteousness as if her methods are within that realm.

sw