Hello Yohanan. The defiled are those who do those works mentioned by Jesus, whether professing His name or not. Defiled Christians are not saved. Salvation is a living reality in a believer's life, not a mere concept. And yes, if a real believer falls into sin, he/she can repent and come back to God. But, if that person remains in his/her known sin(s), continuing to commit them, then that person is lost and will go to hell if he/she dies in that sin(s). I stand with Jesus and His Word :bible on this issue. The works of the flesh are what defiles anyone, Christian or not. So, consistent prayer, fastings and dining on the Word are vital spiritual exercises for those who will inherit eternal life with the Lord Jesus. The road is indeed narrow. Jude [20] But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, [21] Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (KJV) Hello Paul. Yes, our focus is to be on Jesus and His precious sacrifice on the Cross. And in doing so, we realize that our sin put Jesus on that cruel Cross. Shall we continue to do those things that God condemns? You mentioned Romans 8, a Chapter that teaches us to walk in the Spirit, not in the works of the flesh that defiles us. Romans 8 [1] There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [13] For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (KJV) In addition to those sins mentioned above by Jesus that defiles us, here is the Apostle Paul teaching the same things to the Church. Galatians 5 [17] For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. [18] But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, [20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, [21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Stephen — not that we should sin and the Holy Spirit guides us through our life —- but 1 John 2:1 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” — is a clear indication that the Father knew we might fall down just like a toddler learning to walk and His grace continues to cover us 100% of the time. AS we pick up our unsteady toddler, the Father’s Love is steadfast, immovable, always abounding …. One of my favorite memory verses is Lamentations 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Or another favorite 1 John 3:2 “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” We are His children — when my children disobeyed (sinned against my rules), I disciplined them in love and helped them to learn to do better and follow the rules — that is a very elementary concept but it is parallel to our learning and growing in God’s truth… He is long suffering toward us and that is not only for salvation…. Stephen said “Hello Geri9. The message is from the Word of God for all of us, including myself. We cannot knowingly walk in the works of the flesh and use Jesus as our defense. If we truly have Jesus, we no longer willfully walk in the works of the flesh that defile us. You are mistaken in your understanding of 1 Corinthians 6, as though one is justified in the name of the Lord Jesus even though he/she commits the same sins as those who God will judge. No, Jesus’ blood does not cover willful acts of sin. That’s why Jesus admonishes the Church to walk in holiness and righteousness in Revelation. “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Stephen - The Apostle Paul was the greatest of the Apostles and yet he declared that, of all sinners, “I am the worst” “the chief of sinners”. I Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” The Apostle Paul struggled with sin … For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me” (Romans 7:18-20). Paul’s struggle with sin was real; so much so that he cried out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Romans 7:24). I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. And guess what … the Apostle Paul was caught up to the 3rd heaven in (2 Corinthians 12:2–4). He mentions himself in the third person: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.” Stephen, are you saying you have no sin in your life? Cause God’s Word says you can’t live the perfect life down here in this mortal sinful body. You are going to commit the same sins over and over and over again daily. I John 1 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Stephen the verse you quoted … “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” The unjust and filthy are those who never ever repented of their sins and ask Jesus to be their personal Lord and Savior. The righteous and holy are those who have repented of their sins and have Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Jesus’ blood has washed away our sins. God sees born again believers justified (just as if they have never sinned). And once saved always saved. We can not lose our salvation and be unborn again. Romans 8:31 - 39 If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Steven, please explain this - When we accept Jesus as our Savior, God forgives all our sins: past, present, and future. Forgiveness comes as a total package; God does not forgive us partially but wholly. The believer in Christ can say, “My future sins are forgiven” for these reasons: • When Jesus died, all of today’s sins were yet future. Jesus did not die only for the sins of people who lived before Him. He died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), including the sins of those who lived after Him. Let God be true and every man a liar. Ah, Stephen, I never took issue with anything you said, my friend. In fact, I agree with every word of the scriptures you quoted above. If you backtrack a few verses to Romans 7, you'll see the Apostle Paul describing the frustration he experienced in trying the tame his unruly fleshly nature. We Christians all go through this. The things we want to do, we don't. And the things we don't want to do, we do. That episode Jesus had with the women who was caught in adultery perfectly illustrates the power of the gift of no condemnation (Rom 8:1). After shaming her accusers (who had a valid case according to the law), causing them to leave, He asked her: Where are your accusers? Has no man accused you? When she said no, he said neither do I condemn you: now go and sin no more. That's the key! We have all sinned and we are all being offered this gift of no condemnation. It is this very gift of grace that changes our hearts. Romans 2:4 says: "...the goodness of God leads to repentance". The heroes of the Bibles were all sinners: Abraham was a liar, Moses was a murderer and David was an adulterer and a murderer. You are right when you say that walking by the Spirit is the way to overcome the lust of the flesh. That means an intimate relationship with the Spirit of Christ, who always points us to Jesus and the cross. It requires absolute surrender. We have no strength of our own to do this. This is the process we are talking about... getting to that point of total surrender. Trust me, it does not happen overnight. Many of us (me included) were incorrectly taught that we have to try our best to keep the Ten Commandments. We cannot! Been there, done that! Not even the best of us can come close. Only through intimacy with God, with help from the Comforter, can we we even begin to embark on that journey. The devil does his best to steer us away from the Truth, tries to condemn us and make us feel we are not working hard enough. There was a time that I would get up at four in the morning, every day, for years, to read and study to try to please God. I was trying to earn what Jesus had already accomplished for me. Thankfully our God is gentle and loving and kind and patient with us. It's clear to me that you are sincere and you have a strong desire to please Him. We can talk about this as much as you like -- it's my favorite subject. It literally changed my life. Of course we don't give ourselves over to sin. That's just stupid, because it gives the enemy an entry point into our lives to steal, kill and destroy. The key here is that when we realize that we are completely forgiven and totally safe in God's love, our desire to sin starts to evaporate. I can give you many examples of this in my life. I commend you, Stephen, for your beautiful passion for God and His Word. We are all learning as we go along the road if life. Keep going! Stephen: And yes, if a real believer falls into sin, he/she can repent and come back to God. But, if that person remains in his/her known sin(s), continuing to commit them, then that person is lost and will go to hell if he/she dies in that sin(s). My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. Jn 10 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph 2 And these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Ro 8 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. Eph 1 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Jn 3 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 1 Cor 12 Jesus answered and said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Jn 3 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3 Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Col 2 Here at Rita Now we believe: ~ SALVATION IN CHRIST ALONE ~ We believe that while we were yet sinners Christ Jesus (Yeshua HaMasiach) died for us; paying the penalty for our sin and guilt and signing the pardon of all who by grace through faith believe on Him and place their faith in Him, thereby becoming the only way of reconciliation with God. We believe this pardon is not deserved, cannot be earned by good works or deeds, and is not available by any other name. It is the free gift of God by Christ Jesus alone. (John 3:16-18; Romans 5:8; Eph. 2:8-9) ~ SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER ~ If we can live without sinning then there is no reason for Jesus' sacrifice.
We believe that all of mankind has sinned and come short of God’s standard, and faces eternal separation from God because of sin. (Romans 3:23)
We believe in the eternal security of every true believer who is sealed by the Holy Spirit under the terms of the New Covenant. We believe Jesus is the true Vine in which we abide and the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who will complete the good work begun in us. (1 Thessalonians 5:24; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 12:2; Romans 8:1-2; Romans 8:31-39; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Eph. 1:13-14; Eph. 2:8-9; Philippians 1:6; Jude 24; John 6:39; John 10:28; John 17:6-12; 1 Peter 1:3-4)
