He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Rev. 21:7 (NIV)
The true Christian, as portrayed throughout the Bible, is the overcoming Christian. There are numerous passages that attest to this. Jesus said "He who endures to the end", The writer of Hebrews speaks of holding firm our confidence to the end. Paul wrote about continuing in the faith. He said "God always leads us in triumph, in Christ Jesus". According to John, Christians will not sin because God's seed is in them, they will walk as Christ walked, they will do right and overcome because greater is He who is in them, than he that is in the world, and it is by faith that we overcome. The book of revelation is full of encouragement to those who overcome, and warnings to those who do not.
Many people fail to overcome. To many the temptations seem to hard, the idea of Holiness seems out of reach, some see this lifestyle of obedience as nothing more than legalism, but the truth still remains, as Paul said to the Romans, let God be true and everyman a liar!
For every command of scripture to be Holy, to be obedient, to be God's people, there are also promises that God has given us to see these things fulfilled in our lives. Jesus gave of Himself to deliver us from sin. Not just the guilt of sin, but from the commiting of sin. Through Him, not only do we find forgiveness, but also freedom from the power of sin. Through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome. We are told that no temptation is too much for us, but God will enable us to escape it. The Holy Spirit gives us a boldness that we did not have before. We are given everything that we need for life and godliness, but we need to walk in it by faith! That is where the victory lies. When we take God's word for what it is, and stand upon it in obedient faith, we overcome! This coming year let us all walk in newness of life!
John 5:14; 8:11; Romans 6:1-23; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Titus 2:11-12; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16 - God calls His people to holiness and He, through His Spirit (Romans 8:1-4), empowers us to be His people of holiness. If a person sins, they sin against God and need to repent (1 John 1:9) for sin shall not have dominion over us who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:14). To say that Jesus will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21) and then deny that this is possible in this life is ludicrous. He is a mighty Savior and He is more than able to free us from sin's power and help us be a people of holiness through His grace.
ReplyDeleteWell said SD.If we don't overcome by the Spirit's power, we will be overcome and once again entangled in rebellion!
ReplyDeleteSD,
ReplyDeleteTo be saved from sin is much different than being sinless. (your reference to Matthew 1:21)
Phil,
Can we reach sinless perfection in this life?
James 2:10
" For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
Bill, even as Christians we have room to grow, there are the things we do that we do not know are wrong, unintentional sins, etc. But the scriptures do tell us that we are a new creation and if we are truly born again we will not sin intentionally. We may be overcome and fall to temptation, but in a Christian that should be the exception not the rule. When Christ comes into a life He radically transforms it. The verse in 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us, is written to Christians, implying that yes we do fail, and need the grace of God, in chapter 2 he said he was writing to encourage them not to sin, but if they did they had an advocate in Christ. But he also goes on to say in verses 3-6 that one who truly knows God will obey Him and walk as Jesus walked. What God is looking at is our hearts, He wants a heart devoted to Him, a heart that seeks to please Him in all things, and out of this devotion obedience will flow, as we trust in Him.
ReplyDeletePhil,
ReplyDeleteOur lives should show an increasing maturity,(I am in agreement with you) which is manifested by obedience. We do have the ongoing issue that Paul states in 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."
I do know that when I sin He is faithful and just to forgive.
1st John 3:9
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
It sounds like if you sin you can not be born of God. Obviously that understanding would eliminate all of us from Christ's family. The spirit of God that lives in us does not sin. Our flesh is still capable, thus the need for washing in Christ's blood.