In T.H. White's wonderful novel, "The Once and Future King", Sir Galahad is being transported away to Heaven after finding the Holy Grail. White's observation then follows that all the other knights of the Round Table had never really cared for Galahad. But, as Galahad is going into the distance, they realize that the reason they'd never cared for him was because he was holy (and not a sinner like them.)
I used to know a Christian guy who was obviously pretty satisfied with himself. I finally asked him one time, "How often do you sin each day?" His answer, "A lot of days I never sin at all."
Words failed me at the time and they still fail me. (I'm glad some folks can leave a little extra Grace on the table, because I'm gonna need all their leftovers...)
I didn't buy it at the time. But when I think about his answer, I'm sometimes drawn back to the story of Galahad...
...and I wonder...
...nope, I still don't buy it!
Have a great, God-filled Day!
Let's praise Jesus! (Just because we can!)
1 John 5:18, "We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and that the evil one cannot touch them." (NLT) This seems to suggest it is not only possible to avoid sin, but is, in fact, one element of our security in Jesus. Could sin happen? Certainly, we retain the possibility of sinning and need periodically to apply 1 John 1:9, yet sinning for Christians is not the normal mode of living, either in deed or thought. The one characteristic of true Christianity is the presence of the Holy Spirit inside of us, making us new creatures in Christ, with our disposition toward holiness because we chose to deliberately turn our backs on the flesh, the world and the devil. As it says in Colossians 1:21-23 (paraphrased), "We used to be God's enemies, separated from Him by our evil thoughts and actions. Yet now He has reconciled us to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought us into His own presence, and we are holy and blameless as we stand before Him without a single fault. But we must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it and not drift away from the assurance we received when we heard the Good News."
ReplyDeleteIf a person can go one second in the power and light of the Holy Spirit without sinning, why not one minute. And if one minute, why not one hour? And if one hour, why not one day, or a month, or a year?
Thank you AmyS. Great teaching!
ReplyDeleteSpurgeon from "Eyes Right" #2058 "...When you look within, it should be to see with grief what the filthiness is. But to get rid of that filthiness you must look beyond yourself. I remember Mr. Moody saying that a mirror was a capital thing to show you the spots on your
face. But you could not wash in a mirror. You want something very different when you would make your face clean. ..."
(feeling more than a little convicted that it seems easier for me to quote Spurgeon than scripture) OUCH!
Serious question:
ReplyDeleteHas this been your eperience? Have YOU gone a day without sinning?
I think not. I should think the following question to be:
ReplyDeleteCan I name them all on that given day?
All of my energy would be spent on that endeavor?
Should I be focused on "the foul ditch of my own transgressions" or on the cross of Christ?
Borrowed the quote from ..you guessed it C.H.Spurgeon
The link is to "eyes right" in pdf
Okay. Please bear with me on this Amy and Whippersnapper...
ReplyDelete(I hate long-winded theological arguements because they generally devolve into egotism and pride.) BUT this discussion strikes centrally to an issue of which I am genuinely interested in hearing your opinions:
I have always believed we will be "seen" as blameless because we are under the covering of Christ's blood which makes our sin invisible and us therefore blameless in the eyes of God.
I sincerely ask: I know our hearts are changed upon salvation to WANT to serve God in purity and Truth, but I'm not sure you can ever say that you ARE "Pure" or the "Embodiment of Truth".
I know we can grow that direction, but I've never believed that we can arrive.
And I'm sincerely not sure I have the right answer here. It the whole Romans "I do that which I would not do" thing.
Although I think we all have times of communion with God and revelation of Himself to us and closeness with Him... I'm not sure we ever can claim that we (even briefly) attain a position that would be pleasing to God without the covering of Christ.
I've seen people who thought they were operating at such a level and my observation is that these are often the times when these peeople are the most destructive. I purchased a lapel button about 12 years ago that summed up my observations on this point: "Evil flourishes when good people believe they're perfect."
Please, please please don't take this personally or argumentatively. If I am wrong please instruct me.
If I can live completely free of sin and walk only in Him, please tell me how. I want to.
But don't give me a theory. I want the reality.
Love,
V.J.
Many nights when I pray before sleeping, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me,” I hear the voice of my Savior say, ‘Well done, child.” And my response is, “If today was well done, the praise goes to you, Jesus, for I can do nothing right on my own. Thank you for keeping me today. May my life bring You praise.”
ReplyDeleteThere was a time when the doublemindedness described in James 1 was the story of my life, but I asked God to change me, and He did. For me, the change occurred at the point of my salvation where God exchanged my heart of stone for a heart of flesh. I think for some people, however, this circumcision of the heart happens as a second step called "Entire Sanctification" especially by those in the Wesleyan tradition. For me, when it happened, the Holy Spirit filled my heart in a way that was visible and quite remarkable to me first, and then to others around me. I became moldable by the Holy Spirit, and at peace with myself as described in Psalm 131, which we have talked about before. Moldable. Pliable in the hand of God. I don't know any other way to express it. But I can testify that it is real. Practical holiness is possible in everyday life on this side of heaven, and not only possible, but required, I believe, of residents of the Kingdom of Light, for "what has light to do with darkness?"
God has called us to be holy in everything we do, in fact He has commanded it, “Be ye holy, for I am holy,” and “Let not sin reign in your mortal body.” At the same time, holiness is not something I can do on my own. All I can do is cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit toward that end. I put on certain disciplines as described in Colossians 3:12-16, and I cling to Jesus relying on the Holy Spirit to provide me a way to escape temptation because I know how easy it is to fall into sin. As I cooperate with the Holy Spirit, who convicts of sin, and righteousness and judgement to come, God is at work sanctifying and cleansing me.
The relief I feel at being set free from sin is like being healed from an unrelenting migraine headache. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." (Galatians 5:1) To me, no sweeter words were ever written, and He gives this freedom to all who ask.
I know this will likely generate another question, so I'll stop here until I know the direction you want to go from here.
Much love,
Amy