Evil Now, Good Later?

Discussion in 'Devotions' started by The Parson, Jun 8, 2017.

  1. The Parson

    The Parson Your friendly neighborhood parson Staff Member

    James 4:13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

    God told us to be Holy, because He's Holy. What's that mean? I like to take the example the Savior made for us of living sinless. The Bible says; He was tempted in all ways yet he didn't sin. That's what I want, but sometimes the flesh isn't willing to do so. I hate to sound simplistic here, but it's totally possible to live the way the Lord intends us to. The answer is CHOICE!

    “Everybody wants to enjoy heaven after they die, but they don’t want to be heavenly-minded while they live.”

    D.L. Moody
     
  2. פNIʞƎƎS

    פNIʞƎƎS Connoisseur of Memes Staff Member

    As much as I'd like it to be true, I don't believe it's possible for us to live a sinless life. Not while in the flesh anyways.
     
  3. The Parson

    The Parson Your friendly neighborhood parson Staff Member

    As I said, Choice. It has to do with willpower and willpower starts with choice wouldn't you think?
     
  4. פNIʞƎƎS

    פNIʞƎƎS Connoisseur of Memes Staff Member

    Sure. But how many of us always choose to make the right choice? I can't say I'm perfect in this. Can you? If so, tell me your secret.
     
  5. The Parson

    The Parson Your friendly neighborhood parson Staff Member

    No secret and I'm not perfect either. But God wouldn't have told us that he wants us to live sinless if it were impossible. John said: 1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
     
    Cloudwalker likes this.
  6. פNIʞƎƎS

    פNIʞƎƎS Connoisseur of Memes Staff Member

    Ideally that would be wonderful. But notice the next sentence, "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" He already knew we'd sin. Although He desires us to not to.
     
  7. פNIʞƎƎS

    פNIʞƎƎS Connoisseur of Memes Staff Member

    And by the way, I'm not saying that it's a loophole in order for us to sin, I'm just saying that He KNOWS we'll sin.
     
  8. The Parson

    The Parson Your friendly neighborhood parson Staff Member

    Because we choose to sin. Nothing more, nothing less.
     
  9. פNIʞƎƎS

    פNIʞƎƎS Connoisseur of Memes Staff Member

    You won't get an argument from me on that point. I agree completely.
     
  10. TrustGzus

    TrustGzus What does this button do? Staff Member

    Depends on how we define "live how God wants us to live". Does he want us to live sinless? Yes. Does he expect us to live sinless? I don't think so.

    Is it choice? Yes.

    The fact is the Scripture speaks of glorification. Until then, we won't live sinless.

    Like Manny said, it's not an excuse to use to sin. But it is a fact to acknowledge to understand why we still do sin.
     
    פNIʞƎƎS likes this.
  11. The Parson

    The Parson Your friendly neighborhood parson Staff Member

    Joe, just for the sake of conversation, how would you define: 1 Peter 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
     
  12. TrustGzus

    TrustGzus What does this button do? Staff Member

    Just as Old Testament Israel was set apart by God from the surrounding nations to be holy, so also the church is to be set apart from sin to the service of God (2:9; Lev. 19:2). The Christian’s standard of and motivation for holiness is the absolute moral perfection of God Himself (v. 16; Matt. 5:48; Eph. 5:1).
     
  13. The Parson

    The Parson Your friendly neighborhood parson Staff Member

    Joe, look at the part that says "holy in all manner of conversation". All does mean all doesn't it? And conversation is the way we live isn't it?
     
  14. פNIʞƎƎS

    פNIʞƎƎS Connoisseur of Memes Staff Member

    Isn't conversation just the way we communicate? How we talk? I've never heard conversation used in such a broad sense.
     
  15. RabbiKnife

    RabbiKnife Open the pod bay door, please HAL. Staff Member

    If we are consistent with that hermeneutic, then I would have to say that none of us on this forum know God.
     
  16. TrustGzus

    TrustGzus What does this button do? Staff Member

    Your KJV is confusing you. Look in a modern version.
     
  17. TrustGzus

    TrustGzus What does this button do? Staff Member

    RK, expound more please. I'm anticipating something brilliant here.
     
  18. TrustGzus

    TrustGzus What does this button do? Staff Member

    I agree.
     
  19. RabbiKnife

    RabbiKnife Open the pod bay door, please HAL. Staff Member

    My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

    If we take "These things write I unto you, that ye sin not" to mean "I am writing to you so that you can live a life without any instance of sin," creating, as Kant would say, a categorical imperative, then in order to be consistent, we have to also interpret v 3 to contain a categorical imperative, which in the negative corollary, would be "if we do not keep his commandments, then that is evidence that we do not know him."

    I'm not ready to say that failure to keep God's commandment means that I do not know Him, just as I am not willing to say that John wrote vs. 1, which anticipates the necessity for an advocate in the event (certain) that we would sin, to mean that I can be sinless in this life.
     
  20. RabbiKnife

    RabbiKnife Open the pod bay door, please HAL. Staff Member

    Anticipating brilliance may be a vain hope!
     

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