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We Are Already Being There are those who argue that the Torah taught repeated repentance through sacrifices and the Day of Atonement, not utter perfection in living. Thus, they contend, Messiah came and "died once and for all," and brought us a permanent "repentance," and so, there is no need to live holy and pure, for Messiah's work of atonement brings you "forgiveness of all sins, past present and future." The truth is, however, even simpler than that. The Torah law could not provide what man needed which was to be "free of sin," so that there was no more need for shedding of blood. Man needed not just forgiveness, but cleansing of the sin, man needed to be made "sinless," or "perfect." That is what Messiah died to bring us!
My question to them, if the shedding of bulls and rams blood brought "forgiveness" of sins and all the shedding of Messiah's blood does is bring "forgiveness" of sins, why was Messiah's sacrifice a "better" sacrifice, seing they both did the same thing? Was it because Messiah only had to sacrifice once? Then Messiah's blood was shed simply to spare the people of God the "inconvenience" of shedding blood of rams and bulls over and over again? Romans teaches that Messiah's "atonement" does much more than bring forgiveness, but through faith in the hearers brings about "eradication" of sins, and complete "freedom" from sin. That's why his sacrifice was better, because the shedding of rams and bulls could not make you "perfect," and Messiah's sacrifice "eventually" does make you perfect. Then they want to argue that David was considered righteous, a man after God's own heart - yet he was an adulterer and murderer. He sought repeated repentance and righteousness, but he still sinned throughout his life. As if this is some form of justification for their sins. "Well, David sinned!" When I was a kid, I grew up with 6 brothers and 4 sisters. If, when caught doing something against my mother's rules, if I had tried to use the excuse "well so and so did it," I probably would have been slapped. That's because it's the lamest excuse in the world for doing something wrong! What is truly odd about the "David sinned and he was a man after God's own heart," argument is that I've never said that we don't sin, and I've never said we don't have a way of forgiveness when we do sin. What I've said is that the true believer "believes" that someday, through Messiah's power he can achieve sinless perfection. He who does not believe this, isn't a true believer. Why? Because simply put someone who says with his mouth "I can never stop sinning" truly can never stop sinning, for he has confessed the negative with his mouth, and without faith to do so, you truly can never stop sinning! Thus, he manifests that, even if Messiah were to return tomorrow, he is going to be found "sinning," or at least isn't worried about being found sinning at Messiah's return. It's not the sin that is judged but rather the lack of faith, for in order to have your faith "accounted as righteousness," you've got to have faith to begin with, and someone who says "I can't" after receiving the gift of the cross, is denying his faith. Many quote romans 4: 5 as proof that we have "faith without works!"
The context of this statement is talking about attempting to keep the law of God in your own power, through circumcision and other fleshly observances that have nothing to do with righteousness through the Spirit. In that context, yes, he who "worketh not," or he who is "not circumcised" or does not do various "washings," and other fleshly observances, but instead "believes on him who justifies the ungodly," has faith that is counted for righteousness. All this is true, but the qualifier here is that you believe on him who "justifies the godly," in other words you believe in his power to bring you to complete "justification," which, my friends is "sinless perfection." The justification that comes of our faith is TRUE JUSTIFICATION, not a "proxy" justification whereby his righteousness is imputed as our own, but rather, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, and become a new creature. He who is truly "justified" does not sin! If I don't "believe" on his power to "justify me" and make me "righteous," then I have no faith to be counted as righteousness! This is because "faith without works is dead, being alone."
Our "justification" comes through our faith, yes, but "justification" is manifested by works! That's why faith without works is dead, because true faith brings about works, and our works then justify our faith! Where people trip up when they hear "you can stop sinning in this life," is they think it's being said that you can "stop sinning by your own power, by observing fleshly laws," but that is not what is being said at all, what is being said is that "through faith, and the power of the Holy Spirit, and not by your own flesh, you can stop sinning." If you could stop sinning on your own power, we would not have needed Messiah, nor the new covenant. But, if after I recieve the power of the Holy Spirit, and the gift and the faith that comes from Messiah, if I then say "I cannot stop sinning," I'm denying that power I have received, and I'm returning myself to the former state I was in "in the flesh" before I received Messiah! I'm in essence ignoring the gospel, which came to "destroy the works of the devil," and which came to "purify and cleanse my flesh of all that is displeasing to God." In other words, when I revert back to my flesh I return to the "beast" that I was before Messiah, and I also deny that Messiah has power over my flesh, which means Messiah has not come "in the flesh," which is in "My flesh," and if I then quote Romans 7 "in me, that is in my flesh dwells no good thing," I'm denying that Messiah lives in my flesh! That is spirit of antimessiah! I am not saying that I am yet attained to perfection, but if I deny that I can do this "through power of Messiah," I am denying the work of the cross, for it was the work of the cross that bought me the grace, and the faith to be "justified," and I am justified not just by faith, but by WORKS according to the scripture. Therefore, through the new covenant I am now able to accomplish what I could not do in the old covenant, cease from sin, through Messiah's power of love. Thus, faith brings forth in me the "new creature," and I am conformed to the "image of Messiah." This is an ongoing work in me, and does not happen instantly. However, if I deny that I can attain to it, then I no longer am working and my faith is now dead. I have "shipwrecked" my faith! This is why it's so horrible when someone makes the argument "oh well you say you believe you can stop sinning and then you sin, you're an hypocrite and a liar." It's horrible because usually the person who says this has already admitted to sin themselves. Thus, what they are really saying is "it's ok to sin as long as you don't believe it's possible to stop sinning." Thus, the only time they will judge someone of sin, is if that person says they have faith to stop sinning! As long as the person says "I do not have faith to stop sinning," then they will not judge that person for sin. When someone judges me in a sin and bases it on the fact that I say I believe I can stop sinning, they aren't judging me for the sin, they are judging me for my faith. If I had not said I have "faith to stop sinning," they wouldn't be judging me for my sin, but would rather instead be saying to me "I understand brother, I sin too, we all sin, don't worry about it, just believe in Messiah's power to get you to heaven despite your sin." Yet, my faith is an "hope" based on the power of Messiah, and while I yet may stumble, I hope for it. As for the argument "no one has ever stopped sinning, so that's all the scriptural evidence I need to prove you can't stop sinning," I can only respond by saying, we know that Messiah INDEED lived his entire life "tempted in all ways yet without sin," and that we are his brethren, fellow heirs, and are to be "like him." When you say "no one I know can live without sin," and then conclude, "therefore it's impossible to live without sin," what you are doing is what was described when it says "they compare themselves by themselves." Here is how your logic breaks down. "No one I know has ever stopped sinning, therefore no one can ever stop sinning." Let's apply this logic to other things: "No one I know has ever seen God, therefore, no one can ever see God." Yet, interestingly enough, when you say "no one I know has ever quit sinning," you manifest that you don't know Messiah! They assume that just because they don't know anyone who lives without sin that means such an one doesn't exist! The people who make this argument are certain that, if there were any perfect humans out there, they'd know them personally. Why is that? Is there something special about the person that makes this argument that attracts "perfect humans" to them? It's like they're saying, "I know there are no sinless perfect humans, because if there were they'd want to hang out with me, because I'm special. OR, maybe what they are really saying is "if there were perfect people out there, I'd be one of them for sure, because my faith is so great, therefore, I know they don't exist!" What I love the most is the argument "there isn't any perfect sinless people in scripture, so that's all the proof I need that sinless perfection is impossible." First of all, there is ONE perfects sinless human mentioned in the scriptures, Messiah Yahshua! Furthermore, the scriptures were all written by people who lived in Messiah's generation. After the last Apostle died, there hasn't been a single "scripture" written. A lot can happen in 2000 years! A lot has happened. Their argument is akin to me saying "the scriptures don't mention airplanes at all, so that's all the evidence I need that air planes don't exist!
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