“When we DO sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, who is our mediator and we can confess our sins and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).”
I see, so that is somehow different than my affirmative action salvation? ( And yes, it is my own term).. No, if you are honest, you guys have fought me all the way about my idea of being free from sin as I have shown you is even all over the new testament once we are saved. You are proposing that we can still sin and go to heaven! I did, however state that once we are really on the path to salvation and if our life were cut short, there still would be a home in heaven for us. But once the born again experience is done, there is no more possibility of sinning because we are sealed into God’s army at that point.
And of course not sinning is an not effort of our own. It is a blessing just as they were blessed at the Pentecost. But you keep on denying the very power of what Jesus did! You seem to be compulsive in that, like you will not let it go.
>No, if you are honest, you guys have fought me all the way about my idea of being free from sin as I have shown you is even all over the new testament once we are saved. You are proposing that we can still sin and go to heaven!.. once the born again experience is done, there is no more possibility of sinning because we are sealed into God’s army at that point. <
Fabian, “Who hath who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth? (Gal. 3:1) for what has been shown is rather than being born again being a process, which the N.T. nowhere teaches, which, one attained, means one not longer ever sins, what the Scriptures teach is that being “born again,” “from above”, “of the Spirit” in contrast to the flesh, is a conversion event that makes one an adopted child of God, without which one is not, and is realized by repentant faith in the Lord Jesus, and begins growth in grace.
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. “ (John 3:3)
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. “ (John 3:6)
“But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. “ (Galatians 4:29)
“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) “ (John 7:38-39)
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. “ (John 14:16-17)
“Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. “ (James 1:18)
“To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. “ (Acts 10:43)
“And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. “ (Acts 15:8-9)
“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. “ (Galatians 4:6)
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, “ (1 Peter 1:3)
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also [having] believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, “ (Ephesians 1:13)
“Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. “ (2 Corinthians 5:5)
“Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. “ (2 Corinthians 1:22)
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. “ (Romans 8:10-11)
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? “ (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Thus to be born again is to have been born of the Spirit, which all the believers in the churches had been, and sealed thereby, by the word of truth, even the immature problematic Corinthians, who were yet carnal in some ways. (1Cor. 3:2)
And thus as seen in the last verse above, the fact that they were a indwelt by God, individually and corporately “habitation of God thru the Spirit,” (Eph. 2:22) is used as an appeal that they should live that out practically. Likewise the Galatians, who were in danger of making Christ of none effect by declension into Judaism, (Gal., 5:1-14) had the Spirit of Christ. (Gal. 4:6,29)
And as shown, 1Jn. actually censures those who deny they have any sins, not just they who deny they ever had sinned, and assures born again believers that they have forgiveness upon repentant confession of sin.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. “ (1 John 1:8-9)
And as also shown, holy born again men such as Peter sinned, even if out of weakness and not in willful rebellion, (Gal. 2:11b).
In addition, as shown (see here http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2931985/posts?page=289#289), texts that refer to Christians sinning now are in the continuous sense as practicing righteousness versus impenitently practicing unrighteousness, and cannot be used in an absolute sense, as Scripture is consistent with itself.
However, while you want to use text of Scripture, you do not and cannot (consist with your doctrine) define texts based upon context, grammar, genre etc, which are necessary even in communication here, but instead any text can mean whatever you say they esoterically mean according to your “holy” understanding.
And which “revelation” you make superior to the Bible, and as also with cults, you subscribe to the “lost books” and Da Vince Code conspiracy fantasy, as you cannot allow anything to challenge Masters esoterism as supreme. And which renders you as just one more doctrinal and psychological cult. You can now argue with them as to which one is the best one.
I thought some more about "your" term Affirmative Action Salvation (AAS) and here's what I think about it.
Affirmative action that we are all familiar with is it refers to policies that take factors including "race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group "in areas of employment, education, and business", usually justified as countering the effects of a history of discrimination (per Wikipedia). So, in your mind, AAS must mean people get to go to heaven NOT based on their qualifications, abilities, sinlessness or merit, but just because ___, right? So, this tells me that you must believe that non-AAS is the only correct view since it IS based upon a person's qualification, abilities, sinlessness and merit. Follow me so far?
The problem I see in your non-AAS scenario is that it does not agree with what GOD has said in the Scriptures. In fact, God says - repeatedly - that there are NONE righteous, that ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and that salvation cannot be earned or merited or deserved, else it would not be by GRACE. Your non-AAS view is disproved by a mountain of Biblical truth. So, rather than see salvation by grace through faith as AAS, why not look at it like God does - NOBODY gets it by their own merit. ONLY those who have accepted God's gift by faith get to go to heaven because it is not based on OUR righteousness but on Christ's righteousness - by which we are found IN - and those who are trying to work their way there by being good will NEVER see it. I'd rethink my "term" if I were you.