***Intriguing. Hypothetically, what happens to the Reformed if they resist this desire?***
Sometimes, like Jonah, they do resist. Didn’t work for Jonah, won’t work for us, either.
***So therefore, there would be no reason to avoid committing future sins, since they are already forgiven.***
Theoretically, yes. Practically, no. Once you are forgiven, there is a strong desire to do what God wants. Avoiding sin is one of those. We still sin. but we do now have the desire to avoid it, because it doesn’t really make us happy, Obeying God does.
*** MB: ***Intriguing. Hypothetically, what happens to the Reformed if they resist this desire?***
IT: Sometimes, like Jonah, they do resist. Didn’t work for Jonah, won’t work for us, either.
***MB: So therefore, there would be no reason to avoid committing future sins, since they are already forgiven.***
IT: Theoretically, yes. Practically, no. Once you are forgiven, there is a strong desire to do what God wants.***
Are you saying that there is only a tendency coming from desire to avoid future sin?
***We still sin. but we do now have the desire to avoid it, because it doesn’t really make us happy, Obeying God does.***
The prime motivation of sin is the immediate gratification, or surface happiness, that it brings. For example, the sin of theft. It brings instant gratification because one has material goods.
Are you saying that the Reformed do not, for example, steal, because it no longer brings them that instant gratification?