Why are so many claiming to be saved in Churchianity obsessed with sin ??? They are constantly discussing struggle with specific sins, focused on who else is sinning and everyone else’s sins etc ?? Many who say they are Christian speak more of their sin and others sin than they do the gospel and what God has done for us in Christ, and it is not even close. if you are saved you are dead to sin and are supposed to focus on your new identity "In Christ", stand in God's grace (forgiveness of past present and future sins), both of which are walking in the Spirit when we let God's word In Romans through Philemon KJB change our inner man. We all know that we should not sin because we are dead to it, however being dead to it also means we are not supposed to be obsessed/focused on sin.
Romans 14:23 King James Version (KJV) says “whatsoever is not of faith is sin” . That is the answer to the popular questions in many message boards “ is this particular act a sin?”. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
The most popular intent of questions in many Christian groups is asking about a certain sin that the poster is struggling with. As a saved saint, when you focus on one sin over any other you are essentially building a law again around that sin and will most likely sin more. Even if you stop that one sin for a week or two you will become puffed up in the flesh likely and prideful thinking you have stopped that sin for God, which is another sin of pride. This is called will worship by the Apostle Paul -
Colossians 2:23 KJV
Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
Also, like the Romans 14:23 verse says anything you do not of faith is sin. Under that definition, we sin ALL the time, even as saved and sealed saints in Christ. (As explained in Romans 7 KJV).
Most of Churchianity do not know or have any understanding of the spiritual operation of God when we are saved and placed “in Christ”.
Colossians 2:11-13 KJV
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
When we trust in the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV) for salvation, we are spiritually (NOT water) baptized by the Holy Spirit into Jesus’ death and made a member of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV), so we can walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4 KJV).
What people often miss in Colossians 2 KJV (I did for most of my life) is the spiritual (not made with hands) circumcision that we receive in Colossians 2:11 KJV. When we believe/trust the gospel that saves in this the dispensation of grace (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV), we also receive the spiritual circumcision not made with human hands. Our flesh is spiritually cut off from our soul and our sins are not imputed to out soul / account going forward. After we are saved, God sees our spirit which is Christ’s righteousness that was imputed / made alive in our spirit.
That is the only way believers are made holy, righteous, and pure. Not by our works but by the faith of Christ. Therefore walking in the spirit is walking in faith of who we are now, the new creature. 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
HOWEVER, CHRISTIANS STILL SIN. The should absolutely strive not to but this is NOT done by human effort. Even though our spirit has been made alive by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and our vile flesh/body has been cut off spiritually from our soul so our sins are not imputed to it, we still live in this vile flesh that wants to sin all the time (Romans 7 KJB). Christians dead fleshly nature that lusts against the new spirit nature ( Romans 7).
When we walk after the flesh (let the fleshly mind guide our decisions) we will produce sin and dead works. Be clear, Christians are forgiven and saved from sin past, present, and future, but still subject to the earthly consequences of sin so it can produce death in your life in many ways.
The biggest and most powerful tool we have to fight sin is the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. We must walk after it by faith. Romans 8 KJV is about this. How do we walk after the spirit? It is not trying to be righteous by human effort and will. Walking after the spirit by faith:
We stand in God’s grace
Romans 5:2 KJV
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
What the Bible means by standing in God’s grace to me is by faith knowing and believing you are forgiven of sin and saved 24/7 every day of your life. It is winning the battle of the mind against the accuser who accuses you 24/7 in your mind. Grace allows us to take down the stronghold satan has had in our minds by comparing the accusations thoughts we have that God is mad with us and comparing them to the mind of Christ which knows we are forgiven of sin, past present, and future without any effort on our part. Standing in grace changes those accusations guilty thoughts into thanks and praise to God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for His amazing love and sacrifice and grace!
If you are walking around in guilt all the time you are not standing in God’s grace.
We renew our mind daily
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
I renew my mind daily by reading God’s instruction to me in Romans through Philemon KJV, letting the Holy Spirit teach me the doctrine and apply it to the inner man. The purpose of renewing our mind is so we all after the spirt in faith by living in our flesh who are new identity is spiritually and in heaven.
-1 Spiritually we sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus NOW.
Ephesians 2:6 KJV
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
-2 We are going to reign with Jesus
2 Timothy 2:12 KJV
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
-3 In heaven we will judge/manage angels and have roles and responsibilities
Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
-4 We will still be judged, not for sin, but for rewards or loss of rewards
Hebrews 11:6 KJV
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Although Hebrews is not written as direct instruction to the body of Christ, this is a verse we can learn about God in all dispensations. Faith pleases God. Faith that pleases God not only believes that He is, but that He rewards those who diligently seek Him! God REWARDS those that diligently seek Him and He wants you to believe that!
2 Corinthians 5 KJV
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
The judgment seat of Christ is for saved believers only. This judgment is different from the great white throne judgment in Revelations, which nobody wants to be at and be judged for their sins.
The judgment seat of Christ is for saved believers to be judged not for their sins (our sins are forgiven past present and future and no longer imputed to us), instead this judgment is based on DOCTRINE and SERVICE done while in the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:8-15 KJV
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
If we are building on sound doctrine and letting Christ live through us by walking in the spirit, we shall receive rewards, roles, and responsibilities. If we do not, we suffer loss of rewards, roles and responsibilities in heaven, yet we shall still be saved.
In conclusion, walking in the Spirit is walking in faith of our new identity.
If you wake up in the morning and let fleshly thoughts guide your decisions you will sin. If you are renewing your mind and making decisions by faith based on your new identity which :
-We now sit together spiritually in heavenly places
-We will judge/manage angels
-We will reign with Jesus in heaven
-God wants to reward us for letting sound doctrine and good works produced by Christ living in us and renewing our mind in His doctrine for us daily and prayer. That doctrine is Romans through Philemon KJV.
Then you will have Christ living through you and focused on what God’s will is:
1 Timothy 2:4 KJV
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
NOW, I should not have to mention, but God's amazing powerful grace is NOT A LICENSE TO SIN OR AN EXCUSE TO SIN. To the contrary, IT IS A REASON NOT TO SIN. It teaches us who we are now (new creature identity) so we should not sin.
Titus 2:11-12. KJV
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Before we are saved we need to be convicted OF OUR sin and that we are separated from God as a result of it. Romans 3:23 KJV Romans 6:23 KJV
We cannot change this on our own by producing good works. God knows this, and has provided a solution in the death, burial , and resurrection of Jesus. We must believe/ trust in God’s solution and we are saved ( 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV)
Once we are saved , then the focus goes from knowing that we are sinners in need of God’s righteousness to focusing STRICTLY on our new identity in Christ since we now HAVE Christ's righteousness and Christ can live through us as we can now be God’s imagers as we were intended to be.
We should not spend all our time focusing on sin for when we focus on grace, our identity in Christ, we present ourselves as a living sacrifice, and Christ living through us !!!
TO BE SAVED: Trust/believe in the gospel that saves today - 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV
Then study Romans through Philemons KJV to grow in God’s grace !!
Grace and Peace !!!
