Dear Door:
I am leaving this afternoon for a vacation with my family (wife, 4 kids, 2 dogs). I will not be back until July 20th. Not only is there no internet where we are going, but I am not even taking my computer.
Therefore, I will not be able to participate in the one on one discussion in the immediate future. I feel as though I have tried to answer all of your questions the best I could. There comes a time when “discussing’ doctrine turns into “arguing over” doctrine. At that point, I believe it is no longer beneficial to either party when such point occurs. At that point, it is best to just turn it over to God, and let God deal with it. If what you believe as the truth, is indeed the truth, and you cannot convince the other part by discussion, then it is best to turn it over to God before it turns to arguing. God will show the other believer the truth if it is God’s will. I feel my vacation has come at the perfect time in regards to our “discussion”.
I want to thank you for creating the one on one, and the one on one discussion threads. Also thanks to Jerry, and to everyone else who has posted in the discussion thread. Before I go, I will leave you with one final commentary.
I believe that after salvation there is a purpose for the believer on earth. At salvation the new believer receives the Holy Spirit, and is guaranteed eternal life. All sins that such believer has committed, commits, and will commit have all been paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross. We will not be judged for these sins when we physically die.
However, after salvation the believer still has the old sin nature that was imputed to him through Adam’s seed. There is a constant power struggle in each believer for control of the soul. The Holy Spirit and the old sin nature is either in control of a believer’s soul at any given time. When the believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, the believer is walking in the light, when the believer commits a sin; the believer is carnal, or walking in the dark.
God, through His grace has given all believers a provision to return to walking in the light, or to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The execution of 1 John 1:9 is the provision to go from carnality to spirituality.
Confessing one’s sins does not mean getting dressed up, going to church, entering a confessional, getting down on your knees, telling a priest your sins, and then saying a bunch of Hail Mary’s.
Confessing as you (door) pointed out is the same as agreeing, or naming the sins. It’s just letting God know that you are aware of what you did, and that you know it was wrong. I am not a teacher. I’m sure I don’t fully understand what “confessing” means, or do a very good job articulating it, but John does tell us to do it.
As for growing spiritually, STP hit the nail on the head. A believer has to rightly divide the word of truth. This is the only way a believer can mature. The more doctrine a believer learns the more mature the believer becomes.
However, the believer can only metabolize doctrine if the believer is filled with the Holy Spirit. Doctrine is the word of God. The more we know of it, the more spiritually mature we are, and the more Christ-like we become.
The more Christ-like, and the more mature, the more we walk in the light. The more we walk in the light, the more mature, and Christ-like.
Christ in His hypostatic union had a human nature. Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit 100% of the time because he did not have a sin nature. That is why He was perfect and we are not (we have a sin nature). Acting Christ-like is only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
God has given us a way to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I believe it is 1 John 1:9 that accomplishes it.
Thanks again, and may God bless you in your “discussion”
