| It is vital to distinguish between |
moral imperfection &
non-moral (amoral) imperfection |
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Moral imperfection involves disobedience to
what is known, and therefore is sin..............................
..........................................( John 15:22, James 4:41, Luke 12:47, John 9:41,
2 Peter 2:21.) |
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Amoral imperfection is because of what we
don't know, and therefore it is not sin............................
............................................(John 15:22, Luke 12:48.) |
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These two dare not to be confused without giving
licence for sin, or condemnation for what is not sin. |
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Moral perfection, indeed salvation, involves
obedience....................................
.............................................................(Matthew 7:21, Romans
6:16, Hebrews 5:9, Revelation 2:5.) |
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Repentance is a return to
obedience......................................
..........................................(Luke 15:18-19, Matthew 3:8-9, 21:28-31, 2
Corinthians 7:9-11.) |
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Disobedience / sin is not repentance.
A repentant tree does not bring forth unrepentant / disobedient
fruit......................................
..........................(Matthew 7:18-20, 1 John 3:6-10.) |
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God requires repentance / obedience as a
condition for salvation at all times. It is our first act of faith towards
God.................................
.................................(Acts 2:38, 3:19, 1 John 1:7, Matthew 3:8-12,
Revelation 3:5, Luke 24:47.) |
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Repentance precedes faith in
Christ.....................................(Acts 20:21.)
Faith in Christ without repentance / obedience (initially or any time) is like seed sown
on to stony ground, without root, or like a house built on the sand, without foundation.
(1 Timothy 1:19) |
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Repentance, obedience and faith do not justify
us, but lack of these put us outside of grace and yet in our sins......
..................(Matthew 3:10, 7:19-23, 26, 1 Samuel 15:22-23, John 8:31.)
The Blood of Christ does not cover unforsaken / unrepented of sin.
....................(Romans 6:1-2, Hebrews 10:26, Ezekiel 33:11-13.)
Unrepentance/disobedience/sin is 'doing despite to the spirit of grace.' |
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Christian perfection is the gracious justifying
& sanctifying working of Christ in our life which is effective where there is
repentance/obedience and faith. There are no other substitutes, including prayer, praise,
singing in the Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, visions, being slain in the Spirit, inner or
outer healing & good works. Outside of obedience they are sounding brass &
tinkling cymbals, or as God said, 'a stink in my nostrils.'
Such things are new cloth to rotten unregenerate garments which can only make the rent
worse! - (seed on stony ground and a house on the sand)...................(Acts 2:38,
3:19, Luke 13:6-9, John 15:2, Matthew 7:21-23, Ezekiel 33:31, Revelation 2:5, 22:12.) |
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Repentance / obedience & faith are opposed
to a religious spirit - trying to be good enough to impress ourselves, others and God. |
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Without Christian perfection, spiritual
experience promotes the flesh.
We are accountable for unrepentance/disobedience/sin......................
..................(Romans 6:12-19.) |
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Disobedience is a damnable state, ( Romans
2:6, 3:8 ), especially if once saved, but more especially if while daring to claim
salvation through faith in
Christ.................................................................. (
1Corinthians 9:27, Hebrews 6:4-6, 10:26-39, 2Peter 2:20-22.) |
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Unrepentance will never overcome sin.
So called compulsive sin, is unrepented sin, with or without faith in
Christ....................................................... ..........................(
Romans 7:15-23 - Paul's unconverted testimony.) |
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Repentance always accepts accountability for
sin - all sin....... ....................(Luke 18:13, 1 John 1:19), that is, it does
not excuse or justify sin.
Justified sin is unrepented sin, and is an additional sin, worse than the first. It is an
'evil communication' (stinking thinking) which always will 'corrupt good
manners'........................... ..(1 Corinthians 15:33.)
E.g."No one is perfect," or a misuse of Scripture as in Malachi 2:17 - '
Everyone (who professes to be God's people) that doeth evil is good in the sight of the
Lord & He delighteth in them; or where is the God of judgment?' - "We're 'saved
by grace, 'unrelated to 'fruits worthy of repentance'." |
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Repentance / obedience involves the will not
just the mind & emotions, as most 'spiritual experiences' do today - the mind, by the
way of intellectual sermons & seminars etc, and the emotions by way of corporate
anointing, or 'jesting & foolish talk', oratory or personality charisma. |
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The true manifestation of the Holy Spirit
effects the will,
because it 'convicts/convinces of sin, righteousness and judgment to come'
as its primary work, by which, sin (especially in the Church) is found out (1
Peter 4:17); cleansed out (Galatians 6:1) or driven out (Acts 5:13) or put out (1
Corinthians 5:13) or carried out (Acts 5:6)! |
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The will is the foundation of a true
Christian experience.
Unless the will is effected, any experience, however 'glorious', is a house on the
sand, a plant without root (sown on stony ground). It will not last. |
| Any spirit which does not 'convict of sin'
etc is a deluding spirit and will fail to bring to bear:- |
the nature of sin
the accountability of sin
the damnability of sin,
and therefore there will be no repentance, no obedience, no overcoming of sin - when
put to the test.
This will is unaffected. We will be creatures of circumstances.
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The 'gospel' which does not present the
over-coming life in Christ is both a faithless & rebellious gospel.
It teaches faithlessness & rebellion.
It is unbelief. Unbelief is negative belief, a belief that disobedience is Christian,
indeed a Christian norm. We only experience what we believe. 'This is the victory which
over-comes the world.'
But 'Who has believed our report?'
A gospel which minimises the damnable nature of sin is a 'damnable heresy' and 'does
despite to the spirit of grace.' It locks a person into sin. |
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It is not the pressure of the world or flesh
which inhibits the over-coming life, but the pressure of a faithless peace-peace gospel in
the church.
'A little leaven (in the church) leavens the whole lump.' |
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However imperfection through ignorance is
amoral and not sin,
(except 'they are willingly ignorant')............................(Luke 12:48, John
15:22, 2Peter 3:5. 11 Timothy 4:4.) |
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And as we obey the Word, we will be
'entrusted with more.' (Matthew 13:12)
We will be hungering and thirsting for it, and we will mature/grow in our Christian
perfection, that is, in what we don't know and its application...........(Hebrews
6:1, 1 Peter 2:2, Philippians 3:12, 2Peter 3:18.) |
(For he who has suffered in the flesh has
ceased from sin.)
Brother Donald Owen Wilson
Bible Text / 1 Peter 4:1
January 1999. |
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