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Post by 2fw8212a on Apr 15, 2019 10:21:33 GMT -5
"Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of
Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance
from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands,
of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits." - Hebrews 6:1-3
I believe that walking to perfection is what should be the goal and focus of any Christian in this life.
And by perfection I mean literal perfection, no excuses about it.
"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." - Matthew 5:48
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13
But we will not reach perfection instantly, it is a process and we must seek it constantly, as the fruit of our faith in Him.
"...He died for all, that those who live should live no longer
for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." - 2 Corinthians 5:15
"For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles —
when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries." - 1 Peter 4:3
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him..." - Romans 6:8
"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." - Colossians 3:2
"As the living Father sent Me, and I live because
of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me." - John 6:57
No one will improve if they do not ask and seek to do so.
"...without faith it is impossible to please Him..." - Hebrews 11:6
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find..." - Matthew 7:7
"Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape
all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." - Luke 21:36
"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father
with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works." - Matthew 16:27
"and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." - John 5:29
"Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.
Over such the second death has no power..." - Revelation 20:6
And we must learn how to answer appropriately to attacks from the enemy, that will come against us all in this process.
One of the most common attacks we will face are accusations and condemnations.
The solution to both are faith in Christ and proper understanding of His sacrifice for us.
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." - 2 Corinthians 5:21
We have to understand that we are now His, and as long as we abide in Him, we will not be condemned.
"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.
Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven." - Luke 6:37
And that includes yourself, forgive yourself... And the enemy will make it as hard as possible for you.
"But if you do not forgive men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." - Matthew 6:15
"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men..." - Mark 3:28
"For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God
in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." - 1 Corinthians 6:20
We are forgiven by the Father through His Son Jesus Christ, as long as we walk in the light (i.e. in repentance).
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light..." - Ephesians 5:8
"...you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called
you out of darkness into His marvelous light..." - 1 Peter 2:9
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,
who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." - Romans 8:1
"...if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." - 1 John 1:7
I believe that is what we, as Christians, should be seeking always.
"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has
loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." - Ephesians 5:1-2
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." - Romans 12:1
"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey,
you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death,
or of obedience leading to righteousness?" - Romans 6:16
"And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him..." - Hebrews 5:9
And constantly seek to walk in the light, in His marvelous Light.
Follow Christ, look to Christ, imitate Christ.
"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." - Colossians 3:2
"Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good..." - 3 John 11
"So Jesus said to him,
Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God." - Mark 10:18
"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children." - Ephesians 5:1
"Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." - 1 Corinthians 11:1
"And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me." - John 12:45
"For I have come down from heaven,
not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." - John 6:38
And do not waste your time... Start walking to perfection!
"Behold, I am coming as a thief.
Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments,
lest he walk naked and they see his shame." - Revelation 16:15
"...put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." - Romans 13:14
"...fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness,
let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness,
nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks." - Ephesians 5:3-4
"For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man,
who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." - Ephesians 5:5
"What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the end of those things is death." - Romans 6:21
"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,
so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord..." - Acts 3:19
Blessings, blessings to you in Jesus' name!
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Post by frienduff on Apr 15, 2019 16:42:17 GMT -5
That's right my dear friend of many letters . As JESUS said , be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect . We must obey the Spirit , we must learn the holy doctrine and get it engrained . The more we study to shew ourselves approved , to learn of Him the more we mature and shall bear fruit . God puts the desire IN US to be Holy , the desire to even walk righteously and The ability AS WELL . It is our duty to BY That SAME SPIRIT stir one another up daily , to fight against the flesh , to correct fast any error . For if one has the SPIRIT then they learn OF the SPIRIT . And the SPIRIT would have us not walking in sin as we once did , BUT growing in grace and walking in holiness and righteousness and the reading and loving the Holy scrips , JESUS wholesome words , That we would become wise unto salvation through our faith in HIM . WE must only increase these exhortations , LETTERS , ONLY increase in them . And let all really respond to posts such as these . Let that first love , where all was about Christ , all was that pure Love that held our hearts captive to the word of GOD . Let us cast aside the sin that does so easily beset , let us put on the whole armour of GOD and march onwards in obedience unto HE who has called us to be a HOLY people a whole new creation , by which the inner man is CREATED BY GOD and walks HOLY for HE IS HOLY . That's RIGHT LETTERS . THATS RIGHT . YOU SOUND IT OUT and let all hear and receive it and grow in grace .
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Post by 2fw8212a on Apr 15, 2019 17:04:22 GMT -5
As JESUS said , be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. That is cool, and I do not like to put limit to how perfect we can walk in this world.
I have learned and achieved more than I could imagine, then more is definitely possible.
The improvements can walk slow sometimes, but going forward is very important.
"...Tell the children of Israel to go forward." - Exodus 14:15
"...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a
good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ..." - Philippians 1:6
"...the path of the just is like the shining sun,
That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day." - Proverbs 4:18
"Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father..." - Matthew 13:43
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Post by frienduff on Apr 15, 2019 17:09:42 GMT -5
Sin is not to be reigning king over us any longer . Read this and seek YE THE LORD , pray , seek knock and ask and ye shall reicieve , for how much more will OUR FATHER give the SPIRIT to those who ask . Now read this . Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin , but Alive unto GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST . Let NOT sin therefore REIGN in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof . Lets read what both peter and paul said . Paul said , For what the law itself , due to the flesh , could not do , GOD sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh , and for Sin , Condemened sin IN the flesh , SO that the righteousness of the LAW might be fulfilled in us who walk NOT after the flesh , but after the SPIRIT . Peter said , WHO His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we , BEING DEAD TO SIN SHOULD LIVE UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS, YES BY HIS STRIPES WE WERE HEALED . Now lets go back to what paul is saying about the SPIRIT and being DEAD and what that means . And IF , IF , IF Christ be in you , the body IS DEAD because of sin but the SPIRIT IS LIFE . sin is death , and the end of it is death . Now let us continue . THEREFORE BELEIVERS , we are debtors , DEBTORS , NOT TO THE FLESH . FOR if you LIVE After the FLESH ye shall DIE BUT IF , BUT IF , BUT IF , you THROUGH the SPIRIT do MORTIFY the wicked deeds of the body , You shall LIVE . For as many as are LED . Okay take a peek at that word , WHO ARE LED . As in FOLLOW and OBEY as in being led in and by the SPIRIT and not the flesh . SO lets read this again now . FOR as many as are LED OF THE SPIRIT of GOD , they are the sons and daughters OF GOD .
WHY do we think paul said , JUST as JESUS had said , GO and sin NO MORE . Paul said it in several places , like LET inquity NOT be named EVEN ONCE among you as BECOMETH SAINTS . TIME to do some OBEYING . And by that I mean OBEY THE HOLY SPIRIT . FOR we are the servants to whom we obey whether its sin UNTO DEATH or of OBEDIANCE unto Righteousness . FIRE THE PLACE UP LETTERS and ALL . ITS Time to exhort daily lest any does become hardened through the deceitfulness of SIN . TIME to have learned the pattern of CHRIST and those apostels . JESUS warned HIS OWN that many would be deceived , BUT HE ALSO TOLD THEM DO NOT BE DECIEVED YOURSELVES . WHICH means THAT CAN HAPPEN . ANd its why PETER said , BEWARE BELEIVERS , lest ye be LED astray by the error of the wicked and FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL from your own steadfastness. THE DAYS OF RICK WARREN and HIS seeker friendly IS OVER . Never again let a lamb sit under such mindsets as those . TIME to learn from the BIBLE fresh and new , FOR GOD desires not a one of us to perish , But rather that we CONTINUE IN THE SON , BY the POWER of HIS indwelling SPIRIT . STAND FIRM in the LORD and LEARN that BIBLE FAST . ABSORB EVERY WORD ON THE HEART AND KEEP IT ON THE MIND BY THE SPIRIT .
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2019 18:01:52 GMT -5
Bless you Letters...I enjoy that gift you have...sure does make those scriptures sing, praise the Lord. \o/
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Post by frienduff on Apr 15, 2019 18:38:02 GMT -5
Bless you Letters...I enjoy that gift you have...sure does make those scriptures sing, praise the Lord. \o/ That's right dear sister , and now let us put those hands up and praise the LORD .
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Cletus
Senior Member
Posts: 2,517
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Post by Cletus on Apr 15, 2019 21:23:41 GMT -5
perfection in the NT often caries the meaning mature or maturity. God does bring us up to be Mature if we seek Him. Lots of people do not want to grow up in spirit. there is a parable about different soils bringing different returns in yield.
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Post by Giller on Apr 16, 2019 11:11:00 GMT -5
Php 3:12-15 (12) Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. (13) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (15) Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
There seems to be many aspects to the word perfect in the bible.
No doubt Paul was obviously mature at this point in his walk.
But the word perfect in verse 12, in the Greek, and the word perfect in verse 15, in the Greek, are not the same Greek words.
In verse 12, here is the Greek word:
(Strong's concordance)
(G5048
τελειόω
teleioō
tel-i-o'-o
From G5046; to complete, that is, (literally) accomplish, or (figuratively) consummate (in character): - consecrate, finish, fulfil, (make) perfect.
Total KJV occurrences: 24)
In verse 15, here is the Greek word:
(Strong's concordance)
(G5046
τέλειος
teleios
tel'-i-os
From G5056; complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); neuter (as noun, with G3588) completeness: - of full age, man, perfect.
Total KJV occurrences: 19)
In verse 12, it seems to refer to not having attained to total perfection, and in verse 15, it seems to point to coming to a place of maturity in Christ.
God's standard, of course is always total perfection, but we start walking and growing in his perfection, from faith to faith.
And in Christ, in were we are at in him, and because of the blood of the lamb, we are also declared to be perfect, but perfect in him.
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Post by Giller on Apr 17, 2019 0:18:47 GMT -5
None of us have attained, but as we grow in Christ we are continuously being perfected.
Our standing in Christ remains the same, but our condition, or you could say, actions. thoughts and speech, are continuously changing.
Thus sanctification.
In Christ we are declared perfect, even though we have not attained unto total perfection (perfect man that is).
But declared perfect in him, and through him, and not in ourselves.
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Post by Giller on Apr 17, 2019 11:28:45 GMT -5
When studying the word perfect, it is not a one size fits all type of interpretation, context must be considered in each verse.
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Post by Giller on Apr 17, 2019 11:34:04 GMT -5
Mat 5:20 (20) For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
There is only one who obeyed perfectly the law of God in every way, and that was Jesus Christ.
And he is our righteousness, his righteousness exceeds all.
In fact the scribes and pharisees at best, were just simply righteous in their own eyes.
Thank God, Jesus came and fulfilled the law, and is our salvation.
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Post by Giller on Apr 17, 2019 13:33:35 GMT -5
I also love the verse that says, love is the fulfilling of the law.
So in a certain sense, when you are walking under the love of God, you are not sinning, and in essence perfection is flowing through you.
But we always still have to remember that there is always room to grow, and we can go always deeper in the love of God, and that we do not know everything.
We are not totally perfect in every way.
And saying this is just being honest.
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Post by 2fw8212a on Apr 17, 2019 13:40:11 GMT -5
Mat 5:20 (20) For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. "Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do,
but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do." - Matthew 23:3
"So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty." - James 2:12
"...only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." - Galatians 5:13
"Owe no one anything except to love one another,
for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." - Romans 13:8
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16
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Post by 2fw8212a on Apr 17, 2019 13:42:42 GMT -5
We are not totally perfect in every way. And saying this is just being honest. As long as people do not fall into the trap of using this to justify their wicked behavior and avoid sanctification... it is fine.
And yes, unfortunately there are people who interpret things this way.
"...only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh..." - Galatians 5:13
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Post by solid on Apr 17, 2019 13:42:51 GMT -5
I also love the verse that says, love is the fulfilling of the law. So in a certain sense, when you are walking under the love of God, you are not sinning, and in essence perfection is flowing through you. But we always still have to remember that there is always room to grow, and we can go always deeper in the love of God, and that we do not know everything. We are not totally perfect in every way. And saying this is just being honest. Yes. All the law is fulfilled in loving God and our neighbor.
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