Aviah
Well-Known Member
I can definitely see the analogy's point, still there are so many ways to "cheat" on God by sinning, and so many less ways to cheat on spouse, if you get what I mean? Nonetheless there are many ways to do your spouse wrong in a marriage, maybe that would be more comparable?
The difference between God and man and a married couple is that as humans we can only at best make educated guesses about the heart of our spouse, we can never absolutely know that they love us, we can only read the clues of it, the way they look at us, do things to help you, etc. The difference with God is that he knows us, better than we know ourselves, what will break us, what will buld us up, definitely. So before we even go to repent, God God KNOWS with certainty the entire cirumstance surrounding your choices. Not to say that they are excuses, but they are definitely factors in judgement. These scriptures below seem to suggest that the walk with God and growing up to resist sin is a process.
- Colossians 4:12
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
Colossians 4:11-13 (in Context) Colossians 4 (Whole Chapter) - Hebrews 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:13-14 (in Context) Hebrews 5 (Whole Chapter) - James 1:4
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - 2 Samuel 22:33
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
2 Samuel 22:32-34 (in Context) 2 Samuel 22 (Whole Chapter) - Psalm 19:7
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
Psalm 19:6-8 (in Context) Psalm 19 (Whole Chapter)
Romans 6
Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Slaves to Righteousness
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.
The bolded really stands out to me as saying that we are slaves to righteousness leading to holiness (without sin). I do believe its a process. When you are a slave to something you are dedicated to it, you are ruled by it. The righteousness we have is not our own, but a gift, so we did not earn it, but now abide in it, live by it. We also do not take on a slave mentality overnightm, thus why we have to be transformed by the renewal of our minds( Mentioned in Romans). With the scriptures above talking about persevereance unto perfection, righteousness leading to holiness, understanding milk going on to understanding meat, its a process. In the end, only God can judge what will happen, and that much we must trust Him for, that by abiding in His Word, though we may (not have to, or that its excused) sin in the process, that the grace given is sufficient and that he sees our hearts. Just like when Jesus mentioned that the tax collector that beat on his chest say ing "God have mercy on me a sinner" went home justified over the Pharisee that was self-righteous. We in all our understanding only understand in part, and with that limited understanding alongside God are to walk as righteously as we can. We may think ourselves hell-bound because of sin after accepting Christ, but it is ultimately his choice. Though Romans 6:2 poses an interesting point about living in sin any longer, much the way you talk about, however I think there may be a difference between living in sin and committing sin. I'll have to chew over that.
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erplexed I might not agree with everything Poohbear has posted (although I do understand where she's coming from), but how is what she did any different than what other posters did in OT?
