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Old 11-28-2008, 03:35 PM
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Forrest Forrest is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Texas, USA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by truewars View Post
Now the fact that one is being saved and under grace, is the very fact that they are producing the fruits of righteousness (Gal. 5:22-23), because grace is the power of God to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29). The grace of God perfects love in us, so that we can love like Christ (posses the land). Did we just read in Gal. 5:24, those that belong to Christ no longer walk in the flesh (sin, rebellion)?
It is also important for us to understand the difference between Ephesians 4:22 and Romans 6:6. The old man [the man without Christ] is indeed crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6) and we can know this fact as a present “spiritual” reality by faith.

What I mean by “spiritual reality” is that we have not been literally or physically nailed to a cross and our flesh has not “literally” died and been buried in the grave. It’s a spiritual reality. The words “old man is crucified” are in the “aorist tense” which usually refers to the past tense and denotes something that has happened, not needing to be repeated. Praise God, Christ has finished the work of redemption once and for all. The phrase “is crucified” is also in the “passive voice” which represents the subject [the old man] as being the recipient of the action.

This does not mean, however, that the former conversation [manner of life, conduct, or behavior] is gone from your daily experiences of life. This is why we are taught that the “former conversation” of the old man must be put off [to put off or aside or away] on a daily basis.

Put off is in the “middle voice” which indicates the subject performing an action upon himself (reflexive action) or for his own benefit. The subject in this case is the true believer. Ephesians chapter four also admonishes to be renewed, put on, put away, sin not, let not, let no, grieve not, and let all. We obey these admonitions by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—for the just shall live by faith.

BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU SIN? Remember, James 2:10 says, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

So what if we sin--just ONCE after becoming a born again believer?
1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
We have liberty in Christ to do what's right, and the effectual, powerful, permanent, and immeasurable grace of God is there if you don't. This is not a divine permission slip to sin. But it's important to understand there is a Biblical difference between "positional" grace and "operational" grace.