Romans 3:22-23 “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”
Pastor Kyle points out that the sin mentioned in this verse (above)is in the past tense and the fall is in the present and continual ongoing tense. This side of eternity, nobody is perfect, need to recognize, confess and repent of our sin, knowing that we are in need of God’s grace daily. It is like in John 8:1-11, where a woman is caught in the act of adultery and brought before Jesus to condemn her to death by stoning per the Law. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
The Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16-17 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. All have to deal with the sin nature and the sinful flesh desires until we are glorified in Heaven. We all have stones that could rightfully be thrown at us, we all need Jesus as Savior and Lord to redeem us, we all need God’s grace, and thankfully that is exactly what we have in Christ.
1 John 1:8-9 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Not if, but when we sin (think, say or do something that God says not to do, or not do something that God tells us to do), then we need to confess the sin (to own, acknowledge or avow, as a sin against God), repent of the sin (to sorrow or be pained for sin, as a violation of God's holy law, a dishonor to his character and government, and the foulest ingratitude to a Being of infinite benevolence), and our just God is faithful to forgive us through Christ’s finished work on the Cross and cleanse us by the blood of Jesus from all unrighteousness; the Lord purifies us and gives us His righteousness.
The fourth way of “what it looks like to continually align our thoughts, words and actions” is (4) that faithful practice leads to faithful progress. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. We can beat ourselves up with guilt (that state of a moral agent which results from actual commission of an offense against God, knowing it to be a violation of God’s moral law). To constitute guilt there must be a moral agent enjoying freedom of will, and capable of distinguishing between right and wrong, and a willful or intentional violation of a known law or Commandment of God. It is the guilt feeling and consequent exposure to irreverence toward God, the offense and deserved punishment resulting from willful disobedience of God’s law, and the guilt of our own sin; an offense against “right” when we sin. In the Bible, it is called “godly remorse”, that leads to conviction of the soul, and produces lasting repentance that leads to godly change. 2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
Romans 6:1-2 says, What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Sin (the voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the Divine law, or violation of a Divine command; a wicked act; iniquity) is a horrific act against a just and holy Creator, Father God. Sin caused the fall of Man, death to enter the world, and the death of Christ. How can we continue in willful sin without “godly remorse” because every time that we commit one, we hang our beloved Savior back up on the Cross? That is not progress.
In the act of Salvation in born again Justification leads to the ongoing process of Sanctification (the act of making holy. In an evangelical sense, the act of God's grace by which the affections of men are purified or alienated from sin and the world, and exalted to a supreme love to God; consecrated and set apart for a sacred purpose by our Creator as they grow into the likeness of Christ). Healthy godly sorrow of sin leads to a genuine repentance (deep contrition for sin, as an offense and dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude towards a Being of infinite benevolence. This is called evangelical repentance, and is accompanied and followed by amendment of life).
Let's conclude Pastor Kyle's message on having the right faith in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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