The root cause of all your sinning is your own unbelief.

The Good News is what God in Christ has already accomplished for us and in us through the Cross. Christ crucified you when He died and you were buried with Him. Your old self died and you received Christ's very Life. You were made one with Him. He made you a NEW CREATION. As a result of this union with God, you are now, fully justified, made righteous, holy and perfect as Christ Himself is. You are one with Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Christ. You are no longer a sinner; you now have a new pure heart and God's very Divine Nature.

This is NOT a positional truth but a REAL LIVING reality that you can experience daily.

It is VERY important to recognize that is was ONLYY by God's doing that you are in Christ

1 Corinthians 1:30
New International Version (©1984)
"It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."

New Living Translation (©2007)
"God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin."

English Standard Version (©2001)
"And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,"

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
"But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,"

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:"

International Standard Version (©2008)
"It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption."

Now why do so many people who confess Christ never really experience the reality of this exciting truth?

You are the recipient of God's great love, grace, mercy, blessings and protection, yet you may never truly enjoy His Life within you. You can miss the life of victory, power and rest that He intends for you. Now there is only one thing preventing you from experiencing His Life for yourself and that is unbelief!

It is true that Christ crucified you when He died and you were buried with Him. Your old self died and you received Christ's very Life. You were made one with Him. He made you a NEW CREATION. As a result of this union with God, you are now, fully justified, made righteous, holy and perfect as Christ Himself is but you just do not believe it.

You may confess Christ and be saved, forgiven and blessed, but you are not going anywhere! You are wasting your life, because you have been shut out from God's best. You are doomed to a "wilderness life", a life full of dryness, troubles, and restlessness. You are empty and miserable because you do not just rest in His word.

Now God Himself has set you totally free from life of bondage to sin. Christ's blood has been shed for you! You are New Creation!

There is only one reason why you have not yet fully participated in all that God has already accomplished for you and in you. It is only your unbelief that keeping you from truly experiencing His daily victory.

The root cause of all your sinning is your own unbelief. You have not, could not, or would not take God at His word, but you have rather made Him a liar!

Now your life could be one of misery and living in fear. You could became lost in petty problems, bored, going through the motions, always arguing, constantly worrying about things that would never happen.

This is what happens when you refuse to believe. You will worry about every petty, little problem that comes your way. You always grumble and complain and question God. You never have any true love, strength, power, joy or hope.

The book of Hebrews warns us not to fall into unbelief.

"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God... Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief" (Hebrews 3:12; 4:11).

You are warned not to fall into the same unbelief that doomed Israel for 40 years in the desert of wilderness life. Unbelief will keep you from entering into and truly experiencing all the things that God has already accomplished for you and in you just as it keep Israel out of the Promised Land.

Are you hardened in your unbelief, confirmed in your doubt, and a habitual complainers? You must know that God's mercy, forgiveness and loving-kindness cannot erase the consequences of your deep-seated unbelief! Unbelief shuts you out of the fullness of Christ, out of all hope. And it drives you into a dry wilderness!

I believe the great majority of Christians never enter into the restful life of Christ's fullness. They will spend all of their days saved but most miserable! They will not experience the joys of victories won by faith.They will never experience a life free from continual worry. They never enjoy the peace and joy that come to those who trust all things into the Lord's hands. Only a few will ever enter by faith into the abundant life!

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" (verse 10:22).

If you are going to make it in these last days, you must be strong in faith and your faith must be founded only on God's Word!

Satan's strategy in these last days is to get you to doubt the reality of what God in Christ has already accomplished for you and in you. He will do everything in his power to make you doubt that you are one with Christ, that you are now new creation, holy, and totally righteous. He will make you even doubt that God Himself abides in you.

His Word says,

"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations" (2 Peter 2:9). "...God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (I Corinthians 10:13).

These verses are either the truth, or they're lies. But if they're really God's truth, then we must stand on them! God wants us to be able to say, "Lord, I trust You to see me through. Live or die, I'm Yours!"

Look at all that God has already done for you and in you. He did what was impossible for you to ever do. Christ crucified you when He died and you were buried with Him. Your old self died and you received Christ's very Life. You were made one with Him. He made you a NEW CREATION. As a result of this union with God, you are now, fully justified, made righteous, holy and perfect as Christ Himself is. You are one with Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Christ. You are no longer a sinner; you now have a new pure heart and God's very Divine Nature.

God has done it all. He has left nothing out. It is a present reality. He wants to fully enjoy and experience joy, peace, victory and rest in our walk. He is looking for men and women who will stand in these last days calm and a peaceful because Christ abides in them.

So now just let go of all your own efforts and just embrace all that God has done and become a daily participant of Christ's Life within you.

"The great and fundamental sin, which is at the foundation of all other sin, is unbelief. The first thing, is to give up that--to believe the word of God. There is no breaking off from one sin without this. "Whatever is not faith is sin," "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." Thus we see that the backslider and convicted Christian, when agonizing to overcome sin, will, almost always, betake themselves to works of law to obtain faith. They will fast, and pray, and read, and struggle, and outwardly reform, and thus endeavor to obtain grace. Now all this is in vain and wrong. Do you ask, shall we not fast, and pray, and read, and struggle? Shall we do nothing, but sit down in Antinomian security and inaction? I answer, you must do all that God commands you to do; but begin where He tells you to begin, and do it in the manner in which he commands you to do it, i.e. in the exercise of that faith that works by love. Purify your hearts by faith. Believe in the Son of God. And say not in your heart, "who shall ascend into heaven i.e. to bring Christ down from above; or who shall descend into the deep, i.e. to bring up Christ again from the dead. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith which we preach."

Charles Finney

The root cause of all the sinning is because we haven't paid mind to the First and Second Commandments - that were from the beginning and will be until the end.

If you fall in love with someone, you want first of all to do whatever is in your power to please that one. To be with them. To learn what they like and don't like. To learn what they think about everything. You think of them almost every minute of the day.

I wonder if anyone has ever fallen head over heels over a boyfriend or girlfriend that they wanted to someday marry.

Why we don't see that GOD desires that type of love directed toward Himself because that's how He loves us - I just don't know what's blinding us to such an obvious Scriptural reality.

That loving Him and our neighbors fulfills all the law and the prophets.
That we're prefected in/by love.
That love has Everything to do with our "relationship" with Him and why we wouldn't want to do anything that we wouldn't do against a man or woman that we're truly in love with. It's as easy as that. You can't fully put trust in someone unless you truly love them and know that their love is equal if not far more than your own love.

You can't "bring glory" to someone that you don't love with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength.

Loving Him does it all.
Loving ourselves more than Him will cause us to fall - every time.

RoadSign,

Please help me understand what you are attempting to say here about Romans 5.

What God has already done in Christ is a Living reality.

Now is it not unbelief that will keep any person from actually walking in and participating in the Life of Christ?

What else other than unbelief would keep a person from truly enjoying Christ's Life? For if any person truly believed they would experience Christ's Life and true freedom from sin.

Is it not unbelief that prevents the unbeliever from enjoying their relationship and union with God?

If any person refuses to believe than this unbelief cuts them off from experiencing the Living realty of Christ's Life resulting in a life of sin.

Satan's strategy in these last days is to get you to doubt the reality of what God in Christ has already accomplished for you and in you. He will do everything in his power to make you doubt that you are one with Christ, that you are now new creation, holy, and totally righteous. He will make you even doubt that God Himself abides in you.

Luk 15:25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
Luk 15:26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
Luk 15:27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
Luk 15:28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
Luk 15:29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
Luk 15:30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
Luk 15:31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
Luk 15:32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

The father had already done EVERYTHING possible that he could for this oldest son but the son was so angry he refused to enter into the celebration.

The father kept loving him and kept intreating, wooing him and asking him to join in but he would not.

There was nothing more the father could do. His own son's refusal prevented him from truly enjoying what his father had already prepared.

Now if anyone refuses to enter into what God has already prepared for them, then no amount of forgiveness would help or somehow cause them to enter.

This refusal kept this elder son outside of the celebration and party that the father had planned and was a reality at the time of the refusal.

I find this very interesting and strange. I have never heard any teaching that the elder son represents Israel.

In this teaching who did the younger son represent?

Where can I read or hear about more about this?

How do you know for certain that this teaching is the correct view of this parable?

Firstly - I just do not see that this parable represents what you are saying.

It just does not fit that the younger brother somehow represents the Gentiles.

Nor does it fit that the older brother represents Israel.

I have looked at this story many times but I just do not see how it could be viewed this way.

I am open so please give me any insight that would help me with this view.

As for what you wrote about blindness I will have to get back to you on that latter. I do plan to respond to that what want to take time for thoughtful prayer on this important subject.

Thanks so much for sharing this.

I was very surprised to hear this view because I had never heard of it before.

I do understand how shocked and even mad some of the Jews were when God embraced the Gentiles when He included them in His Covenant.

If you know of any sermon that would explain this view in more detail please let me know.

I still plan to respond to the blindness issue you brought up but want to take my time.

Well here it is.

I am sure there is much more than this, but this is a start.

You wrote

"About the idea of "belief/unbelief" - I understand it to be an issue of trust. That takes us back to the Garden. The Pair were alienated from God – and ever since all have come into this world alienated from God. Nobody is born in the Garden of Eden with intimate fellowship with God. Nobody is born with the natural ability to trust God - because trust involves relationship: knowing and grasping God's love (Eph). I think we have lost our appreciation of this spiritual quality because the word "believe" has become so closely associated with ascent of propositional data - that is: I agree that it's true. But that's not necessarily belief - as in trusting faith."

Yes I totally agree! We can fully agree with a divine truth but not have any trusting faith in it all. Yes we have to believe but we must also embrace the divine truth as our living reality and then enjoy living and participating in the reality of this truth.

You also wrote

"Being a sinner is not a matter of whose fault is it. Frankly, it is not my FAULT that I came into the world with Adam's disposition. And if I am alienated from God and do not know him as he is, how CAN I believe? If we can move past the blame game, I think we can become more focused on God's solution for sin. It is, as we know, a marvelous act of mercy and forgiveness!"

Let us examine the NEW Covenant and all that God in Christ has already accomplished for us and in us.

This Covenaant is not only God's solution to the problem for sin but it also solves the problem of mankind's fallen nature.

Now it is a fact that the father has already done EVERYTHING possible for us and in us that He could be possibly be done for every single person's complete and total salvation. Ever single human being has been included in this Covenant and death of Christ on the Cross. Now if any person refuses to participate in His accomplished work then they and they alone remain outside. They were included in the Union with God and Christ but their refusal will keep them from experiencing this existing reality.

2 Peter 1:3-4, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Rom. 12:3, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

Rom. 5:8-21, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."

1 Corinthians 1:30, "But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,"

John 1:4-5, "In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

John 12:46 “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”

1 John 2:8, “Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.”

Eph. 5:8, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:”

Cor. 4:6-7, "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

2 Cor. 4:7, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

Col. 1:13-14, "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin"

John 3:17-19, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

Now I just do not see that God is somehow responsible for any person’s refusal to participate. The truth is, that even while this person stands outside of His accomplished work the Father continues to pour out his grace, love, and mercy wooing him and enticing Him to enter and enjoy what He has already accomplished for him.

* Edited for spelling and missing statement

Thank so much for taking the time to respond to this. I do appreciate it very much.

Please know that I am more than willing for you to say anything to me. I am always willing to examine my own beliefs and what I am saying.

I was taught so many things that were completely wrong about true Christianity for such a length of time that I am sure that there are still many lingering misconceptions left that need to be uprooted.

Please continue to share what you are sharing.

You wrote

“Surely we cannot deny that GOD has rendered humans unable to see his gift of grace - except by his own provision. And therefore sinners are at the mercy of GOD for a miracle of faith.”

I do agree that all of mankind is unable to see His gift of grace except by his own provision. But I am uncertain if it was God Himself who has rendered us this way. It could the result of sin, the fallen nature or the devil.

But the bottom truth is just what you said,

“And therefore sinners are at the mercy of GOD for a miracle of faith.”

Then you said.

“I ask you, Why must we word our exhortation in such way that suggests this: “You demonstrate the effects of blindness (ie, sin) because it’s your OWN fault: you have consciously refused to believe what you know God has offered you”. Here the finger is pointed squarely at the person - without any regards for other factors that contribute to the blindness. And it implies that it is the sinner’s OWN conscious will power – both to fall into unbelief and also to restore his spiritual sightedness (and thus his ability to believe).

And that is my concern with this thread title – that it potentially sets up those beset with unbelief to experience utter hopelessness and unrelenting shame…. either that, or ditch Christianity and distance themselves from us all together.”

I do see what you are saying here and agree that there are many factors leading to the blindness.

I really like the part where you make this statement.

And it implies that it is the sinner’s OWN conscious will power – both to fall into unbelief and also to restore his spiritual sightedness (and thus his ability to believe).

I do believe that God’s grace alone gives us the ability to respond. This makes us response able.

So the question is what can I do by the Spirit of God to open the eyes of the blind?

Now I do believe that when I focus and share the true Gospel - of what God in Christ has already accomplished for us and in us - that this Gospel has the power through the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of the blind.

What do you think about that statement?

So now back to other question. There are two sons – one is enjoying the party while the other one is not. WHY??

Jer. 10:23, "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps."

John 1:11-13, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Look again at what Hudson Taylor wrote to his sister.
How were his eyes opened to the existing reality?

"All the time I felt assured that there was in Christ all I needed, but the practical question was how to get it out. He was rich, but I was poor; He was strong, but I was weak. I knew full well that there was in the vine, in the root, the stem, abundant fatness; but how to get it into my puny little branch was the question.

As gradually the light dawned on me, I saw that faith was the only prerequisite to laying hold of His fullness and making it my own. But I had not this faith . . . I strove for it, but it would not come; I tried to exercise it, but in vain. Seeing more and more the wondrous supply of grace laid up in Jesus, the fullness of our precious Savior - my helplessness and guilt seemed to increase. Sins committed appeared but as trifles compared with the sin of unbelief which was their cause, which could not or would not take God at His word, but rather made Him a liar! Unbelief was, I felt, the damning sin of the world - yet I indulged in it. I prayed for faith but it did not come. What was I to do?

When my agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never seen it before. McCarthy, who had been much exercised by the same sense of failure, but saw the light before I did, wrote (I quote from memory): "But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One."

As I read I saw it all! "If we believe not, He remains faithful." I looked to Jesus and saw (and when I saw, oh, how joy flowed) that He had said, "I will never leave you." "Ah, here is rest!" I thought. "I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I'll strive no more. For has He not promised to abide with me - never to leave me, never to fail me?"

Diane,

If you get a chance could make a response about what Hudson Taylor wrote?

You can see it here.

https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=42392&forum=34&6

Just remove my remarks.

It is in the book J Hudson Taylor God's Man in China by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor pages 212-215

Look what he said after seeing the light.

"I am no better than before. In a sense, I do not wish to be, nor am I striving to be. But I am dead and buried with Christ––ay, and risen too! And now Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No more striving to be better!!!

Look at this post - dead in Christ
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=45516&forum=36&4

* edit spelling and added link

The bottom line is that all the required true Faith, Obedience, Love, Trust, Repentance and Submission are only found in the PERSON OF CHRIST HIMSELF.

HE really is all we need.

He gives the ability to REST in HIM!!! We are not able in our own selves.

Please start a new tread if you want too. This one lacks in many ways.

Yesterday, as I was offline and preparing to go to a family members home for dinner, I felt The LORD just stop all of my thoughts for a split second and direct them to the book of Acts. Feeling it strongly impressed that that book is the template for how The Church is to operate.
Many may not feel that way because there's too much "going on" in the day to day lives of The Church 'back then' - but it's recorded as the history of the beginnings of the first Church. Luke did not title it - "The Acts of the Apostles" and that title hinders our view that their were 120 in that upper room and thousands added to The Church immediately after - so we have Luke putting into writing, all that he had heard from Paul and others about what happened that made The Church, The Church.

I believe we should go through that book, maybe a chapter a day and just write down what each chapter centers on.

One highlight we often hear of is that "no small dissension and disputation" between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark.
We'd need to go back and find out what exactly were they arguing about to understand who was in the right there.
Paul had just been used to blind a man and John Mark feared and left Paul and Barnabus in a hurry because of that act and Paul saw that John Mark wasn't ready yet for the ministry that they'd be used in.

We miss these points when we don't read through slowly and take notes as we go along. In other words, we'd do well to study slowly and carefully to get as much as we can from that bottomless Well of Truth that is The Word of GOD.
Being Bereans and enjoying the Holy Spirit's guidance - John 16:13,14. Seeing where the focus goes each day as we read. He speaks to us through His Word every time.
Amazing GOD!

Please use the new thread at

https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=45620&post_id=327685&order=0&viewmode=thread&pid=0&forum=36#327685