Do not take this as a position, but as a discussion point… or feel free to dismiss it as wholly unsound. This also potentially gets close to a subject that has been banned (OSAS) because of the unhelpful arguing engendered. I am not really trying to go there, and I beseech us all to keep posts helpful and respectful. If you ask me today, a reply honest to my understanding today may not be the same as one a month ago, or a month hence.
In many churches, there is a concept of a defeated Christian. Very similar to a carnal christian, but taken to extremes. This is one that has truly accepted the Lord, but instead of allowing the Lord to lead him, falls into the same sinful acts. This is a miserable life, consisting of failure after failure, often accompanied by self recrimination.
We are being perfected, but we are not perfect yet. The phenomenon of recurring sin in the life of a Christian is not rare. This is that same phenomenon taken to an extreme. Many whose sinful lives before acceptance find they have created for themselves situations and personality traits that make turning away for good difficult.
A Christian’s sin nature is left behind when he enters His Kingdom. A defeated Christian misses all these things, and will enter the Kingdom only as a ‘simple’ soul, all else discarded, while those that have progressed in faith will retain what was truly of the Lord.
As for those that have done vile things in the estimation of others, as well as in the eyes of the Lord; if the Lord is satisfied with their acceptance, I will not second guess, but I would not advise any to deem it wise to live as the unsaved after one has accepted an become His creature.
As far as fairness, that really does not enter into it at all. Any grace I may be accorded by our Lord is an outright gift. If I were treated fairly, I would be doomed.
As for good works, my observation is that the process of my own perfection, such as it may be, lies in part, in doing ‘good works’, learning to see His hand in the lives of others, sometimes being that hand (not really to my credit, but still wonderful to see). As I have stated before, one of my guiding principles or concerns lately is to be a blessing to those around me. This may be a selfish conceit on my part because I recognize the benefits to my relationship with the Lord. This has nothing to do with gaining my salvation, only with its consequences, so no justification by works is involved.
So, one summary point is that salvation is quite a different concept from the perfection of the person. Good works cannot accomplish the first (salvation), but is often the means of developing the second (perfecting in faith). By same token, not performing good works, or even continuing in sin, does not mean one is not saved; only in a profoundly sad situation.
Perchance the reason for what you have stated is that we are already perfect going onto perfection.
While it is thought that we are imperfect beign perfected .
Some one may say Paul says he has not yet reacched perfection how then can he be perfect or then I?
But did he not say he was speakign to those made perfect?
A word search on the word perfect is very interesting.
"..........That ye maybe perfect and entire wantign nothing"
Remember we are a new creation in Christ Jesus .
Was not Adam perfect in his creation?
How much the more in the new?
Have we all arrived then? No.
But are we not born of an "Incorruptable seed"?
and the first Adam created of a "corruptable seed"?
and is not each seed predestined to brign forth fruit after its own kind?
The first a corruptable seed to brign forth corruption unto death and the incorruptable seed to bring forth righteosness unto life?
Thus a sapling is perfect yet not yet perfected and it doth not appear what we shall be but we know when we see him we shall see Him as |he is .
The Gospel is more radical than most people suppose .
It is not then the old man reborn.
It is the old man crucified with Christ dead and buried as the only fittign place for it .
and God IN Christ raising a completely new new man not after the image of the first Adam or as scripture puts it "shapen in iniquity" a "child of disobedience " BORN in sin .
But a new creation ,old things passed away and behold all things have become new. a child then of obedience and BORN in the image of God .
For Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost . Though man was CREATED in the image of God he is BORN in the image of Adam . "Shapen in iniquity"
Jesus even as it is written is the express image of the invisible God. He then that recieves Him and is BORN of the Word and the Spirit of God has the image of God in Him for Christ dwells in his heart and we are by the grace of God renewed daily in the image of Him. "And have put on the new man which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him that created him" Col 3:10
1Cor 15:49 "as we have born the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavnly"
2Cor 4:16 " But though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed daily ...."
That is very interesting for does it not say in John 3:16 we shall not perish?
This body we have at present passeth away . Yet it has been redeemed (yet to be revealed) but the inward man is renewed constantly even as in the earthly type to soem extent our outward body renews itself .
So our inward body/man after the image of God is renewed daily by the same Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead .
and eevna s we need to feed the outward and earthly body with the bread of earth. So too and much more do we need to feed the spiritual man with the true bread that comes from heaven.
We are to be made conformable to Jesus Christ.
Was he not made perfect " and beign made perfect he became the author of eternal salvation to all that obey him" Hebrews 5:9
Was not the Lord perfect even at his birth?
and was not to BE king but was" BORN king of the Jews."
"That the man of God may be pefect....." 2Tim 3:17
and Hebrew 13;21 and others is worth thinkign about.
So we are perfect on the way to perfection.
For the incorruptable seed is perfect and that which grows from it then is also perfect yet it does not atain or reach that perfection for which God has called it and which in its season it will be manifested .
How else can we be transformed by the renewal of our minds if we do not understand by the Word of God what God has wrought in us ?
"For as a man thinketh so he is "
if then in his mind he is as an "old man" then his life will reflect it .
Despite the fact of what God has done .
Before times it was the mind of man that ruled . But when we pray "thy kingdom come " It should be understood ';my kingdom go.'
Now the mind of God should rule and govern our thinking and how may we knwo that ?
By the Word of God and the Spirit of God by which were BORN .
in Christ
gerald