Well what do you know.
It's true that those who are born of God do not practice sin and the idea of "practice" is to perform habitually and thus describes repetition or continuous action. This describes the practice as habitual, as one's lifestyle or bent of life with no goal or effort to stop. No regret, no repentance, just bring it on!
Yes and in regards to Hebrews 10:26, to "sin willfully" in the Greek carries the idea of deliberate intention that is habitual, which stems from rejecting Christ deliberately. This is CONTINUOUS ACTION - A MATTER OF PRACTICE. Now we don't walk along our daily life and "accidentally" fall into a pit called sin. We exercise our will but, the use of the participle clearly shows a CONTINUOUS ACTION. The unrighteous practice sin (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21); not the righteous, who are born of God - (1 Corinthians 6:11; 1 John 3:9).
We're actually a lot closer in agreement than you may believe.
Everything you say above is right as I see it too.
I don't even know what willfully sin means...all sin is willful.
If we sin and do not know it,,,it's not counted as sin.
In the O.T. sacrifices were made for unknown sins...
In the New Covenant these sins are covered by Jesus and our being IN Him.
He is our perpetual sacrifice. He has presented Himself to God as the Priests used to do in the Holy of Holies, except in His case it's one time forever.
Hebrews 5 speaks to this.
As to the continuous action of a particular sin, I'd have to say that if we are battling that sin and are sorry for it, that will certainly be taken into account. We can trust a JUST God and a MERCIFUL God.
Hebrews 4:15
As you know by now,,,I DO have a problem with saying we obey because we love ---which is true,
but the fact is that we have to obey no matter what. Hebrews speaks to this too.
Hebrews 3:18
unbelieving and disobeying is the same in Greek...check it out. I hate lexicons.
So the opposite is also true....believing is obeying.
I also have a problem with OSAS because of a lot of scripture...
Here's one from Hebrews:
3:12-14
12Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
13But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
14For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,
How does one explain that away if believing in OSAS??
Paul is speaking to brethren.
He says THEIR heart could fall away from the living God.
He says that through sin one's heart can become hardened (a believer's heart).
He says we have become PARTAKERS OF CHRIST
IF we hold fast till the end.
The only explanation is that we can become lost again.
In the same state we were before.
2 Peter 2:20
20For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
And why is it worse?
Because at least before they didn't know the living God.
To whom much is given....
