'd rather deal with your arguments here than be referred elsewhere. You keep quoting verses that talk about the need to not *practice sin,* which has nothing whatsoever to do with being sinless. It is well understood that none of us is sinless, which of course all of the apostles stated. And so, you twist the idea of living in righteousness to mean "living in perfection." This is going to seriously hurt you brother, because you'll end up in condemnation ultimately.
You seem to think that the term "sinless" is inextricably connected to the term "perfect".
It is not.
A person can be perfected and yet not be sinless.
When the element of indwelling sin is rendered dead within the individual (Romans 6:6, Galatians 5:24, Romans 7:8), that individual is perfected; but he is not sinless.
He still has indwelling sin; and yet does not have to walk in a sinful manner because the element of sin has been rendered dead within him.
Heb 10.The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.
This has nothing whatsoever to do with losing any "consciousness of sin!" It is an argument that we are *always* conscious of our sin, since those under the Law were constantly reminded, by their sacrifices for their sins, that they were guilty of those sins.
In the same way, every time we pray the Lord's Prayer, confessing our sins, we are ever conscious of our innate sinfulness and need for mercy. But being that we live by grace, and produce the righteousness of grace, we know that our righteousness comes from Christ as a perfect being and covers our imperfections. This is the righteousness of grace, a virtue that flows from Christ to us, and is replicated by us through his Spirit, and yet issues with all of our flaws, which are forgiven and cleansed.
What the passage above says is that the Law, as it was being practiced, showed Israel that their forgiveness was temporary, and that eternal life remained elusive until Christ could come and make a final sacrifice for sin. Temporary sacrifices only bring forgiveness temporarily, until the very next moment our sin nature is exposed. But an eternal sacrifice covers our entire sin nature, enabling us to live for God and partake of His righteousness *by grace.*
I think that you are not seeing the passage in the way that it was intended to be understood.
It clearly says in the passage that those who have been perfected will have no more conscience of sins.
So, either they are not sinning any more; or else they have become psychotic.
Perhaps the fact that you are not reading it in the kjv is the reason for your confusion.
The psychosis will come for you if you go on living a lie! You have a sin nature, and your abiding in Christ's righteousness will not erase that. You need to live in righteousness *by grace,* so that you qualify to live for God *despite your flaws!*
When the element of sin is rendered dead within the believer (Romans 6:6, Galatians 5:24, Romans 7:8), it no longer has any say over his behaviour (Romans 6:14). We are no longer obligated to obey the flesh (Romans 8:12 (kjv, NLT)).
You have a good conscience both because you are living an obedient life and because you repent of your shortcomings. You need *both,* brother!
To be "perfect" means to be "in obedience." It does not mean to be obedient and sinless. Jesus viewed perfection as obedience to God's word. But under the Law obedience to God's word never meant to be sinless. It only meant to carry out what God knew we were capable of, even in our sin nature.
We all have indwelling sin; while that does not mean that we are obligated to obey the flesh or to sin at any moment in the future.
The element of sin can be rendered dead (Romans 6:6, Galatians 5:24, Romans 7:8) so that it doesn't any longer have any say over our behaviour (Romans 6:14). We are not obligated to obey the flesh (Romans 8:12 (kjv, NLT)).
Therefore we can walk consistently according to the Spirit for an extended period of time; even for the rest of our lives (Luke 1:74-75; 1 John 3:6, 1 John 2:17).
If we walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us (Romans 8:4); which means that we do not sin (1 John 3:4-9).
