Not of Faith...can you explain what you mean by that?
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit, do not utterly reject prophecies, but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good, abstain from every form of evil.
Did you notice this single instruction in the verses above. This one instruction unravels what a life lived by faith really means.
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pray without ceasing"
It may take some time for Paul's instruction to sink in. But when you understand what Paul is saying, you will understand what a living, active faith, really is!
The Christian life is not an ethical or even a moral journey, unfortunately. The Christian life is a spiritual existence of constant prayer, love, and a deep, sound faith in Jesus Christ. Sound's fanatical, sounds extreme, you will even lose your life. You bet it's extreme.
To be focused on Jesus, twenty four seven, is what Paul was preaching.
I was devastated when I first understood that statement.
Anything, that is not paramount to a complete devotion to Jesus Christ is sin.
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pray without ceasing"
There is no other way to read that statement by Paul, it cannot be interpretated into a more palatable form. It can be ignored, even dismissed, but it still stands as a window, a clear insight. Into what faith in Jesus Christ actually meant in the first century.
Anything that is not of faith is sin.
Sin is everything else you may do, that is not the living, active, spirit filled life in Christ.