Hi Dave
What I believe about a born again believer having diificulty with a certain sin, is its idolatry. Sounds worse though than what it is. There's something in ones life that one cannot lay down. And what I believe happens, is that God lets us play in the mud until we are sick of it and want cleansed. It's brokenness that keeps one in the Lord, not our Do or die being strong.
When we experience the Lord, His mercy, love, forgiveness, it breaks that stubbornness, which is just rebellion, and its lasting. Seeing Him we become like Him.
Its also how we keep our first love.
Someone who thinks that christianity is just doing by rote, hasn't had a heart change. Religion.
Question, would not the one who says to forgive 70 x7, or as He states in the new commandment, to love others as He has loved us, be even more than what He asks of His creation? He forgave all sin ever committed by the world! Just asks us to believe and receive.
Greeting to you as well.
i agree with all that you say above. i would like to expound a bit on your analogy of the "MUD"
Now this is a giant MUD PIT (Pit of Sin). Jesus is clean and not in the Mud, but calling all those in the Mud to come out of the Mud. All those who are Unsaved/Unbelievers they are UNDER the Mud and can't even be seen in the Mud because they are UNDER all the Mud. But Christians can be seen. Now there are Many who are in the Middle of the Pit of Mud. There are Some who appear to be trying to get out of the Mud, these are they that are looking at Jesus and are half out of the Mud and half in the Mud, but trying to crawl out of the Mud to Jesus. Then there are a few who are completely out of the Mud standing with Jesus White as snow.
Now there are people (preachers) who are called to try to get the Unsaved/Unbelievers up from under the Mud and become Saved from being under the Mud, Saved from death, breathe the air, live. These people once they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, are rescued from the Mud, they are white as snow, clean from all things that made them Muddy/dirty, they are clean as Jesus. But then soon after they jump back into the Mud again, even after being made clean.
Now there are people (Family, Friends, Other Christians) who are called to try to encourage those who are half way in the Mud and out of the Mud, encourage them to get out of the Mud. (even if they are also still halfway in the Mud)
Now there are people (Prophets) who are called to warn, exhort, and rebuke those who swimming in the Mud (Living in sin) Thinking they are Heaven bound with no desire to get out of the Mud, These are they that say they are clean but love wallowing in the Mud, and are not willing to get out of the Mud. And if these people exhort them to get out of the Mud they are made fun of, belittled, put down, and the such. Because anyone who teaches against swimming in the Mud is wrong in their eyes (reprobate minds they have)
There is a day coming when there is no more time left. You will either be a good tree or a bad tree. Clean or Muddy. Clean or half clean half muddy (Lukewarm) Those who are clean will be taken with Jesus, those who are Muddy will be left behind.
When a person accepts Jesus as their Savior and Lord, they are taken out of the Mud entirely, they are washed by His Blood, they white as snow, they are CLEAN, and their name is written in the Book of Life. Nothing these did or do can Save them, the free gift is given to anyone who will believe in Jesus. All they had to do is believe in Jesus and He pulls them out of the Mud, cleans them up, and He forgets all their past sins that they have ever done that got them muddy to begin with.
Those who after they accept Jesus and are made Clean, decide to get back in the Mud Pit, are then made dirty again, returning to the mire, their own vomit. These have their names blotted out of the Book of Life, because they chose to obey satan and get back into the Mud Pit again (Heb_10:26 ). But if they get out of the Mud Pit Jesus can make them clean again, white as snow, and their name is Returned into the Book of Life, but only if they get out of the Mud Pit.
my calling is to those who after they have been made white as snow, cleansed by Jesus Christ decide to jump back into the Mud Pit and choose to swim around in it, with no desire to get out of it. These are they that are NOT trying to get sin out of their life, these are they that teach it is impossible to cease from sinning. Even though there is not one sin that a person CAN'T cease from. You can cease from any sin, but these don't want to cease, they like/love to swim in the Mud and have no desire to stop swimming in the Mud. These people swimming in the Mud tell themselves, it is not possible to get out of the Mud, and worse yet they teach others that it is not possible to get out of the Mud, and anyone who is actually trying to get out of the Mud (half in half out) they mock. Saying "Look at those people, they think they actually can get out of the Mud, they don't know it is impossible, lol what idiots" All the while waving to Jesus on the shore, and saying "I Love Him" And these also think that when it is time for Jesus to leave, that He will take them with Him.
Those who are swimming in the Mud Pit, with no desire to get out of it, nor do they think they have to get out of it, will indeed be left behind.
But those who are trying to get out of the Mud Pit, these are they that seek the help of Jesus who is on the shore, and He will help them, because these desire to get out of the Mud Pit. If they keep their eyes on Jesus they will eventually get out of the Mud Pit. But if they are constantly looking away from Jesus and toward all those Christians who are having fun and swimming in the Mud Pit, looking all happy, and praising God at the same time, and they desire to return to the Pit to swim in it, then it will be harder for them to get out of the Pit.
First learn to hate the Mud Pit. Learn to despise swimming in it, then it will be easier to keep your eyes on Jesus. And when your feet is the only thing left in the Mud, is when Jesus will reach down and take you out of it entirely. The Battle is getting to that point. If you are waist deep in the Mud Pit, You will have a lot of work to do to get to the point where you are only Knee deep in the Mud Pit. And when you are knee deep in the Mud Pit, you have a lot of work to get to the point where only your feet are in the Mud. OH and nobody ever WALKS out of the Mud Pit. YOU CRAWL out of it on your belly. The Mud Pit has no bottom to stand on. So if you desire to get out of it. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Swim to Him, then crawl out of the Mud Pit.
Know you not that Jesus is beckoning all of you to get out of the Mud Pit.
Those who continue to live in sin are swimming in the Mud Pit.
Those who are trying to cease from sin, are trying to get out of the Mud Pit.
Which one are you? Are you trying to cease from sinning? Or do you think you don't have to cease from them and you are still Clean?
Those who are washed by His Blood are they that are clean.
1Jn_1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness (MUDDY)
, we lie, and do not the truth: But IF (Conditional)
we walk in the light, as he is in the light (CLEAN),
we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (NO longer in the Mud Pit).
When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you were taken from under the Mud Pit and cleaned, made white as snow. When you chose to continue to live in sin, you jumped back into the Mud Pit. Now it is time to get out of the Mud Pit, walk in the light so the blood of Jesus can Cleanse you from all sin. But those who are Muddy claiming to be washed by His Blood, are deceived and do not know the TRUTH. Your Master is to whom you obey. if you are obeying satan and living in sin, you are NOT cleansed but are in the Mud Pit. i have told you the Truth, and it is my hope that you will go to the Scriptures and see if all these things i say is TRUE. But i already know, those who love to be in the Mud, will not search the Scriptures to see if what i say is TRUE, they will say that what i teach is UNTRUE based on some false doctrine that they hold on to, anything, just as long as they don't have to get out of the Mud Pit.
^i^
††† In His Holy and Precious Name, Jesus Christ †††
DiscipleDave