Always Believing
Member
Good question, thanks. I personally am not sinning with a work of the flesh now, as no Christian ought to be. However, we are warned against being high-minded and forsaking the fear of the Lord by righteous boasting.
Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
And so, John warns us not to think we are above temptation, as though we no more have any sin on earth that can tempt us, so that the devil doesn't even bother to anymore. Such highmindedness would boast that we will not sin in the future.
Being that perfected in the mind and body will only be in the resurrection from the dead.
We have available to us all the divine power and grace of Christ that we need, to not be sinning and to continue without sinning, but because we are still in this mortal flesh, then we must always stay on guard against temptation from the devil.
I am not sinning now today, and I can continue in Jesus' righteousness tomorrow, but I don't take thought for it, nor boast of it, as though I have already arrived in the first resurrection of the blessed saints:
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.
If I got you right you are not doing the works of the flesh and sinning, and you know you don't have to anymore, but you will not definitively say you won't, because you believe that is pride. You will not say you will commit sinning, like I believe I will, but you won't so you won't sin again on earth in order to stay humble and dependent on God not to do it?
You are a Christian saint not doing the works of the flesh, and you believe in order to stay that way, you should not get proud and start boasting of it, but just take it one day at a time as the song goes.
And you also say that only when resurrected will anyone be able to say for sure they will never sin again? Why is that? Why not now? You don't have Jesus now like you will then?
What do you say of Jesus believers still sinning like me? Are we going to be in the resurrection? Don't worry about the last questions if you don't want to, because in one way it doesn't matter to me. I know what I believe and who I am trusting in, and how I am doing that, and I don't claim to be a Christian saint like you, and that doesn't mean you aren't. But I am interested in your take on it.