MickHewitt
Well-known member
1John certainly focuses on what love is.
Is Not Sinning Enough?
- Thread starter BARNABY THE DOG.
- Start date
Serenity
Well-known member
Paul's example and words show us the struggle between our spiritual side and our inherited imperfection, our "fleshly" side. At times we fail to be the kind of person that we desire to be, and we disappoint ourselves, "oh miserable man that I am". Even the continuing daily struggle with our inherited imperfection is a test of our love and our faith. This requires patient endurance. "The one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved." But, certainly there will be greater and major tests of our love.
"For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin. For I do not understand what I am doing. For I do not practice what I wish, but I do what I hate. However, if I do what I do not wish, I agree that the Law is fine. But now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that resides in me. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, there dwells nothing good; for I have the desire to do what is fine but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good that I wish, but the bad that I do not wish is what I practice. If, then, I do what I do not wish, I am no longer the one carrying it out, but it is the sin dwelling in me.
I find, then, this law in my case: When I wish to do what is right, what is bad is present with me. I really delight in the law of God according to the man I am within, but I see in my body another law warring against the law of my mind and leading me captive to sin’s law that is in my body. Miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body undergoing this death? Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, then, with my mind I myself am a slave to God’s law, but with my flesh to sin’s law. Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, then, with my mind I myself am a slave to God’s law, but with my flesh to sin’s law.Romans 7:14-25.
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Serenity
Well-known member
In the present imperfect, sinful state, true and total perfection is not possible, as we are still under sin's law, our flesh that is. That is why the Christian needs the benefits of the ransom sacrifice to cover over where he fails. The righteousness of the Christian is not his own or of himself, it is attributed to him by God through the ransom. This doesn't mean that we cannot make progress or changes however, as we are told to strip off the old personality and put on the new. But total perfection is beyond our ability in our imperfect state. And, under the law, if one failed in one area, it was a failure to keep the Law, and meant condemnation, therefore the continual sacrifices were offered for sins. Our sacrifice is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
"But now apart from law God’s righteousness has been revealed, as the Law and the Prophets bear witness, yes, God’s righteousness through the faith in Jesus Christ, for all those having faith. For there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus. God presented him as an offering for propitiation through faith in his blood. This was to demonstrate his own righteousness, because God in his forbearance was forgiving the sins that occurred in the past. This was to demonstrate his own righteousness in this present season, so that he might be righteous even when declaring righteous the man who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:21-26.
God attributes righteousness to those with faith in Jesus Christ, even though, and while, they are in an imperfect sinful state:
"Where, then, is the boasting? There is no place for it. Through what law? That of works? No indeed, but through the law of faith. For we consider that a man is declared righteous by faith apart from works of law." Romans 3:27, 28
"But now apart from law God’s righteousness has been revealed, as the Law and the Prophets bear witness, yes, God’s righteousness through the faith in Jesus Christ, for all those having faith. For there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus. God presented him as an offering for propitiation through faith in his blood. This was to demonstrate his own righteousness, because God in his forbearance was forgiving the sins that occurred in the past. This was to demonstrate his own righteousness in this present season, so that he might be righteous even when declaring righteous the man who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:21-26.
God attributes righteousness to those with faith in Jesus Christ, even though, and while, they are in an imperfect sinful state:
"Where, then, is the boasting? There is no place for it. Through what law? That of works? No indeed, but through the law of faith. For we consider that a man is declared righteous by faith apart from works of law." Romans 3:27, 28
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Serenity
Well-known member
Charles T. Russell, as mentioned prdviously, placed great emphasis on the importance of the development of the Christian character, following the model of Jesus Christ. In this regard, he gave a talk entitled, Love Is The Principle Thing. The following is an excerpt from that talk in the portion undef the heading Faith, Hope, Love:
"But when he speaks of love, the Apostle declares that it is the greatest of all. Why? we ask. Indeed many would be inclined to suppose that love would be much less important than any other quality. They speak of rugged, rude faith and hope, and of rugged characters whose lives represent little of love. Where shall we set our standards, our ideals as New Creatures? What shall we strive for most particularly? The Apostle's declaration is that love is the greatest of these great qualities; but his advice is very contrary to the sentiment of the world. It tells us that if we have love, we cannot be successful, that the quality would interfere with us whatever our ideals might be. From the world's standpoint love would hinder a politician from crushing down others that he might rise to prominence himself; love would hinder the merchant from crushing his competitors that he might amass the larger fortune. Large love for others, they tell us, would lead us to esteem others better than ourselves, and mean that we would be hindered in the great race that is going on amongst men for riches and honor and power. Shall we heed to the world's advice or shall we follow the Divinely inspired testimony of the Apostle?
The two standpoints are totally different. The New Creatures cannot follow the advice of the world; to do so would be to renounce and deny all the new ideals we have accepted, and toward which we have been laboring. If as New Creatures we would gain the great prize of our calling in Christ Jesus, we must hearken to Him that speaketh from Heaven; we must hearken to the words of the Lord through the Apostles and Prophets; we must note our Master's testimony, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another"; "Herein shall all men know that ye are My disciples if ye have love one for another." (John 13:34,35.) His [SM280] further message through the Apostle is, "Love is the fulfilling of the Law"; and again, in our text, "Love is the principal thing," the greatest thing in the world.
"The New Creature must attain this character of love; for all of his hopes depend upon his attaining this character-likeness of his Lord. Otherwise he will not be fit for the Kingdom or be granted a place in the elect Little Flock, which is to inherit it and to be used of the Lord during the Millennium for the blessing and uplifting of the world in general out of sin, degradation and death. Love is the principal thing, then; for whatever knowledge we might gain, whatever talents we might possess, whatever faith, whatever hope, none of these could bring us to the Kingdom. They can all merely assist us in developing this love-character which is the Kingdom test – the fulfilling of the Law. Nor do we mean that the perfection of love-character can be manifest in our fallen flesh. Its weakness, its kinks, its peculiarities are hindrances so that the Apostle declares, "We cannot do the things that we would." (Gal. 5:17.) But our hearts must be up to this love standard; we must will lovingly. In our hearts we must love the Lord supremely, we must love the brethren, we must love our neighbors, we must love our enemies; and if we so do, the effect will be that so much as lieth in us this love will be manifested to others in our words, in our looks, in our tones, in our actions. Whatever imperfection there is in the matter must not be of the heart but merely of the flesh, and such imperfection because of heredity is counted a part of what our Lord redeemed us from and the merit of His sacrifice is counted as covering all those unwilling blemishes so that the love of our hearts carried out in our lives to the extent of our ability is counted of the Lord as perfect love – perfection of character. Such are counted copies of God's dear Son, who was in turn a copy of the Father, an image of God – "the express image of His glorious person." – Heb. 1:3."
End of excerpt.
"But when he speaks of love, the Apostle declares that it is the greatest of all. Why? we ask. Indeed many would be inclined to suppose that love would be much less important than any other quality. They speak of rugged, rude faith and hope, and of rugged characters whose lives represent little of love. Where shall we set our standards, our ideals as New Creatures? What shall we strive for most particularly? The Apostle's declaration is that love is the greatest of these great qualities; but his advice is very contrary to the sentiment of the world. It tells us that if we have love, we cannot be successful, that the quality would interfere with us whatever our ideals might be. From the world's standpoint love would hinder a politician from crushing down others that he might rise to prominence himself; love would hinder the merchant from crushing his competitors that he might amass the larger fortune. Large love for others, they tell us, would lead us to esteem others better than ourselves, and mean that we would be hindered in the great race that is going on amongst men for riches and honor and power. Shall we heed to the world's advice or shall we follow the Divinely inspired testimony of the Apostle?
The two standpoints are totally different. The New Creatures cannot follow the advice of the world; to do so would be to renounce and deny all the new ideals we have accepted, and toward which we have been laboring. If as New Creatures we would gain the great prize of our calling in Christ Jesus, we must hearken to Him that speaketh from Heaven; we must hearken to the words of the Lord through the Apostles and Prophets; we must note our Master's testimony, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another"; "Herein shall all men know that ye are My disciples if ye have love one for another." (John 13:34,35.) His [SM280] further message through the Apostle is, "Love is the fulfilling of the Law"; and again, in our text, "Love is the principal thing," the greatest thing in the world.
"The New Creature must attain this character of love; for all of his hopes depend upon his attaining this character-likeness of his Lord. Otherwise he will not be fit for the Kingdom or be granted a place in the elect Little Flock, which is to inherit it and to be used of the Lord during the Millennium for the blessing and uplifting of the world in general out of sin, degradation and death. Love is the principal thing, then; for whatever knowledge we might gain, whatever talents we might possess, whatever faith, whatever hope, none of these could bring us to the Kingdom. They can all merely assist us in developing this love-character which is the Kingdom test – the fulfilling of the Law. Nor do we mean that the perfection of love-character can be manifest in our fallen flesh. Its weakness, its kinks, its peculiarities are hindrances so that the Apostle declares, "We cannot do the things that we would." (Gal. 5:17.) But our hearts must be up to this love standard; we must will lovingly. In our hearts we must love the Lord supremely, we must love the brethren, we must love our neighbors, we must love our enemies; and if we so do, the effect will be that so much as lieth in us this love will be manifested to others in our words, in our looks, in our tones, in our actions. Whatever imperfection there is in the matter must not be of the heart but merely of the flesh, and such imperfection because of heredity is counted a part of what our Lord redeemed us from and the merit of His sacrifice is counted as covering all those unwilling blemishes so that the love of our hearts carried out in our lives to the extent of our ability is counted of the Lord as perfect love – perfection of character. Such are counted copies of God's dear Son, who was in turn a copy of the Father, an image of God – "the express image of His glorious person." – Heb. 1:3."
End of excerpt.
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