Sept. 29, 2024

Christianity and Sin Pt 2

Christianity and Sin Pt 2

We conclude our look at how Christianity has tried to explain the reality of sin throughout church history.

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We conclude our look at how Christianity has tried to explain the reality of sin throughout church history.

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All right, and the first out, well, actually this goes

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all the way back to last week. We've been talking

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about it all week on the podcast. I'll just try

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to summarize to get us where we need to go.

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The basic concept, the basic idea is this that whether

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anyone wants to admit it, whether Christians want to admit it,

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whether churches want to admit it, the one thing is

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that the Christian life is a life of sin. It

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is a life of sin because Christians continue to sin,

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and Christians can never be sinless or perfect. Now that

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raises thousands and thousands and thousands of questions, and it

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should bother It should bother every Christian. The fact that

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so many Christians don't let this bother them is confusing

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to me.

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But it doesn't.

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Basically, Christians are okay with all kinds of sins, right,

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but then there are certain sins that they're not okay with,

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And it's really weird how they draw the distinction. But

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the reality is the Christian life is a life of sin.

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It's not one of victory. It's not one of overcoming

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sin in this life because we're never going to be

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anywhere close to perfect. So we last week we spent

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the first hour looking at how lordship is incapable of

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really addressing this issue. And then I recommended a book

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for everyone on the podcast called Six Secrets of the

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Christian Life. I only recommended it because if another book

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trying to offer a solution to this problem, even though

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I don't solution is maddening, which we'll talk about in

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a minute. And so that's what we're kind of looking at.

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And we're looking at and I'm not going to go

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back through everything.

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We covered last week.

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So the book Six Secrets of the Christian Life, Chapter

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one offers their so called solution to this problem.

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All right, ready for me to break this down for you.

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We covered this in the first hour, so just pay

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close attention and I'll try to help you through this

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so that you can remember it.

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In the book, they put forth this theory. Are you ready?

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Number one, the Christian body is dead.

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The Christian's body is dead. Now, I know you're like,

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wait a minute, what do you mean by dad. We'll

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explain in a minute.

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But if you are a.

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Christian, your body is dead according to this view. Number two,

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if you are a Christian, everything in the inside, your nature,

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your heart, everything has been transformed, it's been changed, it's new.

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Everything on the inside is good. All right.

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So you know how I always say the call is

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coming from inside the house. Well, they would argue that

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God came into the house, found the serial killer, took

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the serial killer out. So now all the calls coming

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from inside the house are what perfect and good because

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you have been completely transformed on the inside. Right, So

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number one, the body is dead. Number two inside is perfect.

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Number three, the body, because it is dead, cannot respond

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to the new nature. And this is where the problem lies.

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This is their kind of solution. All right, Hey, the

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body is dead. The inside is perfect, but the body

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cannot respond to the nature. So you have this duality,

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you have this conflict. So then what question should you have?

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What questions should this bring to your mind? Well, then

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how do I get my body to respond to my nature?

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If my nature is perfect and I can get my

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body to respond to the nature, what should be the

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inevitable result perfection? Now the fact that nobody can get

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to perfection would tell me then that there's somehow this

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is never going to work.

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Correct.

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Well, guess what their solution was to get the body?

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Well that number four, they would say, the body needs

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what a resurrection that can happen in this life? And

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if I can get my body to be resurrected, then

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my body will be alive to my new nature. Therefore,

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I don't say this. This is where the Christianity never

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wants to admit this. But even that supposedly won't get

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us to true perfection, which makes no sense. Right If

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the body and the nature are both transformed, then perfection

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should occur. So what do they suggest to try to

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bring about this resurrection? I need a mirror, So I'm

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supposed to take the Bible, hold it up to my face,

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and this is and then they abandon resurrection language all

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of a sudden. Now I'm supposed to look at the

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Bible and this is slowly going to transform me, which

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now they've abandoned the very concept they put forth in

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the first chapter, which is supposed to be a resurrection.

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Transformation is not what resurrection resurrection would be. What instant

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transformation is slow, So the whole thing becomes convoluted and confused.

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So we're like, wow, and what does this demonstrate? Christianity

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does not have an answer to the problem. I think

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there's some answers, but nobody in Christianity wants to hear

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the answers, because Christianity wants to continue to sell the

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nonsense that when you become a Christian you're a new creature,

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old things passed away and you can basically be perfect

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and good. And that does not come from historical Christianity.

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All right, historical Christianity. And I started the first hour

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by doing this. Guess what is happening in every churches

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all across America this morning that still hold to some

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resemblance of historical Christianity. Well, those who still hold some

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connection to historical Christianity will begin their worship service this

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morning by saying something like this. If we say we

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have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is

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not in us. But if we confess our sins, God,

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who is faithful and Jess, will forgive us our sins

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and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, Most Merciful God, we

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confess that we are.

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In bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.

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There are churches today that before the worship or in

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the beginning of the worship service will confess that the

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very people there are still in.

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Bondage to sin.

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You go to almost any Evangelical Reformed Baptist church.

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They would lose their mind to hear.

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That, because they would say, we're no longer in bondage

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descin we have been set free from the.

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Power of sin.

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That's what almost every church in Abelian would teach, other

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than those who hold to that kind of confession, which

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would be Catholics and Lutherans and Episcopalians, maybe a few

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Presbyterians maybe, but even in their theology, they would end

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up contradicting the very confession. If you say we're not

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in bondage to sin, then what should be the inevitable

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result of not being in the bondage to sin?

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Perfection?

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If you can't get to perfection, the thing keeping you

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from perfection you're in bondage to.

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It's not deep that.

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You don't need to go to Bible college to figure

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that out. That's just reasonable discussion. So what is the

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answer to all of this? Well, what we started doing

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in the first hour is we took a journey through

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Christian history, and what we're doing is we're looking at

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how Christianity throughout history has tried to answer this problem

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or try to address this problem. All right, are you

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ready for how Christianity has tried to address this problem. Right,

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the first view was what for those who are in

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the first hour progressive sanctification. Progressive sanctification, this is the

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idea that slowly God is making us more holy? Right,

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what is the problem with this view? Well, if God

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is making us holy, why do we never get to perfection?

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And so then the question would be what is keeping

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us from perfection? Whatever is keeping me from perfection then

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would be stronger than God. That's a problem, everyone understand.

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What would be a second problem? If God is doing it,

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why would he do it progressively? If he wants me

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to be holy, he could do it what instantaneously? And

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if God is the one progressively doing it, any lack

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of sanctification in my life would be Who's fault?

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God's? This just leads to countless problems. And so we

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looked at that and we said, we have an issue

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with it all right, So that's number one. Progressive sanctification.

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Number two will refer to this as the doctrine of

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original sin. Even though many say they believe in the

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doctrine of original sin day this is where they deny it.

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And so when we talk about the doctrine of original sin.

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There's two major names we need to remember, and those

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two names are Augustine and Luther. All right, and what

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was a key element in their teaching that even as

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save people, we still have a sinful nature. Now, this

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is denied by almost every church you've ever been in,

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at least even though they may admit it, they almost

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immediately contradict it because they will say, you have a

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new heart, you have a new nature. Well, I have

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a new heart and a new nature. Do I still

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have the old? And then you get into this weird thing.

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Some people say, you have a new nature but an

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old heart, or you have a new heart but an

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old nature, And nobody can really explain how the makeup

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is inside of us, and it gets really convoluted and confusing,

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and nobody can really articulate it. Augustine and Luther were

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pretty straight on this. Saint Augustine's doctrine of original sin

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had a lasting impact on how Christianity. Christianity understands the

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human condition. Augustine taught that all humans are born with

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the sinful nature inherited from Adam. Even after salvation, Christians

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retained the fallen nature, making sin an ever present reality.

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The persistence of sin is not abnormal.

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It is part of human existence until glorification. Now the fact, no,

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if I was to say that in most churches, I

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would be fired that probably tonight or Monday. I cannot

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say in most churches that sin is not abnormal. It's

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the normal reality of the Christian life. Now, Christians don't

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want to admit that, right, nobody. This is my work

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called hypocrites because we try to claim, Oh, I'm a

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new creature.

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Old has passed away, everything is new. I can do it. Well,

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if I can do it, then do it. Don't talk

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about it, but can we do it? No, we continue

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to sin.

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Augustine acknowledge that sin is not abnormal. It is the

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normal experience. And again, I can demonstrate this in just

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five seconds. You know what I'm gonna say. I can

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give you a couple of commands. Be holy as God

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is holy.

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Have you ever done that?

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No?

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Will you ever do that? No? That means you're in

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a perpetual state of sin.

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How come we act like we? If we acknowledge sin

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is a normal part of our life, then we should

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not be shocked when anyone sins. Right, we shouldn't be

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shocked when a pastor sins. We shouldn't be shocked when

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someone a parishioner sins. So church discipline is not so

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much about punishing sin. Church discipline would only really apply

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to what when someone will not repent.

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Or admit the sin. All right, that's really the way

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it should work.

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I know that nobody wants to address that, but that's

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really the way it should work.

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Okay, So how was Luther's view?

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Luther believed that we are at the very same time

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saint and sinner, or at the very same time we

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are justified and a sinner at the very same time, we're.

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Both, all right, So what was Luther's view? At the

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same time we're both and so what did he say?

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As Christians, we always have a sinful nature, but we

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are declared righteous by God, by God through faith in Christ.

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The Christian life is therefore a continual dependence on God's grace,

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rather than a life of sinless victory. So Luther would say,

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the life, the Christian life is a continual reliance on

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God's grace. It's not sinlessness, it's not even victorious.

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It's a life of perpetual defeat.

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Now I know, to say that would would would utterly

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nobody would want to believe that, but it's the case,

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all right. So then we ended with the Wesleyan holiness movement. Now,

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what is frustrating about the Wesleyan Holiness movement is they

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sound like and sometimes their view is called Christian perfectionism.

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But what did even they teach even in being perfect,

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you're not yet really perfect, so you can reach a

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level of perfection, but they even have to admit you're

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still white.

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Sinning.

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So even in a perfectionist movement, they have to believe

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you can't be perfec which is kind of ridiculous, correct,

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all right, So this brings us to the number four,

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the Catholic approach. All right, what are going to be

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the two elements to the Catholic approach?

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What do you think?

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Sacraments and confession? Sacraments and confession? All right, here's how

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they would describe it, all right. They would hold to

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a sacramental theology. In Catholicism, the sacraments, especially confession, play

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a key role in addressing the ongoing presence of sin.

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Catholics recognize that while baptism cleanses the believer from original sin,

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venial sins continue to be a part of life.

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Did you hear that? Do you notice what they just did?

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All right, so what does baptism do washes away original sin?

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So then, but venial sins are going to still be

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a part of the Christian life. So now already that's

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playing a little game, is it not?

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Okay?

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But in some ways it sounds a lot like Christianity

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does it?

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Think about it?

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They believe that baptism washes away original sin. Most churches

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and most Christians you know, would say in salvation, basically,

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original sin has been done away with. Your corrupt nature

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is gone. But what's still going to be in your life?

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They may allow They still, even though I don't call it,

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they will allow for venial sins.

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Does anybody get in trouble for venial sins? No, you don't.

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Even there's not even the threat of church discipline for

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venial sins. Nobody gets in trouble for venial sins. Then

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we'll kind of say, well, nobody's perfect. We'll throw it

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out there.

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But if you commit a mortal sin, then you're finished. Well, wait,

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who gets to determine which is the mortal sin and

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which is the venial sin? That's number one? And then

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number two.

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Though, if we admit that we still have a sinful nature,

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can I control which sin I'm going to commit?

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That becomes a major.

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Theological and the philosophical issue as well. Let's read a

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little bit more about the Catholic view. Regular confession and

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participation in the Eucharist are seen as means of receiving

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grace to combat sin. So I have to continue to

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get grace in order to combat sin. And how do

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I get that grace? The sacraments and confession? The sacraments

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and confession, The sacraments and confession. I gotta continue to

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get something, right, I gotta continue. In some ways, Evangelical

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Christianity follows the same concept.

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Right.

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They wouldn't say we need sacrament and confession, but they

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would say, what, well, we need good preaching, or we

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need to read our Bible more, or we need to

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do this, or we need to do that, or we

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need a conference, or we need there's always these additional

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things we need, which again makes no sense. If I'm

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a new creature in Christ and the old things have

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the older has gone, and everything is new, I.

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Shouldn't need what anything.

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And Christian every church you go to, and even in

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abilee will tell you, oh, you've got the power of

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God working in you. Will have got power of God

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is working in me. I don't need anything else.

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I should be perfect because God is all powerful. If

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an all powerful.

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God cannot get me to perfection, then why do I

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need to go to.

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Church to get it right?

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Because You're not going to be able to give me

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something he can't correct. The sacrament of penance provides a

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way for believers to continue to return to God's grace

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after falling into sin. This practice acknowledges the ongoing struggle

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with sin while providing a concrete means of restoration. That's

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the one good thing I do love about the Catholic

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view is at least there's what an ongoing system of restoration.

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There's an ongoing system within the evangelical world. There's you

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reach a certain level of sin, you're kind of dune,

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You're finished.

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You're always gonna be viewed. They're gonna they're gonna take you.

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Out back and brand you with a letter, and you're

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always gonna be seen as that.

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Now after you.

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Say no, right before I'm saying it, that is such

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that that is such a Protestant game, Right I could

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I could go to Vegas, sleep with fifty prostitutes and

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get completely drunk and be addicted to drugs for fifteen years,

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and then all of a sudden walk into a church.

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I believe in Jesus.

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Then all my sins are gone, and guess what, everything

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is good, nothing's gonna be held against me. But if

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I do even one of those things after salvation, I'm finished, basically,

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I'm especially if you're a pastor, you're finished.

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You're done.

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But but there's all these other sins I can commit

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as a pastor. And yeah, you guys don't even what

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dan blink, even if you know, right, there's just some

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sins I can't commit, right, which it should be better.

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What should be stated. Really, what churches should do is

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what churches should do is say, look, the churches should.

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Make a list.

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Every church should of all the sins of pastor can

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commit and all the sins of pastor can't commit, or

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would not just be Yeah, wouldn't that just be a

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more honest way. Hey, if you're going to be a

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pastor in this church, we're cool with these sins, but

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we're not cool with these now no church would say

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they're cool.

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But the reality is they are cool with it.

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Your churches don't like that language, because that would make

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it look really weird, wouldn't it.

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Okay?

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All right, So there's the Catholic approach, sure, right right now?

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Number five, we'll call this legalism and moralism. Legalism and moralism.

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All right, everybody ready for this to refer to this

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as effort based holiness.

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Effort based holiness.

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Some Christian traditions have responded to the reality of sin

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by emphasizing strict adherents.

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To moral laws and rules.

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Legalism suggests that sin can be minimized through disciplined living,

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moral effort, and sometimes a rigid set of dos and don'ts.

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This approach often fails to account for the deeper internal

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reality of sin, focusing more on outward behavior that sounds

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like Christianity in general, does it not? So what is

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this going to emphasize? Do this, don't do this, do this,

356
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don't do this, do this, don't do a lot of

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list of rules, dos and don'ts. Right, and then it's

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going to focus on your external behavior, not necessarily of

359
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the internal reality.

360
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And many of you have been in churches this way.

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It's about the dos and.

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Don'ts, and some cases sounds like just a twelve step

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program of here's the steps you have to take. Don't

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watch this, don't do this, and then all your sin,

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almost inevitably is the result of what external things. Right,

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if I don't watch this, if I don't go to

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this movie, if I don't play cards, if I don't

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do this, if I don't wear this, if I don't

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do this, if I don't dance, if I don't listen

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to this, then I'm good, and everything's focused on the external,

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even though the and it almost denies the reality of

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the internal. Now I'm not shocked that they would deny

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the reality of the internal. Why because almost all of

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evangelicalism says, what about the internal.

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It's new, it's changed.

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So then they see, then there shouldn't be a problem

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with you doing the dues and the don'ts. But in

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those churches where they have all the dues and don'ts,

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what almost inevitably happens, there's people who don't.

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Do the dues and they do the donts.

381
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Because it doesn't address the reality of the problem, and

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you almost then always blame something else for the reason

383
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that you did the dues.

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And the don'ts.

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It's always blamed something externally right right perfectionism. In some denominations,

386
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this is a part of legalism and moralism. So we

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have the effort based holiness. In this system, you also

388
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have a perfectionism. Some strands of Christianity, particular and certain

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Pentecostal and charismatic circles promote a victorious Christian life that

390
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downplays or denies the ongoing reality of sin.

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This can lead to guilt and disillusionment when believers find

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they cannot live up to these expectations. I think it

393
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lives up to just redefining sin. But people convince themselves

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that they can do it. They can do it.

395
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This is just a very works based system. And so

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what do you do when you feel guilty? You just

397
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double down on the things you'll do. So you'll say what,

398
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I'm gonna read my Bible more. I'm going to study more.

399
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I'm going to pray more. I may fast, i may

400
00:22:08.200 --> 00:22:10.880
go to church more. I may buy this book, i

401
00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:14.359
may go to this conference. I may get an accountability partner.

402
00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:16.359
I'm gonna do that. I may have go to a

403
00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:18.720
small group. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna and it's

404
00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:21.279
all this do do and maybe for a time you

405
00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:22.640
feel like you're doing Because you're.

406
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Doing all these things, you feel what great?

407
00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:29.480
Now it all comes down to how sensitive sensitive you

408
00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:31.920
are to sin? Right, But if you'll just for five

409
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seconds realize, wait a minute, I can be doing all

410
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of these things. But what is the inevitable reality of

411
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the Christian life? I mean, I'll go through the basic scriptures.

412
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Be ye, holy as God is holy?

413
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Do you do it? No? Love God with all your

414
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heart and mind, body and soul. Do you do it? No?

415
00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:53.319
Love your enemy, turn the other cheek, put away wrath,

416
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you know, anger, bitterness, do all things without grumbling or complaining.

417
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I mean, are you are you getting convicted yet? Meaning

418
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that no matter, you can do all these things, but

419
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you're still what and a perpetual state of sin. The

420
00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:15.240
only thing the legalistic moralistic system works is you just

421
00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:18.200
have to now focus only on certain sins and you

422
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and denied the internal reality of sin? And this does

423
00:23:21.359 --> 00:23:26.359
this create? Does this fix the problem? Doesn't fix anything?

424
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Does it all? Right? So? What was Number one? Does

425
00:23:30.839 --> 00:23:34.920
sanctification as a as a process? Right? Number two? The

426
00:23:34.920 --> 00:23:36.960
doctrine of original sin? Number three?

427
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The Wesleyan and Holiness movement number four, the Catholic approach

428
00:23:42.279 --> 00:23:48.799
number five, Legalism and Moralism number six, Grace centered approaches.

429
00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:55.240
We'll refer to this as radical grace or hyper grace movements.

430
00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:59.559
Some modern movements that are sometimes referred to as hyper

431
00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:03.440
grace movements teach that since believers are under grace, sin

432
00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:08.160
is no longer an issue that should cause concern. This

433
00:24:08.279 --> 00:24:10.960
approach emphasizes the finished work of Christ to such an

434
00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:14.759
extent the believer's responsibility to fight sin is often diminished.

435
00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:18.839
Critics argue that this can lead to antinomianism, of course,

436
00:24:19.480 --> 00:24:21.519
of the belief that Christians are free from the law

437
00:24:21.599 --> 00:24:26.680
and moral imperatives. So some have just said why, basically

438
00:24:26.960 --> 00:24:29.920
this group is done wide. They've thrown up their hands

439
00:24:30.839 --> 00:24:35.079
and they've said, what we can't do it? We can't,

440
00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:40.000
We just can't. So what do they just focus on?

441
00:24:41.680 --> 00:24:45.160
Christ did? We can't? Christ did? So?

442
00:24:46.200 --> 00:24:49.200
Now it's easy to want to criticize them, right, it's

443
00:24:49.240 --> 00:24:51.640
easy to want to criticize them, But what can that

444
00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:56.920
side always argue? What is the one thing that the

445
00:24:57.000 --> 00:24:59.200
hyper grace movement? What can they always say to the

446
00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:00.160
people who attack?

447
00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:06.640
They just say, just be perfect.

448
00:25:07.559 --> 00:25:10.440
That's all they have to say. Right, hey, don't attack me,

449
00:25:10.839 --> 00:25:15.039
just go be perfect. Look and does that work? It

450
00:25:15.079 --> 00:25:18.359
doesn't work. Trust me. When we've had our lordship issues

451
00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:20.160
here in this church, what did I tell you? You don't

452
00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:21.480
need to fight with me, you don't need to get

453
00:25:21.480 --> 00:25:25.960
mad at me. Just go live out your lordship. Is

454
00:25:25.960 --> 00:25:26.880
that ever good enough?

455
00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:29.839
No? It's never good enough. I'm like, just go live

456
00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:32.640
out your lordship. No, they're gonna fight, They're gonna argue

457
00:25:32.680 --> 00:25:34.599
because I gotta believe the way they believe.

458
00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:37.880
Why I'm not impacting the way you live your Christian life.

459
00:25:37.960 --> 00:25:40.480
Live your Christian life for the way anyway you want.

460
00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:42.640
But you're worried about me.

461
00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:44.920
You should be worried about you, because while you're sitting,

462
00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:45.640
you're worried about me.

463
00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:49.599
I know you're still sinning. But you don't want to acknowledge.

464
00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:51.480
You don't want to talk about you, right, you want

465
00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:54.880
to talk about me. Well, Hypergrace would be like, look,

466
00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:58.799
I know you can't do it. You know I can't

467
00:25:58.799 --> 00:25:59.759
do it, So why.

468
00:25:59.640 --> 00:26:06.119
Are we going continuing to pay attend we can? Now?

469
00:26:06.200 --> 00:26:09.559
I understand the danger there, because the danger is right, Well,

470
00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:13.960
what's the point I understand that there's a danger there,

471
00:26:14.799 --> 00:26:18.319
but you can kind of understand where that. Ultimately you

472
00:26:18.359 --> 00:26:20.880
can see how someone can get there. Right, nobody else

473
00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:23.880
has a solution. Look if there was an easy solution

474
00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:26.680
when we have all of these systems in Christianity, no,

475
00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:28.400
we can't even agree on what to.

476
00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:28.799
Do with this.

477
00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:33.599
While not anti Now then we have kind of a

478
00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:39.480
Pauline emphasis on grace, while not Antiinomian many Christian traditions

479
00:26:39.480 --> 00:26:42.680
emphasizes Paul's teaching that where sin abounds, grace abounds. All

480
00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:46.000
the more, this perspective focuses on the overwhelming power of

481
00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:49.359
grace to cover sins, acknowledging the norm of sin while

482
00:26:49.359 --> 00:26:52.640
emphasizing God's unmerited favor. I don't know how you draw

483
00:26:52.680 --> 00:26:57.799
the distinction there. Well, they're not hyper grace, but it

484
00:26:57.839 --> 00:27:00.680
sounds pretty similar, right, Basically, what are they saying, we're

485
00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:03.039
going to continue tou sin and what's our only hope?

486
00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:06.559
God's grace? That's kind of the same thing as hyper grace.

487
00:27:06.799 --> 00:27:09.440
You can maybe hyper grace will just say there's no

488
00:27:09.480 --> 00:27:11.680
point in even trying. Maybe this one will say we

489
00:27:11.720 --> 00:27:14.400
should try. But whether you're trying or not trying, what

490
00:27:14.519 --> 00:27:21.240
is the inevitable result, whether trying or not trying, what

491
00:27:21.319 --> 00:27:24.839
is the inevitable result? We're still going to sin, like,

492
00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:27.559
we just got to acknowledge that, right, we have to

493
00:27:27.640 --> 00:27:28.400
acknowledge that.

494
00:27:28.440 --> 00:27:31.200
All right. So what are the views so far? Number one?

495
00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:35.519
Progressive sanctification. Number two, the doctrine of original sin. Number three,

496
00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:39.720
Wesleyan and Holiness movement. Number four, the Catholic approach Number five,

497
00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:45.440
legalism I moralism. Number six grace centered approaches, right, grace

498
00:27:45.480 --> 00:27:49.119
centered approaches, and we broke those down into basically radical grace, hypergrace,

499
00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:52.640
and I guess Pauline emphasis on grace, but you get

500
00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:55.559
the idea more of a grace centered approach. Number seven

501
00:27:56.720 --> 00:28:08.880
you ready, Mysticism and spiritual wify mysticism and spirituality. The

502
00:28:09.039 --> 00:28:12.599
Dark Night of the Soul? Have you anybody heard of

503
00:28:12.640 --> 00:28:16.240
that phrase? It's the name of a book, very famous book, right,

504
00:28:16.640 --> 00:28:19.400
the Dark Knight of the Soul. Some Christian mystics, such

505
00:28:19.400 --> 00:28:24.640
as John of the Cross, have acknowledged the continual presence

506
00:28:24.680 --> 00:28:27.119
of sin, but frame it as part of a deeper

507
00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:32.039
spiritual journey. The Dark Knight of the Soul represents a

508
00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:35.000
time when a believer feels abandoned by God, but it

509
00:28:35.079 --> 00:28:38.039
is through this trial that they are purged of deeper

510
00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:41.759
sin and self reliance. Sin in this view is seen

511
00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:44.079
as a part of the refining process that leads us

512
00:28:44.079 --> 00:28:48.000
to a deeper union with God. This is a more

513
00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:54.119
mystical approach, right, And this mystical approach acknowledges what that

514
00:28:54.279 --> 00:28:57.000
sin is a reality, but it's a part of what

515
00:28:57.480 --> 00:29:01.720
It's an essential part of our spiritual journey, and sin

516
00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:08.799
is part of the refining process. Sin is part of

517
00:29:08.839 --> 00:29:13.680
the refining process. That's this one sounds kind at least

518
00:29:13.680 --> 00:29:18.279
it acknowledges why sin. It acknowledges we're going to continue

519
00:29:18.279 --> 00:29:21.039
to sin, but it seems to but it also says

520
00:29:21.079 --> 00:29:23.319
we seem to need to fight against it. What is

521
00:29:23.319 --> 00:29:29.480
this system? Though, would possibly completely ignore imputed righteousness. This

522
00:29:29.519 --> 00:29:32.000
one wouldn't really focus on that, right, It would have

523
00:29:32.039 --> 00:29:33.799
a lot it would be there would be some of

524
00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:38.279
this mystical concept would more be connected to Catholicism and

525
00:29:38.359 --> 00:29:42.400
Catholic mysticism. But I do like the idea of the

526
00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:46.279
it being kind of a part of the journey because

527
00:29:46.279 --> 00:29:49.640
it is. Look, if you're a Christian, what has been

528
00:29:49.640 --> 00:29:51.559
a part of your journey the entire time.

529
00:29:53.559 --> 00:29:57.720
Sin. Right, it's been a part of the journey the

530
00:29:57.839 --> 00:29:58.799
entire time is sin.

531
00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:02.319
So I like the fact that it's there, and it

532
00:30:02.440 --> 00:30:05.920
seems to say sin is there, and sin is really

533
00:30:06.359 --> 00:30:09.119
a part of the purging process. It's part of the

534
00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:12.759
purifying process. Sin actually is part of the purifying process.

535
00:30:13.920 --> 00:30:19.519
Why I sin? I'm convicted of sin, which then humbles

536
00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:22.400
me and breaks me. So actually it's part of it,

537
00:30:24.319 --> 00:30:28.440
all right. You could argue was David more pure before

538
00:30:28.480 --> 00:30:30.000
his sin or after his sin?

539
00:30:33.759 --> 00:30:39.000
Some may say after, right, more broken, more humbled. Right,

540
00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:42.519
you could argue that now, but some would say, well,

541
00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:44.759
you don't have to commit sin to be that way.

542
00:30:44.799 --> 00:30:46.480
This view would almost say you kind of need the

543
00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:48.839
sin to get there. You won't ever truly get there.

544
00:30:49.480 --> 00:30:51.279
But the only way you're ever going to get there

545
00:30:51.319 --> 00:30:52.640
is if you really face your sin.

546
00:30:52.680 --> 00:30:54.960
You can't. This is not about denying your sin or

547
00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:55.559
turning it away.

548
00:30:55.559 --> 00:30:58.680
This is facing it head on and like, man, I'm

549
00:30:58.759 --> 00:31:00.119
being broken through it.

550
00:31:00.319 --> 00:31:00.440
Right.

551
00:31:00.480 --> 00:31:02.440
I'm not saying that that excuses it, but you get

552
00:31:02.440 --> 00:31:06.880
the idea, all right. So the next view, we'll call

553
00:31:06.960 --> 00:31:13.079
this the resolution view. Right. This is the resolution view, right,

554
00:31:13.319 --> 00:31:16.000
and guess where this resolution this is how this is described,

555
00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:19.079
You're ready. Many Christians frame the current struggle with sin

556
00:31:19.200 --> 00:31:24.160
is something that will only be fully resolved in in

557
00:31:24.200 --> 00:31:27.960
the future or in glorification right the final future, when

558
00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:30.880
Christ returns. In this view, sin remains a persistent norm

559
00:31:30.920 --> 00:31:33.400
in the present, but Christians look forward to a time

560
00:31:33.559 --> 00:31:36.319
when they will be fully transformed and glorified free from

561
00:31:36.359 --> 00:31:40.200
sin's influence. This perspective sees the Christian life is one

562
00:31:40.200 --> 00:31:43.920
of endurance. Are waiting for the ultimate victory over sin

563
00:31:44.039 --> 00:31:48.200
in life to come now. In some ways everyone believes

564
00:31:48.200 --> 00:31:53.559
this in some level, right, But this view is basically like, hey, guys,

565
00:31:54.039 --> 00:31:56.400
all we can do is try to endure because this

566
00:31:56.480 --> 00:31:58.359
we're not getting out of this mess until when.

567
00:31:59.720 --> 00:32:00.359
To the end.

568
00:32:01.799 --> 00:32:03.799
It doesn't even try to really try to figure it out.

569
00:32:03.799 --> 00:32:07.039
It's just like, look, we're gonna send. We just got

570
00:32:07.039 --> 00:32:09.599
to wait till the end. But everyone looks for that

571
00:32:10.119 --> 00:32:12.759
end as the answer, because what does every view have

572
00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:18.200
to admit? Every view has to admit we're gonna continue

573
00:32:18.240 --> 00:32:21.480
this s end. It's just some views lead to more

574
00:32:21.519 --> 00:32:24.640
of a denial of that reality, while other views are

575
00:32:24.640 --> 00:32:31.680
more willing to acknowledge that reality. Right then number nine

576
00:32:31.960 --> 00:32:38.359
will have the pastoral approach acceptance of imperfection. Some pastors

577
00:32:38.359 --> 00:32:42.119
and theologians encourage believers to accept their imperfection as a

578
00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:45.359
part of their Christian journey instead of expecting victory in

579
00:32:45.440 --> 00:32:48.160
this Christian life. Now, let me tell you that will

580
00:32:48.160 --> 00:32:52.799
get you fired in most churches. But I think, don't

581
00:32:52.839 --> 00:32:55.359
you believe don't we have to just don't. We have

582
00:32:55.400 --> 00:32:56.720
to come to a point that we just have to

583
00:32:56.720 --> 00:33:00.359
say what. We got to accept our imperfection. We just

584
00:33:00.440 --> 00:33:04.640
got to accept it. I will agree with it. We

585
00:33:04.839 --> 00:33:08.960
just have to accept it. Nobody is getting that. Nobody's

586
00:33:08.960 --> 00:33:11.680
getting through this perfect nobody ever. There's gonna be sin.

587
00:33:11.759 --> 00:33:13.240
There's gonna be sin. There's gonna be sin.

588
00:33:13.359 --> 00:33:17.240
Now, just raises questions, right, and we'll talk about some

589
00:33:17.319 --> 00:33:18.559
of these questions here in the end.

590
00:33:18.880 --> 00:33:23.400
But so so, and we should not expect victory. You

591
00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:25.799
should not expect victory in this life. If you expect

592
00:33:25.839 --> 00:33:29.720
victory in this life, you're just diluted, you're confused, all right.

593
00:33:30.759 --> 00:33:33.839
Acknowledging that everyone falls short and that sanctification is a

594
00:33:33.880 --> 00:33:38.240
lifelong process. Now, this may bring in the progressive sanctification,

595
00:33:38.799 --> 00:33:41.359
but the thing with this one is they're not focusing

596
00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:44.000
on the idea of becoming more holy. They're focusing on

597
00:33:44.079 --> 00:33:48.400
the fact of just accepting what. We're sinners and we're

598
00:33:48.400 --> 00:33:52.640
gonna fall and everyone just needs to accept that, all right.

599
00:33:53.039 --> 00:33:56.319
Many Christian communities respond to the ongoing reality of sin

600
00:33:56.559 --> 00:34:01.920
by encouraging mutual accountability and support through small groups, confession partners,

601
00:34:02.160 --> 00:34:06.880
or discipleship relationships. This approach emphasizes communal growth and transparency

602
00:34:06.920 --> 00:34:08.840
in dealing with sin. This is kind of what the

603
00:34:08.840 --> 00:34:13.000
small groups were supposed to be when they first were created. Right,

604
00:34:13.280 --> 00:34:16.559
the idea was of a small group was for what purpose?

605
00:34:17.280 --> 00:34:21.000
You have four or five people, six people? Small group?

606
00:34:21.119 --> 00:34:23.320
And then what could everyone do in that small group?

607
00:34:24.880 --> 00:34:27.800
They could be open and honest? But can anyone be

608
00:34:27.840 --> 00:34:29.800
open and honest? I mean, can you really be open?

609
00:34:30.079 --> 00:34:32.800
Can you imagine a small group your husband and wife,

610
00:34:33.159 --> 00:34:36.239
small group, there's four or five people, and the husband's like,

611
00:34:38.320 --> 00:34:40.280
I'm addicted to pornography.

612
00:34:41.559 --> 00:34:48.719
Is that fair to the wife? No, it's not right.

613
00:34:49.719 --> 00:34:53.880
Can the wife say, well, he is gonna even stay

614
00:34:53.880 --> 00:34:56.239
in the small group? Right? Okay, we know a church

615
00:34:56.320 --> 00:34:57.719
is not. It's not right.

616
00:34:57.800 --> 00:35:00.320
That's why I love the Catholic eye to have a

617
00:35:00.360 --> 00:35:04.280
confession booth that he's bound. He has to keep it,

618
00:35:04.880 --> 00:35:07.559
he knows, but he doesn't go anywhere else. I love

619
00:35:07.679 --> 00:35:10.559
the sacredness of that. I love that because you can

620
00:35:10.599 --> 00:35:13.400
go in there and say whatever you say, Look, I

621
00:35:13.599 --> 00:35:17.039
was this this The priest may be like, whoa, this

622
00:35:17.119 --> 00:35:19.800
place is one messed up place, but at least you

623
00:35:19.880 --> 00:35:20.840
have a place to go.

624
00:35:21.239 --> 00:35:21.800
We don't.

625
00:35:22.079 --> 00:35:24.280
Even though we're supposed to confess our sins one to another.

626
00:35:24.320 --> 00:35:26.840
You really can't in the church because you know it's

627
00:35:26.880 --> 00:35:29.320
gonna get out. But in a small group you really can.

628
00:35:29.559 --> 00:35:32.639
Can The wife sit there and go, well, we've been

629
00:35:32.639 --> 00:35:35.320
married for ten years and I spend a lot of

630
00:35:35.360 --> 00:35:38.519
time wishing and thinking about my ex boyfriend, and I

631
00:35:38.599 --> 00:35:41.119
really miss what I had with him, and I kind

632
00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:43.440
of I regret now that I'm married.

633
00:35:43.760 --> 00:35:46.880
Is that fair to say to the now? So what

634
00:35:46.920 --> 00:35:47.480
does that mean?

635
00:35:47.719 --> 00:35:52.199
That you really can't be what? Nobody can truly be transparent?

636
00:35:52.360 --> 00:35:55.800
Nobody's gonna let us on the inside out. So some

637
00:35:55.800 --> 00:35:59.000
guys like, hey, we're in this small group and well,

638
00:36:00.119 --> 00:36:03.840
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Robert, but i've been

639
00:36:03.840 --> 00:36:07.480
having thoughts about your wife. That's not going to work

640
00:36:07.519 --> 00:36:11.239
in a small group it's just not ladies and gentlemen.

641
00:36:12.079 --> 00:36:16.320
If the truth came out, everybody would be like, I

642
00:36:16.360 --> 00:36:17.840
gotta go find a new small.

643
00:36:17.599 --> 00:36:21.719
Group, right, But wherever you go you're bringing You've got.

644
00:36:21.559 --> 00:36:24.880
Dirt in you that you don't want anybody that everyone does.

645
00:36:25.679 --> 00:36:26.760
Even if it's never.

646
00:36:26.639 --> 00:36:31.679
What, even if it's not manifested, it's there.

647
00:36:32.320 --> 00:36:34.559
The thing is, can you truly admit it?

648
00:36:34.599 --> 00:36:36.519
The only place we can truly admit it is where

649
00:36:37.400 --> 00:36:39.880
to God. That's really the only other than if you

650
00:36:39.880 --> 00:36:43.880
have a confession a confession booth. But even there, what

651
00:36:43.920 --> 00:36:46.280
do you all you're doing is confessing it.

652
00:36:46.320 --> 00:36:49.599
What is still going to be the reality? It's still

653
00:36:49.639 --> 00:36:50.400
going to be there.

654
00:36:51.920 --> 00:36:54.960
So nobody really has I understand small groups was supposed

655
00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:56.400
to wait to be to try to fix it, but

656
00:36:56.480 --> 00:36:58.880
you know how uncomfortable that you can't What can you

657
00:36:59.000 --> 00:37:05.000
really say? What can you really say? Everybody has the

658
00:37:05.159 --> 00:37:07.760
vision that that's the way it's going to be, But inevitably,

659
00:37:07.880 --> 00:37:10.199
what do you do? Everyone shows up and talks about

660
00:37:11.119 --> 00:37:13.800
they may mention a few things, but everyone's got to

661
00:37:13.840 --> 00:37:16.320
play it close to the vest and be careful because

662
00:37:16.360 --> 00:37:17.320
you can't just be.

663
00:37:18.920 --> 00:37:19.719
You just can't be.

664
00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:25.280
You can't function that way, the husbands and wives probably

665
00:37:25.280 --> 00:37:29.559
can't even can truly confess, can they, Because in some

666
00:37:29.599 --> 00:37:31.679
cases you're just going to cause more pain and suffering

667
00:37:31.800 --> 00:37:34.320
than being a Some people are so overcome with guilt

668
00:37:34.360 --> 00:37:37.400
they got to confess to everyone, right, and then I've

669
00:37:37.440 --> 00:37:40.280
talked about it on the podcast. There's a actual psychological

670
00:37:40.360 --> 00:37:44.360
diagnosis that makes some people like just and I think

671
00:37:44.440 --> 00:37:47.760
Luther had it just They are constantly and guilt and

672
00:37:47.800 --> 00:37:49.360
they constantly have to confess.

673
00:37:49.559 --> 00:37:52.199
They got to confess to somebody, they have to.

674
00:37:52.679 --> 00:37:55.880
Well, in some cases, the constant confession of doesn't really

675
00:37:55.920 --> 00:37:58.960
accomplish much, does it. In some cases it's more for

676
00:37:59.039 --> 00:38:01.400
your own sake, no matter who it may hurt. Some

677
00:38:01.480 --> 00:38:04.960
cases it just hurts more than it helps, right, because

678
00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:10.599
nobody can truly be honest, which which then demonstrates what

679
00:38:10.599 --> 00:38:11.639
what does that demonstrate?

680
00:38:15.320 --> 00:38:20.519
That sin still remains, The sin still remains, see and

681
00:38:20.599 --> 00:38:21.039
that be goes.

682
00:38:21.039 --> 00:38:24.880
It gets almost the truth to go to just go

683
00:38:24.960 --> 00:38:27.360
home today and talk to Christians who go to other churches.

684
00:38:27.559 --> 00:38:29.679
They're gonna tell you, no, you've been transform You're new,

685
00:38:29.880 --> 00:38:31.800
You're you're a new creature, the oldest God.

686
00:38:31.920 --> 00:38:33.559
You have a new heart, you have a new everything. Well,

687
00:38:33.559 --> 00:38:36.119
if everything is new, then where is sin coming from?

688
00:38:36.159 --> 00:38:42.400
Can you point they can't point it out? Yeah, it's

689
00:38:42.400 --> 00:38:46.840
always some if Netflix is the problem. Okay, those are

690
00:38:46.920 --> 00:38:49.800
the views, all right, So what are they again?

691
00:38:49.920 --> 00:38:54.960
Number one progressive sanctification. That sounds good until you start

692
00:38:54.960 --> 00:38:59.199
asking questions. Right, and you start asking questions, it falls apart.

693
00:38:59.440 --> 00:39:05.239
Number two, original sin. Now, I love original sin from

694
00:39:05.239 --> 00:39:09.400
this perspective. I love original sin if you maintain that

695
00:39:09.480 --> 00:39:12.639
we still have the original sin nature even after conversion.

696
00:39:13.239 --> 00:39:16.159
That's where most churches, many churches who believe in original sin,

697
00:39:16.760 --> 00:39:24.719
they won't acknowledge that part of it. I believe, like

698
00:39:25.239 --> 00:39:28.880
I'm going to argue that reality would prove that we

699
00:39:28.920 --> 00:39:31.360
still have a sin nature? What would prove that? In

700
00:39:31.400 --> 00:39:33.159
your mind? What would prove that we still have a

701
00:39:33.239 --> 00:39:43.639
sin nature? The fact that we cannot stop sinning. Remember,

702
00:39:43.800 --> 00:39:48.559
to me, the greatest proof of Christianity's truthfulness.

703
00:39:48.679 --> 00:39:54.719
Is that men, human beings that we believe inspired by God,

704
00:39:55.079 --> 00:40:02.119
would write a Bible that has law that they can't keep.

705
00:40:04.360 --> 00:40:05.039
Who does that?

706
00:40:08.079 --> 00:40:09.920
If you put a bunch of teenagers together and said

707
00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:12.119
make up some rules, would they make up rules that

708
00:40:12.159 --> 00:40:15.000
they can't keep? No?

709
00:40:15.440 --> 00:40:18.719
No, I would you. No.

710
00:40:19.039 --> 00:40:22.079
So, the fact that humans wrote a Bible that contains

711
00:40:22.079 --> 00:40:26.440
a morality that they cannot keep immediately tells me that

712
00:40:27.119 --> 00:40:29.400
has to come from God, because.

713
00:40:29.440 --> 00:40:35.880
No man would do that. Right, Every law that they

714
00:40:35.920 --> 00:40:39.920
wrote condemn them.

715
00:40:41.079 --> 00:40:45.159
You don't write down laws that condemn you, right, you

716
00:40:45.280 --> 00:40:48.519
don't do that, correct.

717
00:40:49.440 --> 00:40:53.280
So but the fact that it still condemns us proves.

718
00:40:53.000 --> 00:40:57.199
That there's still something wrong in us. So I believe

719
00:40:57.239 --> 00:40:59.559
the original sin is. I think that's a key to

720
00:40:59.599 --> 00:41:02.320
the salution. I think you've got to start right there.

721
00:41:02.760 --> 00:41:04.480
We still have a sin nature. And how do we

722
00:41:04.519 --> 00:41:07.039
know we still have a sin nature? We still sin?

723
00:41:07.280 --> 00:41:08.280
Can you keep the law?

724
00:41:09.280 --> 00:41:10.239
Now? Getting out?

725
00:41:10.280 --> 00:41:13.679
Listen, every church, almost every church in Abaline would say

726
00:41:13.719 --> 00:41:16.480
that you can't. All your Christian friends would say that

727
00:41:16.519 --> 00:41:21.920
you can't. They're absolutely out of their minds. Right, just

728
00:41:22.239 --> 00:41:24.159
when you get home, just talk to some of your

729
00:41:24.239 --> 00:41:26.519
Christian friends and say, can we obey the law of God?

730
00:41:26.559 --> 00:41:28.599
And if they say yes, then just ask them where

731
00:41:28.599 --> 00:41:35.480
they buy their crack okay, because they're obviously smoking it. Okay,

732
00:41:35.480 --> 00:41:40.960
because that because something's wrong. They're delusional. You can't do it.

733
00:41:42.519 --> 00:41:42.679
Now.

734
00:41:42.719 --> 00:41:45.639
The minute they say you can't, well, then gives where

735
00:41:45.639 --> 00:41:51.000
they've walked themselves into. Well, if you can't, then the

736
00:41:51.079 --> 00:41:53.719
Christian life is a life of we're all in a

737
00:41:53.719 --> 00:41:57.039
perpetual state of and by definition we would be then

738
00:41:57.079 --> 00:41:59.960
cardinal and fleshley. Well, they can't acknowledge that we're carne

739
00:42:00.079 --> 00:42:02.679
on flesh because their lordship influence would say you can't

740
00:42:02.679 --> 00:42:04.599
be carnal and fleshly because if your cardinal and fleshley,

741
00:42:04.599 --> 00:42:06.199
that would prove you're not saved. But if you're in

742
00:42:06.239 --> 00:42:08.760
a perpetual state of sin, would that by definition not

743
00:42:08.840 --> 00:42:14.119
be cardinal fleshley because you're then what are you controlled by?

744
00:42:15.000 --> 00:42:17.199
This is sin? You're controlled by the flesh. Right.

745
00:42:17.440 --> 00:42:20.480
That's why my interpretation of Romans one eighteen, which would

746
00:42:20.480 --> 00:42:22.960
get me eighteen and fallen, would get me fired in

747
00:42:23.000 --> 00:42:25.320
every church, I think, is the only thing that makes

748
00:42:25.360 --> 00:42:29.840
sense because in that passage it says God gave them over.

749
00:42:30.119 --> 00:42:32.840
We've all been given over and we're not and we're

750
00:42:32.840 --> 00:42:38.119
and that's the reality even as a believer. That's why

751
00:42:38.159 --> 00:42:39.760
what sins can a Christian commit?

752
00:42:43.960 --> 00:42:45.360
Any sin? All right?

753
00:42:45.400 --> 00:42:47.800
I want to hear what sins can a Christian commit?

754
00:42:48.880 --> 00:42:55.079
Any sin? Any can a Christian commit homosexuality? Well, see,

755
00:42:55.159 --> 00:42:59.559
now you realize no other church Okay, you do realize

756
00:42:59.599 --> 00:43:01.199
that you would be kicked out of any church in

757
00:43:01.239 --> 00:43:05.079
Albileen for saying that, Yeah, you can be kicked out

758
00:43:05.119 --> 00:43:09.760
of your friend group. Can a Christian be Can a

759
00:43:09.840 --> 00:43:13.079
Christian practice homosexuality?

760
00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:15.239
We can?

761
00:43:15.400 --> 00:43:19.559
Can a heterosexual be a Christian and commit lust, adultery

762
00:43:19.840 --> 00:43:20.480
or fornication?

763
00:43:23.360 --> 00:43:25.239
That they'll make excuses for that.

764
00:43:28.440 --> 00:43:31.440
I mean that they will even go so far to say,

765
00:43:31.719 --> 00:43:35.039
and this is true, and most of you evangelicalism, if

766
00:43:35.079 --> 00:43:39.280
you struggle with same sex attraction, you cannot be a Christian,

767
00:43:40.480 --> 00:43:43.239
which is the most insane thing I've ever heard in

768
00:43:43.239 --> 00:43:47.679
my life. That's ridiculous. That would be like saying that

769
00:43:47.719 --> 00:43:55.440
I can't ever struggle with lust. That's that's that's insane.

770
00:43:55.639 --> 00:43:59.760
That's how messed up Christianity has gotten. And to hold

771
00:43:59.760 --> 00:44:00.480
to any.

772
00:44:00.280 --> 00:44:02.519
Of that, you have to believe in the completer radication

773
00:44:02.599 --> 00:44:04.440
of the old nature. But to believe in the complete

774
00:44:04.440 --> 00:44:06.199
eradication of the old nature would then make.

775
00:44:06.119 --> 00:44:09.599
It what Then perfection should be expected. But if I

776
00:44:09.599 --> 00:44:12.320
can't be perfected, if I'm not perfect, then that.

777
00:44:12.280 --> 00:44:14.079
Means I'm still a sinner. If I'm still a sinner,

778
00:44:14.199 --> 00:44:15.760
then I can commit what kind of sin?

779
00:44:17.280 --> 00:44:20.360
Any sin? Any sin?

780
00:44:25.000 --> 00:44:28.639
You just realize we just crossed the line. You just realized,

781
00:44:28.639 --> 00:44:31.599
like there's no going back for us to say that

782
00:44:31.760 --> 00:44:41.199
we I wouldn't be accepted in any church. But I'm sorry,

783
00:44:41.360 --> 00:44:43.760
I've been in too many churches. Have you been in churches?

784
00:44:44.440 --> 00:44:46.000
What does everyone do in those churches?

785
00:44:46.880 --> 00:44:49.239
Sin? And what do I have done in every church

786
00:44:49.239 --> 00:44:52.400
I've ever been in? Sin? What do I have done

787
00:44:52.440 --> 00:44:54.320
as a pastor? Sin?

788
00:44:56.320 --> 00:45:01.239
Be shocked? But you have as well. So there's the

789
00:45:01.280 --> 00:45:03.760
doctrine of original sin. I believe that there's a lot

790
00:45:03.800 --> 00:45:06.400
of key there. The Wesleyan and Holiness movement just makes

791
00:45:06.440 --> 00:45:09.920
no sense. You can be perfect, but yet you're not really.

792
00:45:11.239 --> 00:45:12.320
Perfect. That makes no.

793
00:45:12.320 --> 00:45:16.400
Sense, right the Catholic view, At least I admire the Catholics, right,

794
00:45:16.800 --> 00:45:23.920
What do I admire the Catholics? They're honest, right, They're like, Hey,

795
00:45:24.159 --> 00:45:28.400
there's some sins we're gonna put over here as venial, right,

796
00:45:28.880 --> 00:45:31.360
but there's the mortal ones. Yet we're gonna have an

797
00:45:31.519 --> 00:45:34.760
entire system that says that these things will help you, right,

798
00:45:35.159 --> 00:45:37.559
And we know you're going to mess up, so you

799
00:45:37.639 --> 00:45:41.159
need what confession and penance so that you can be restored.

800
00:45:41.239 --> 00:45:46.480
At least they acknowledge it. You got to admire that, right, Okay,

801
00:45:46.559 --> 00:45:47.079
maybe you don't.

802
00:45:47.119 --> 00:45:48.639
I admire that.

803
00:45:48.199 --> 00:45:51.840
That's at least Hey, you guys get it right, right.

804
00:45:52.079 --> 00:45:55.280
Legalism and moralism, we've all been in legalism and moralism,

805
00:45:55.280 --> 00:45:58.280
all of us have been in it. Well, how much

806
00:45:58.320 --> 00:46:00.519
of our Christian lives have we spent say I'm gonna

807
00:46:00.519 --> 00:46:01.840
stop doing this, and I'm not gonna do this, I'm

808
00:46:01.880 --> 00:46:03.320
gonna try to do this, I'm not gonna do this,

809
00:46:03.360 --> 00:46:04.800
and I'm gonna do this, and I'm not gonna do this,

810
00:46:05.000 --> 00:46:07.159
and I'm not gonna do this and right, because we

811
00:46:07.280 --> 00:46:10.320
perceived that everything that we can do externally would somehow

812
00:46:10.360 --> 00:46:12.960
make us guilty. If I watch a movie that has

813
00:46:12.960 --> 00:46:15.079
a sin in it, I'm somehow guilty of said sin,

814
00:46:16.840 --> 00:46:20.920
or it will make me sin. So then we're like,

815
00:46:20.960 --> 00:46:24.239
we're not gonna We've all been there, and we probably

816
00:46:24.280 --> 00:46:26.360
at times while we were in it, probably thought that

817
00:46:26.400 --> 00:46:29.840
we were what we probably thought we were doing really good,

818
00:46:29.880 --> 00:46:33.480
and probably became judgmental in condemning other people. I know

819
00:46:33.599 --> 00:46:38.519
I did, right, I bought into that legalist but I

820
00:46:38.519 --> 00:46:41.760
would have told you I'm not a legalist, even though

821
00:46:41.760 --> 00:46:44.159
it was very legalistic, and what would have been my

822
00:46:44.280 --> 00:46:47.360
view that basically that the inward nature had changed.

823
00:46:49.760 --> 00:46:51.079
Trying to convince myself.

824
00:46:53.599 --> 00:46:56.480
Now we looked at the grace centered approaches, the grace

825
00:46:56.519 --> 00:46:58.840
centered approaches. There's a lot of truth to the gray

826
00:46:58.880 --> 00:47:00.159
centered approaches.

827
00:46:59.760 --> 00:47:01.280
Right, because.

828
00:47:02.559 --> 00:47:04.239
At some point you got to throw up your hands

829
00:47:04.239 --> 00:47:08.599
and just say what, we can't do it. We just

830
00:47:08.719 --> 00:47:12.000
have to admit that, right, we can never do it.

831
00:47:12.119 --> 00:47:14.960
We're in a perpetual state of sin. I know Christians

832
00:47:14.960 --> 00:47:17.360
don't want to admit that, but it's true, all right.

833
00:47:17.760 --> 00:47:20.920
The mystical and spiritual kind.

834
00:47:20.719 --> 00:47:23.199
Of idea, I kinda I like a little bit of that, right,

835
00:47:23.280 --> 00:47:24.960
I like a little bit of that thrown in.

836
00:47:25.519 --> 00:47:28.159
I can see that and then ask the view about

837
00:47:28.360 --> 00:47:31.400
eschatology and being resolved in the future. I can agree

838
00:47:31.719 --> 00:47:34.440
somewhat with that, and the pastoral approach. We've talked a

839
00:47:34.440 --> 00:47:37.559
little bit about that, all right. So I wanted to

840
00:47:37.599 --> 00:47:41.480
get to other things, but we will stop here. So

841
00:47:41.519 --> 00:47:45.960
what do we take from all of this, Well, let's

842
00:47:46.000 --> 00:47:49.280
go down with our oar. I've repeated this so many

843
00:47:49.320 --> 00:47:51.039
times in the podcast this last week. I'm just going

844
00:47:51.119 --> 00:47:51.840
to repeat it again.

845
00:47:52.119 --> 00:47:54.079
Let's just go ahead and write down to fundamentals. Are

846
00:47:54.119 --> 00:47:54.559
you ready?

847
00:47:55.239 --> 00:48:02.599
Number one? We cannot keep the law. We cannot keep

848
00:48:02.639 --> 00:48:08.960
God's law. We cannot keep God's law. We cannot. I

849
00:48:09.039 --> 00:48:11.119
know that goes against everything. Maybe you've ever been taught

850
00:48:11.119 --> 00:48:13.920
you cannot keep God's law? How quickly can I prove that?

851
00:48:16.239 --> 00:48:16.599
Quickly?

852
00:48:16.719 --> 00:48:16.840
Right?

853
00:48:16.880 --> 00:48:18.519
All I gotta do is just give you, like on

854
00:48:18.519 --> 00:48:20.800
one command, right, be holy as God is holy? Can

855
00:48:20.840 --> 00:48:23.639
you do that? All right? All right? So number one,

856
00:48:23.800 --> 00:48:26.360
we cannot keep God's law. Number two? What does that mean?

857
00:48:28.960 --> 00:48:32.280
We're in a perpetual state of sin. We are in

858
00:48:32.320 --> 00:48:36.039
a perpetual state of sin. Twenty four hours a day,

859
00:48:36.360 --> 00:48:42.199
seven days a week. I'm a sinner and I cannot stop.

860
00:48:42.320 --> 00:48:44.559
I cannot. I just I can't stop it. I can't

861
00:48:44.599 --> 00:48:50.599
keep God's law. Number perpetual state of sin. Number three.

862
00:48:51.800 --> 00:48:57.880
This sinfulness and this inability must arise from something, right,

863
00:48:58.639 --> 00:49:03.239
The inability to keep God's law and this never ever

864
00:49:03.320 --> 00:49:06.920
present reality of sin has to arise from somewhere.

865
00:49:06.960 --> 00:49:11.840
Can everyone agree it has to come from somewhere? Correct? Yes?

866
00:49:19.559 --> 00:49:20.119
Number four?

867
00:49:21.199 --> 00:49:23.639
This would seem to indicate that we still have what

868
00:49:27.039 --> 00:49:31.000
a sinful nature we are still corrupted on the inside.

869
00:49:33.519 --> 00:49:35.679
Let's go through these again. What was number one? We

870
00:49:35.719 --> 00:49:38.199
cannot keep the law? What was number two? We're in

871
00:49:38.239 --> 00:49:39.159
a perpetual state of sin.

872
00:49:39.239 --> 00:49:43.880
Number three? This sin must arise from hope. This inability

873
00:49:43.960 --> 00:49:45.800
must arise from somewhere. Number four.

874
00:49:46.000 --> 00:49:49.719
This would seem to indicate that we still have a

875
00:49:49.800 --> 00:50:00.320
corrupt nature, We still have a sinful heart. Do you

876
00:50:00.360 --> 00:50:06.440
want number five? It's going to be uncomfortable. The God

877
00:50:06.519 --> 00:50:11.039
who could fix all of this has chosen not to

878
00:50:11.079 --> 00:50:19.679
fix it in this life. Does anyone like that one?

879
00:50:20.679 --> 00:50:23.679
But I mean, come on, is that not honest? I mean,

880
00:50:23.719 --> 00:50:25.760
I know Christians will say, no, we have the Holy

881
00:50:25.800 --> 00:50:28.079
Spirit and he's empowering us to do it. If he's

882
00:50:28.079 --> 00:50:30.199
empowering us to do it, then we should be able

883
00:50:30.239 --> 00:50:32.280
to do it. But they have to admit that it's

884
00:50:32.320 --> 00:50:33.119
not going to happen.

885
00:50:33.239 --> 00:50:36.639
So then what power? How do you define power?

886
00:50:36.960 --> 00:50:38.360
If you're going to say God has given me the

887
00:50:38.400 --> 00:50:40.119
power to be holy, but I can never be holy,

888
00:50:40.280 --> 00:50:42.840
then that means his power it can't give me the holiness.

889
00:50:42.920 --> 00:50:46.920
So that is either a problem with his power or

890
00:50:46.960 --> 00:50:48.719
you have to say the problem is with me. But

891
00:50:48.719 --> 00:50:51.559
if he's the one fixing me shouldn't. Then they say

892
00:50:51.599 --> 00:50:55.440
that doesn't explain it, right? So what does that leave

893
00:50:55.519 --> 00:50:55.800
us with?

894
00:50:59.000 --> 00:51:02.960
What was number one? We cannot keep the law? Number two,

895
00:51:04.920 --> 00:51:08.719
perpetual status stand number three, It must arise from somewhere.

896
00:51:08.760 --> 00:51:09.239
Number four.

897
00:51:09.599 --> 00:51:12.719
This would seem to indicate have a say nature Number five.

898
00:51:14.320 --> 00:51:17.000
The God who wants us to be holy clearly doesn't

899
00:51:17.400 --> 00:51:19.719
is not doing anything to make us holy because we

900
00:51:19.760 --> 00:51:21.079
would be so.

901
00:51:21.119 --> 00:51:30.000
Then what does this leave us? Obviously, somehow in God's purpose,

902
00:51:34.000 --> 00:51:35.960
sin is a part of his purpose.

903
00:51:45.079 --> 00:51:47.800
In some ways? Is that really? I know that sounds radical,

904
00:51:47.800 --> 00:51:51.320
but is it really radical? Even if we go with

905
00:51:51.360 --> 00:51:55.199
a very strict conservative time measurement, the fall took place

906
00:51:55.239 --> 00:51:56.840
how many years ago? If we go with a really

907
00:51:56.880 --> 00:52:02.119
strict time, say six years, seven thousand, some may push

908
00:52:02.159 --> 00:52:04.199
it to ten, some may push it to thirteen thousand.

909
00:52:04.320 --> 00:52:05.639
So let's just say ten thousand.

910
00:52:06.000 --> 00:52:09.360
For ten thousand years, sin has been on this birth

911
00:52:09.519 --> 00:52:12.039
and God has done nothing in ten thousand years to

912
00:52:12.039 --> 00:52:12.639
get rid of it.

913
00:52:15.920 --> 00:52:18.840
All right, He's had ten thousand years to do something

914
00:52:18.840 --> 00:52:19.159
with it.

915
00:52:20.039 --> 00:52:23.599
He could have gotten rid of it, how quickly instantaneous

916
00:52:23.719 --> 00:52:25.079
we could all are, all of.

917
00:52:25.079 --> 00:52:28.199
Our sinful natures could be what wrong?

918
00:52:28.679 --> 00:52:31.639
Christians believe our sinful nature has been eradicated, which only

919
00:52:31.920 --> 00:52:34.480
compounds the problem because if all of our sinful natures

920
00:52:34.480 --> 00:52:38.639
have been eradicated, then we should be perfect. And most

921
00:52:38.679 --> 00:52:40.360
of your Christian friends will say that you now have

922
00:52:40.440 --> 00:52:43.000
the ability to keep the law. It's preached in sermon

923
00:52:43.039 --> 00:52:46.159
after sermon. Now, as a Christian you can say noicein

924
00:52:46.199 --> 00:52:48.000
and yes to God. Well, if I can say noticein

925
00:52:48.079 --> 00:52:50.000
and yes to God, then what should be expected of me?

926
00:52:50.440 --> 00:52:52.559
Perfection? But in those churches they.

927
00:52:52.440 --> 00:52:55.519
Don't really live that out, do they, Because if perfection

928
00:52:55.840 --> 00:52:58.960
is canna be achieved, who should how many people should

929
00:52:58.960 --> 00:52:59.840
be church disciplined?

930
00:53:00.920 --> 00:53:01.440
They should be.

931
00:53:01.440 --> 00:53:05.400
Throwing people out left and right, right, Hey, you can

932
00:53:05.400 --> 00:53:07.519
be perfect, you can be perfect. So then everyone has

933
00:53:07.559 --> 00:53:10.119
to pretend that they're perfect, even though everyone knows that

934
00:53:10.159 --> 00:53:13.000
they're not, which only leads to self righteousness and people

935
00:53:13.280 --> 00:53:16.599
living alive because no one can be honest right. Nobody

936
00:53:16.599 --> 00:53:18.920
can walk into the church and say, what has really

937
00:53:18.920 --> 00:53:22.679
happened this week? So you have to pretend until you're caught,

938
00:53:22.719 --> 00:53:24.559
and then when you're caught, everyone does what.

939
00:53:25.599 --> 00:53:29.280
My goodness, horrible, I can believe that's going happen. Why

940
00:53:30.480 --> 00:53:32.079
because it's not to sin you would commit.

941
00:53:32.920 --> 00:53:35.039
Well, I'm sorry, next time sending your list and I'll

942
00:53:35.079 --> 00:53:35.880
get yours into.

943
00:53:42.039 --> 00:53:43.639
Now you say, well, what do we do with I

944
00:53:43.639 --> 00:53:45.320
don't know what we do with that, But it's the

945
00:53:45.440 --> 00:53:53.960
only thing that makes any sense, right, somehow this is

946
00:53:54.000 --> 00:53:55.639
a part of the reality.

947
00:53:55.880 --> 00:53:59.280
God has chosen to operate in a reality where we

948
00:53:59.360 --> 00:54:02.280
are saying and are declared to be holy, but we

949
00:54:02.320 --> 00:54:05.039
are not made holy. Now I know, inevitably, what is

950
00:54:05.079 --> 00:54:08.400
the typical thing taught in churches, The God who saved

951
00:54:08.440 --> 00:54:15.000
you loves you so much to allow you to stay sinful. Well,

952
00:54:15.119 --> 00:54:19.360
that's that's just trash of it, because if that was

953
00:54:19.400 --> 00:54:21.519
the case, we would not be sinful.

954
00:54:26.840 --> 00:54:31.719
Now, am I excusing sin? Now? I'm still calling it sin? Right,

955
00:54:32.079 --> 00:54:34.679
I know it's sin. Should we feel guilty about it?

956
00:54:34.800 --> 00:54:38.559
Yes, But at the same time you can feel guilty, guilty, guilty,

957
00:54:38.639 --> 00:54:40.840
and if you're not it will turn into a performance

958
00:54:40.840 --> 00:54:43.800
based system. So what we'll do, you'll focus on the

959
00:54:43.840 --> 00:54:46.280
sins that you don't have any problems with and feel like, look,

960
00:54:46.320 --> 00:54:48.440
I'm victorious. Well, of course you didn't struggle with those

961
00:54:48.480 --> 00:54:50.760
in the first place. I always couldn't stand when people

962
00:54:50.800 --> 00:54:52.960
are well, I don't do this like it would be

963
00:54:53.039 --> 00:54:57.440
like me bragging to you that I don't drink. If

964
00:54:57.480 --> 00:55:00.480
I was an atheist, would I drink? No, it has

965
00:55:00.559 --> 00:55:04.480
nothing to do with Christianity. Why because I just know

966
00:55:05.000 --> 00:55:10.280
alcohol impairs everything and I've got enough problems. I don't

967
00:55:10.280 --> 00:55:14.199
need alcohol to help me out right. That's only gonna

968
00:55:14.199 --> 00:55:18.280
cost me. I want my life. I've even told teenagers

969
00:55:18.280 --> 00:55:21.159
in this church before, if I've had counseled them, Hey, look, man,

970
00:55:21.199 --> 00:55:24.159
even if you reject Christianity, don't do these things so

971
00:55:24.440 --> 00:55:26.239
you can have the best life you can have now.

972
00:55:26.320 --> 00:55:27.920
Because this is the only life you're gonna have.

973
00:55:28.280 --> 00:55:30.920
So don't ruin it with alcohol and drugs, because that

974
00:55:31.000 --> 00:55:32.079
only is going to ruin it.

975
00:55:32.320 --> 00:55:35.800
Get the most out of it. This is all you got.

976
00:55:36.679 --> 00:55:39.639
Get the most out of it. Alcohol and drugs inevitably

977
00:55:39.719 --> 00:55:40.280
hinders it.

978
00:55:40.400 --> 00:55:42.199
It may help it for a short period of time,

979
00:55:42.400 --> 00:55:45.239
but long term impact, it's not going to help you.

980
00:55:45.679 --> 00:55:49.960
So I can't rag that I don't drink. There's nothing

981
00:55:49.960 --> 00:55:52.159
to do with my Christianity. But guess what if I

982
00:55:52.280 --> 00:55:54.280
was looking at it from a moralistic approach, I would

983
00:55:54.280 --> 00:55:55.880
pat myself on the back and say look at me,

984
00:55:56.119 --> 00:55:57.519
look at how God has changed me.

985
00:55:58.400 --> 00:55:59.239
Give me a break.

986
00:55:59.800 --> 00:56:01.840
I can talk about my drug use before I was

987
00:56:01.840 --> 00:56:04.280
saved and after I got saved. But guess what, I

988
00:56:04.360 --> 00:56:07.639
obviously had no addiction. I could sit there and say, well,

989
00:56:07.679 --> 00:56:13.000
good transform me. I just stopped, because there's been plenty

990
00:56:13.000 --> 00:56:16.840
of people who have become Christians who still struggle with addictions. Right,

991
00:56:16.880 --> 00:56:19.519
he said, come on, Christianity is not the magic cure

992
00:56:19.559 --> 00:56:20.679
for addiction, even though.

993
00:56:20.519 --> 00:56:21.920
It's sent that way.

994
00:56:22.000 --> 00:56:26.880
But there's many churches that have abdiction programs because clearly

995
00:56:27.000 --> 00:56:30.280
Christianity didn't just magically what transform somebody?

996
00:56:30.280 --> 00:56:32.960
I said, it's nonsense, right, It's just ridiculous.

997
00:56:33.079 --> 00:56:35.360
If Christianity really did all the stuff that people claim

998
00:56:35.400 --> 00:56:37.599
that it did, we would be there'd be no divorces,

999
00:56:37.719 --> 00:56:39.960
there would be no sin in the church. And of

1000
00:56:40.000 --> 00:56:42.039
course unless your lordship, and then what do you explain

1001
00:56:42.079 --> 00:56:44.480
it to none of the people are saved or Church

1002
00:56:44.480 --> 00:56:47.079
of Christ would say they lost their salvation and.

1003
00:56:46.960 --> 00:56:50.320
That none of that works. Somehow sin is a part

1004
00:56:50.360 --> 00:56:53.800
of the plan. I don't know why. Will God eradicate

1005
00:56:53.840 --> 00:56:54.360
the sin.

1006
00:56:56.000 --> 00:57:00.960
Eventually? In the meantime, what's our hope? Lot of life

1007
00:57:01.199 --> 00:57:06.440
lived in victory over sin. It's a life of grace

1008
00:57:07.039 --> 00:57:09.599
relying on christ righteousness in the.

1009
00:57:09.480 --> 00:57:10.239
Midst of sin.

1010
00:57:12.719 --> 00:57:16.000
Now that's the and you know what proves my point

1011
00:57:16.440 --> 00:57:20.199
all of those different systems, that's just a scratch of

1012
00:57:20.239 --> 00:57:22.480
the surface of all the different ways Christianity has tried

1013
00:57:22.480 --> 00:57:24.559
to address it. You know why there's been so many

1014
00:57:24.599 --> 00:57:29.480
systems to address it because every system has to acknowledge what.

1015
00:57:32.000 --> 00:57:32.639
We still sin?

1016
00:57:38.559 --> 00:57:41.079
All right, what kind of sin can a Christian commit?

1017
00:57:42.719 --> 00:57:45.880
And he said, right, I'm gonna say, can a Christian

1018
00:57:47.440 --> 00:57:52.440
commit the sin of homosexuality? Can a Christian struggle with

1019
00:57:52.559 --> 00:57:53.480
same sex attraction?

1020
00:57:54.039 --> 00:58:01.360
Yes? Well, that gets you kicked out of almost every church. Absolutely.

1021
00:58:04.599 --> 00:58:08.039
And what ticks me off is while they're sitting in there,

1022
00:58:08.079 --> 00:58:09.880
pointing of them, saying you can't be a Christian and

1023
00:58:09.920 --> 00:58:12.360
do that, they can sit there and live in their

1024
00:58:12.400 --> 00:58:18.159
sin as if their sin is somehow okay. That's what

1025
00:58:18.480 --> 00:58:21.239
when you don't have this approach, right, it creates this

1026
00:58:21.440 --> 00:58:26.920
self righteous, phariseical nonsense, and it's and it's I can't

1027
00:58:26.960 --> 00:58:29.559
stand it. It's arrogant, it's prideful, and you just won't

1028
00:58:29.599 --> 00:58:30.440
admit what you are.

1029
00:58:30.960 --> 00:58:33.800
But sooner or later, almost inevitably, what happens.

1030
00:58:35.239 --> 00:58:38.239
You either have to live a life of self denial

1031
00:58:38.400 --> 00:58:41.880
or sometimes the curtain falls down and everybody sees what's

1032
00:58:41.880 --> 00:58:45.159
behind it, and then everybody's like WHOA.

1033
00:58:45.760 --> 00:58:47.119
In many cases, what do they do?

1034
00:58:47.840 --> 00:58:51.039
They they just kind of walk away from Christianity, and

1035
00:58:51.079 --> 00:58:54.039
it's like, you shouldn't walk away from Christianity. You should

1036
00:58:54.079 --> 00:58:56.880
come running back to Christianity to tell everyone, Hey, guys,

1037
00:58:56.920 --> 00:58:59.400
I had my theology was wrong, and guess what, I

1038
00:58:59.440 --> 00:59:03.639
am a sinner and I've been a sinner. I've just

1039
00:59:03.679 --> 00:59:06.400
been pretending not to be my entire Christian life and

1040
00:59:06.480 --> 00:59:09.280
guess what. I've been pretending that my entire Christian life myself.

1041
00:59:09.679 --> 00:59:17.599
And guess what, I am a sinner. So what's my hope?

1042
00:59:19.880 --> 00:59:24.719
Imputed righteousness, imputed, imputed, imputed, imputed, imputed, imputed right. I

1043
00:59:24.760 --> 00:59:27.039
listened to a sermon this week where they prefer to

1044
00:59:27.280 --> 00:59:30.920
God places he puts his imputed righteousness inside of us,

1045
00:59:30.920 --> 00:59:36.239
And I'm like, what is That's not imputed righteousness? He

1046
00:59:36.280 --> 00:59:40.440
doesn't put imputed righteousness in us. Imputed righteousness is just

1047
00:59:40.480 --> 00:59:43.800
I'm declared to be that which I'm not. Like, that's

1048
00:59:43.800 --> 00:59:47.199
a complete misunderstanding of it. Christians just can't accept the

1049
00:59:47.239 --> 00:59:50.400
fact that we're still always, still sin and Christians can't

1050
00:59:50.400 --> 00:59:53.079
accept the fact that in reality, in practice, we're not

1051
00:59:53.280 --> 00:59:55.800
better than other people. Oh. I can find other people

1052
00:59:55.800 --> 00:59:59.079
that I am better then only when I look at

1053
00:59:59.119 --> 01:00:02.239
certain sins. But if I put sins in certain categories,

1054
01:00:02.480 --> 01:00:06.280
I still commit similar sins, right, And that's what nobody

1055
01:00:06.320 --> 01:00:07.920
wants to admit. All right, let's bury, Lord, got we

1056
01:00:07.960 --> 01:00:11.119
come before you this afternoon. As we ended the first hour,

1057
01:00:11.239 --> 01:00:13.519
we'll end the second hour. Everyone in this room is

1058
01:00:13.559 --> 01:00:16.760
a sinner. One in this room will continue to sin.

1059
01:00:17.280 --> 01:00:20.400
They will send this afternoon, they will send tonight, They

1060
01:00:20.400 --> 01:00:23.360
will sin all next week, and so will I.

1061
01:00:23.440 --> 01:00:25.880
Everyone in this room is a sinner, and our hope

1062
01:00:25.920 --> 01:00:28.920
is not and stop sinning. Our hope is in your son,

1063
01:00:28.960 --> 01:00:32.480
who did not sin, who died for our sin, and

1064
01:00:32.519 --> 01:00:34.360
by faith, his perfection.

1065
01:00:34.159 --> 01:00:37.800
Is imputed to my account. I'm a sinner, yet I'm

1066
01:00:37.840 --> 01:00:42.119
declared to be justified and a saint in your sight. Lord.

1067
01:00:42.119 --> 01:00:44.920
I will not understand, I will never truly understand how

1068
01:00:44.960 --> 01:00:48.239
this all works out. But I am grateful that I

1069
01:00:48.239 --> 01:00:50.800
can trust in your Son's righteousness. And it's in his

1070
01:00:50.880 --> 01:00:56.360
name we pray, and God's people said