Oct. 13, 2024

Sanctification Redefined

Sanctification Redefined

We work on a new definition of sanctification

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We work on a new definition of sanctification

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All right, this morning, let's start. If you have the

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Trinity Hymnal, turn to page eight hundred and fifty six,

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eight hundred and fifty six. If just so everyone remembers

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where we are. We have been dealing with this idea

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of how Christianity deals with sin. We dealt with that,

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the different systems in Christianity, philological systems, and how they

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kind of deal with the reality of sin. Then we

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went through an entire history. We finished it in the

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last hour. We went from the first century to twenty

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twenty four, and how Christians have understood our relationship to

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the law. We kind of gave a definition of sin

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which involves the law. We went through all of that,

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and now in this hour, I'm not going to review

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any of it. You can go back and listen, but

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this entire hour because what we found is when we

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go through church history, we get to once we get

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to the sixteenth to the seventeenth century. In fact, we

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kind of got a little conspiratorial in the first hour,

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but it's hard not to get conspiratorial. So I will

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at least review this. If you go from the first

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century up to the sixteenth century, even into a little

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part of the seventeenth century. Basically Christianity taught this all right,

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that as Christians we sin and we need to the

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way we fight sin and grow, you know, in holiness

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and the way we move towards God is through grace.

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And of course you can see why this becomes very

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prominent in during this period of time because grace. We

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can in a sense receive grace, obtain grace through the sacraments.

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So you can understand how this works. I'm being a

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little conspiratorial, but basically, look at how the system is built, right, Hey,

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you're a sinner. You need to grow in holiness. How

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do you grow in holiness through grace? How do you

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obtain grace through the sacraments? Therefore, you need what the church,

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and you're never going to get to perfection, meaning you're

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going to need the Church forever because you cannot obtain

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this grace outside of the sacraments, and the sacraments can

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only be given to you by the Church. This makes

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the Church not essential yet and that's why it's a

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period of time it was very common to hear the

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phrase there is no salvation outside of the church, and

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you can see why. I know, it's very conspiratorial, but

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you kind of build a system that says you need us.

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Right well, after the Reformation and there's kind of a

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breaking away, the language changes. Now the language is you're

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a sinner, but you have power to now move towards holiness,

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and that power comes through the Holy Spirit, and you

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don't need the church for that. Now it's you, the

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Bible and the Holy Spirit to move you there. But

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even in that system they have to admit you can't

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be perfect. So this so from the now throughout church history,

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they kept using this phrase that basically sanctification was a process.

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We will refer to it. You may want to write

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this down. This is we're gonna talk about this entire

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hour progressive sanctification, progressive sanctification, which is what every church

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around here would teach. Progressive sanctification. Progressive sanctification. All right,

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you got that phrase down. Now, if you have the

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Westminster Confession of Faith open, did I give you the

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page number? All right? Do you see the heading at

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the very top of paging fifty six of sanctification of sanctification?

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All right, so we're gonna we're gonna go back to

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the Westminster Confession, which I don't have the year, Sarah,

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do you have the year for the Westminster Confession? You're

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you're our church historian. Okay, right, well, we know it's

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we know it's seventeenth century. I'm gonna go seventeenth century,

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all right, I'm gonna go seventeenth oh, sixteen hundreds, okay, right,

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seventeenth century, right, okay, So yeah, okay, so we're in

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the seventeenth century right now, seventeenth century. I'm gonna this idea,

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progressive sanctification becomes the norm right now. The difference is

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the progressive sanctification instead of needing the sacraments, it's going

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to be basically, the Holy Spirit's going to be the

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one that does it. Now, this may have a little

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bit of more sacramental feeling for it because it's Westminster,

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because you had some in the Reformed world who still

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held to somewhat of a sacramental system. Right, Lutherans hold

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to a sacramental system. Presbyterians in many cases would reference

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it as a sacramental system. So you still have that idea.

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Let's read what they say about sanctification here and see

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where our problems begin. You ready, Immediately, they who are

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once effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart, new

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spirit created in them. Now immediately I have every kind

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of problem because if they say we have a new heart, inevitably,

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where do they go? Ezequel thirty six? Why do I

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have a problem with that? Ezequel thirty six has nothing

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to do with you or me? And what does it

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say in Ezequel thirty six Once they get a new heart,

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what immediately follows and Exequel thirty six? Now then they

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go into the land that's not us, all right? So

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the new heart in Ezequel thirty six is about Israel

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when they go into the land. So already I have

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a problem, But my problem even gets worse if you

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and I have a new heart and a new spirit.

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Where does sin come from? Now? This is why so

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many of your Christian friends put sin where outside of us.

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So we got to get rid of Rocket, we got

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to get rid of Netflix, we got to get rid

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of everything, because that's where sin comes from. And so

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they're like, I'm gonna my kids are not gonna be

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taken over by the world. I'm gonna keep my kid.

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Your kids the problem, right, your kids the problem, and

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my kid. And because we're the problem, because sin is

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inside of us. So already I've got a major problem

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with this, right and again, And if we have a

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new heart and a new spirit, logically, why should we

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be then perfect? That's just a logical way of thinking. Correct,

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But what do they say? We have a new heart

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a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified really

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and personally through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection

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by his word. Now look where they put the focus

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by his word and spirit dwelling in them? Now again,

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so now this is kind of moving a little bit

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away from the Catholic system. Right now, where do we go?

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The dominion? All right? Read this carefully. The dominion of

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the whole body of sin is destroyed. Now if the

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entire if the dominion of the whole body of sin

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is destroyed, what should happen? There shouldn't be any more sin? Right,

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And the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened. No,

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wait a minute, how is the luss more and more weakened?

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If it's all been destroyed. It's destroyed, but it just

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gets weaker. That doesn't make any sense, does it? Right?

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And mortified? And they're more and more quickened and strengthening

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all saving grace to the practice of true holiness, without

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which no man shall see the Lord. Now all right, there,

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I get nervous at that last part, right, because what

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is that implying without holiness no man will see the Lord? Well?

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What is holiness perfection? So if you say without holiness,

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no one will see the Lord? Who's gonna see the Lord?

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No one? So how do we understand that? Well, I

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am declared to be holy by imputed righteousness. Therefore I

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can see the Lord, not in practical righteousness, because I

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will never be holy. So we've got like major issues

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with this paragraph. Everyone agree Number two the sanctification and

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is throughout in the hole man yet and perfect in

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this life? They're abiding. Still some remnants of corruption in

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every part? Now wait, how can there be the remnants

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of corruption in every part if I have a new

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heart and a new spirit? That makes literally no sense?

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Uh huh, yeah, enable will Yet where is the remaining corruption?

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Does everyone understand? How just utterly illogical? This is where

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Christianity fall. This is the Christian system. Are you ready?

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You can't? Christ? Did he saved you? Now? You can?

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But you can't. That is the most insane thing I've

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ever heard of my entire life. Like every Christian should

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just be like. But Christians everywhere will agree to this

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and say amended this, and any criticism of it puts

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you where puts you outside of Christianity, and it should

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not do that, ladies and gentlemen. All right, So where's

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the remaining corruption coming from? It says, where arise at

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the continual irreconcilable war with the flesh lusting against the

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spirit and the spirit against the flesh. But if I

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have a new heart and new spirit, so you see

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what they try to do. You know, this becomes very gnostic, right,

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everything inside is good, but the flesh is bad. Well

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wait a minute now, when you when you reduce it

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to that, you see where this becomes almost hard to comprehend.

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So doesn't my body move and operate as a result

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of what I am inside? This almost makes the flesh

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as if it's somehow separate from its nature. And that

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makes no sense, right, the flesh everything is operated from

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what's going on inside? Right my mind? My like that

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just I don't even that doesn't even make any sense.

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Then look at the chapter or paragraph three in which war,

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although the remaining corruption for a time may may much prevail.

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Yet through the continual supply of strength from the same

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defying spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome, and

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so the saints grow and grace, perfecting holiness in the

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fear of God. Now that don't use the word, but

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ladies and gentlemen, that's progressive sanctification. All right. So here's

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what we're going to do. We're gonna look at progressive sanctification. Now,

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we're going to do something that's not allowed in churches,

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all right, We're going to look at the subject of

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progressive sanctification certification from a logical perspective. Now, this may

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get us in trouble, right, but I don't really care,

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because it's got to be considered. All right, everybody ready,

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all right? When you look at progressive sanctification from a

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logical perspective, you find there there are serious challenges to

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how progress and sanctification is typically understood and most Christian traditions.

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If you'll step back and look at it logically, there's

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serios challenges to how most Christians look at this. Christians

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are not willing to look at it from a logical

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perspective because they just accept this, even though they're saying

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something so contradictory. Hey, you've been completely changed. You have

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the power of God. You can do it, but you can't. Now,

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any reasonable person would raise their hand and go that

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makes no sense. Right. That'd be like telling a kid, Hey,

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when you get home today, you can do this, but

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you can't. But you better because they right, not even

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becomes yeah, Sarah's gonna even make it more frustrating. Right,

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this subject drives me to the point of just losing

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my mind because it just makes me so irritated with it. All. Right,

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So we're going to examine this in light of logic,

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fact and scripture. So this is what I did. I

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took my perspective about sanctification, that progressive sanctification is flawed

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and it doesn't work. And I tried to explain my

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perspective to AI, and I said, Okay, I want you

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to take my perspective and I want you to examine it. Right.

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So AI wrote out an entire examination of my perspective, right,

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and so this is its examination of what I offered it, right,

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And so we'll see what it has to say about

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my perspective. Okay, we may end up arguing well, I

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was already arguing with Ai over this, but it did

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say that my perspective is highly logical, so that's good.

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But it says it may not interact very well with

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traditional Christian teaching. And I'm like, okay, but it is

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highly logical. All right, here we go. They broke it

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down this way. Number one, If because it's taking my words,

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If the Holy Spirit is in power us to do better,

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but we can't achieve perfection, how is the empowerment meaningful?

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So it's taking those are my words? All right? So

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I'm gonna read this again. If the Holy Spirit is

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empowering us to do better, but we can achieve perfection,

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how is the empowerment meaningful? Hey, I'm giving you power

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to do it, but you can't do it? Well, how

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do we meaningful? Now? I think I could go beyond

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why this is so difficult, but we'll just see what

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it says here, all right? So this is how AI responded.

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You raise a crucial point. If the Holy Spirit is

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said to be empowering Christians but they still cannot achieve perfection,

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is an empowerment truly effective? In some ways, it might

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seem that this empowerment is more theoretical than real, especially

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if Christians continue to sin and break the law. Now,

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I will argue Christians continue to sin and break the

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law all right, because my definition of sin is that

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sin is a lack of conformity to God's law. It's

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a lack of obedience to God's law. It's a falling

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short of God's law. And we are not conformed to

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God's law. We disobey God's law, and we fall short

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of God's law in thought, word, deed, desire by what

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we do and what we fail to do. And this

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is internal and this is external. Now, that definition is

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consistent with Christian theology. Everything that definition right there is

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one thousand percent consistent with Christian theology. But that definition

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tells me what I'm perpetually in sin. So if I'm

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perpetually in sin, yeah, you tell me the Holy Spirit's

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empowering me. How can I measure empowerment Because any empowerment,

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it's just moving me from perpetual sin to perpetual sin.

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Power would be moving me from perpetual sin to not

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in perpetual sin, which would have to get me to perfection.

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So I think the whole empowerment thing is simply theoretical

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to make us feel better, but it's not anything real.

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So here is now the logical analysis by AI of

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all of that. Now it gives me its logical analysis.

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Are ready. If perfection is the standard set by God's law,

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and they quote Matthew five forty eight, if everybody want

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to look at Matthew five forty eight, you should know it.

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If you don't, what does Matthew five forty eight say?

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If everybody, we need to remember that forever, because that's

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the key verse to the Sermon on the Mount. Be

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perfect as I am perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,

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depending on your translation, right, everybody see that? All right?

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So this is this is what AI says. If perfection

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is the standard set by God's law, and we would

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say it's not an If it is and no human human,

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even with the Holy Spirit's empowerment, can achieve it in

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this life, then the empowering of the Holy Spirit might

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appear ineffective and insufficient. And I would say it does, okay,

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if it's supposedly empowering me. Now I believe the Holy

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Spirit is selling me keeping me, which is a completely

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different thing. But if it's empowering me, if the standard

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is perfection, and the empowering never gets me there. Then

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how do I measure thee It's like moving chairs around

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on the Titanic. I'm gonna move the chairs here. The

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boat's going down. It doesn't matter where I move the chairs, right,

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So it's empowering me, I'm still sinning. Then how do

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I measure power? Do you see where my frustration is?

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They go on to say the distinction between Christians and

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non Christians might become blurred as both groups experience moral

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failure and imperfection. Is that not true? If Christians are

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said to be making progress and they put that in

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quotations because I'm talking about progressive sanctification, but that progress

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stills fall short of the standard of the law, then

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how is the progress different from self improvement of non Christians?

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Because non Christians can make self improvement, right, I mean,

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because everyone knows my story of my sister and all

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the stuff she was into, and you know, then now

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she's clean, you know, no drugs, no alcohol, and I've

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you know, watched some of the virtual you know, alcoholics

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anonymous meetings. I've been to alcoholics anonymous meetings and narcotics

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anonymous met and when you go to those meetings, there's

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all these people who were like, I used to be this,

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and now I'm this and none of that. And many

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of them have nothing to do with Christianity. They may

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believe in some higher power, but it's nothing to do

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with Christianity, so they can achieve that. You can hear

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Mormons talk about transformation, Muslims talk about transformation, Buddhists talk

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about transformation. You can people in the New Age talk

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about Satanists can talk. Anybody can, so that doesn't and

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guess what, they fail and we fail. So that just

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because all of this becomes crazy. So this is what

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AI says, you are logically correct. O good, that's good,

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and pointing out that if perfection cannot be attained and

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the law remains unbroken, unbroken by no one, then the

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claim that the Holy Spirit is empowering believers could be

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seen as somewhat meaningless because the intended goal perfect is

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never reached. All right, So they say logically, I am right,

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But then it says, however, biblically, they're gonna have some issues.

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All right, are you ready? Are you ready to go

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to some subscriptures? Go to Roman seven eighteen through nineteen.

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Now are they going to mean to Are they gonna

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use the Bible to agree with me or disagree with me?

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Let's find out. Go to Roman seven eighteen through nineteen.

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You read it and tell me if it agrees with

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me or disagrees with me? What is Roman seven eighteen

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through nineteen. Tell us? For I know that in me

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that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, for

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to will is present with me. But how to perform

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that which is good? Now? Immediately to me? This proves

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me my point. If the Holy Spirit's giving me power,

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I would find find where to do it. Right. Yeah,

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this is an apostle, right, so I want to everyone

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to hear that again. But how to perform that which

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is good? I find not. If the Holy Spirit's the

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one giving you the power to do it, you should

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be able to find how to do it correct. For

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the good that I would I do not, but the

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evil which I would not that I do. They go quote,

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they quote Romans eight one through four, Romans eight one

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through four. Now, of course Romans seven twenty five. I

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think he always gets overlooked. Remember even AI skips Romans

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seven twenty five. I remember I told you how important

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I think Roman seven twenty five. Is I thank God

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through Jesus Christ, our Lord, so that with my mind

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I might myself serve the law of God, but with

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the flesh the law of sin. Well, if my flesh

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is serving the law of sin, what does that imply

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I sin? My mind is serving the law of God,

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and what sinse my mind? If we remember when we

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make repentance a change of mind, this makes perfect sense.

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What have I done in my mind? I've changed my

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mind and I now believe this is sin, this is right,

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this is wrong. God is right. I've changed. But in

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my body, what do I still do? That's exactly what

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Paul was saying earlier. I can't find the ability to

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do it. So what do I do? The things I

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want to do I don't do, and the things I

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don't want to do I do. Now, then go to

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Romans eight. There is therefore now no condemnation to them

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which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the

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flesh but after the spirit. Now I think the walking

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after the flesh and not after the spirit is what

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I do positionally, because then practically I still walk after

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the flesh. For the law of the spirit of life

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in Christ. Jesus had made me free from the law

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of sin and death. But please note the spirit of

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life in Christ, right in Christ. That's the key for that,

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for what the law could not do, and that it

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was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son

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in the likeness of his sinful flesh and for sin

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condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the

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Law might be fulfilled in us. Now, I think the

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law is fulfilled in us by how my position by Christ.

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I don't think it's fulfilled in practice, which would put

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me at odds with almost every Christian on the face

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of the earth. All right, now, they say it this way.

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Paul discusses the empowering of the spirit. I see, I

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don't know, and Christians are no longer under the law's condemnation,

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But he does not imply that Christians will achieve perfection

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to the law in this life. Even AI acknowledges, Paul

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never says that we can get to perfection. Well, if

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I can never get to perfection, this calls into question

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the entire idea of progressive sanctification. So let me state

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it this way. If you believe in progressive sanctification. How

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do you measure progress? Because inevitably everyone is falling short

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of the mark, so you're progressively falling short. So now

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to any measure, any kind of progress becomes what very

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subjective and you start measuring and what is Christians, at

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least from the seventeenth century on, we reduce it to

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measuring based off what some list, right, some list of

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like yeah, we don't go to this movie or we

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don't see these words, and it's just a very subjective,

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surface level thing, right. Paul's letter acknowledges a paradox. This

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is how they say it. The Holy Spirit empowers Christians

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to walk according to the Spirit, but at the same

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time believers still struggle with sin. So they argue the

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Bible seems to argue for the empowerment part, but at

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the same time, the Bible seems to argue that we

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still sin. So AI says, logically, I'm right, But they

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try to argue that the Bible tries to say both.

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I'm going to say, whatever a power that it supposedly

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demonstrates is explained by understanding it from our positional perspective,

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then it makes perfect sense. You can't say there's power practically,

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and then at the same time say there's no power practically.

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That just makes no sense. They go on to say,

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here's number two, and again they're borrowing my words. If

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the law is not how we measure progress, how can

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progress be measured without being subjective? That it's quoting my words, right,

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because how do we measure progress from a Christian's perspective

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by obedience to the law? Agreed? Well, how can progress

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be measured without being subjective if the law is not

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how we measure progress, because you would have to have

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a different way to measure. If I measure it according

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to the law, there isn't progress because what does the

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scripture say? If I break one point of the law,

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I'm guilty of all. I'm always breaking one point of

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the law. Therefore I'm always guilty of all. Therefore there's

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no way to measure progress. So here's what they say.

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This is what they say about my perspective. Your second

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point addresses the issue of subjectivity and measuring spiritual progress.

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If Christians can't measure their progress against the objective standard

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of the law, since they cannot keep it, then the

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idea of progress risks becoming a subjective or self defined concept.

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In that case, a person could claim they're making spiritual

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progress without any real objective basis for that claim. And

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I think that's Christianity in a nutshell. We all claim

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some progress, but there's no objective way to make that claim.

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00:27:00.319 --> 00:27:03.000
Make the claim and then get mad at me if

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I call in the question your claim, But I can

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call in the question of your claim bases on why law,

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because God's law would say that's your progress. Well, guess what,

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You're still a center. You're still a center. You're still

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a center. You're still a center. All right. So here's

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00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:24.960
their analysis of my perspective. If we discard the law

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as the measure of obedience or holiness, then the idea

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of spiritual progress becomes ungrounded. How can one objectively assess

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progress if there's no clear standard and which it is measured.

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This opens the door for anyone, including non Christians, to

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claim they're growing or progressing morally or spiritually as they would.

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There would be no clear external criteria by which to

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assess this growth. So now they're going to give me

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the biblical again. Logically, they agree with me logically, but

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then they have to say, what, but I'm supposed to

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look at this from a theological perspective. So here's the

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biblical perspective. Look at James one twenty two through twenty five.

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All right, James one twenty two through twenty five. You

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probably have an idea what it says. I'm trying not

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to read all of these because of time, but I

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want you to at least look at it. Yeah, probably

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00:28:31.559 --> 00:28:34.759
have a pretty good idea. It's the famous passage about

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what being doers of the word and not hearers only

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deceiving your own selves? Right? Okay? Right? And wouldn't it

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be great if we could all be doers of the

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word and not just hearers of the word? Right? Right?

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Because I can guess what I can prove to all

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of you in five seconds. Your hearers are not doers.

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You know why. I can prove that be holy as

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God is holy. Now go do that this week? Are

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00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:01.559
you going to do it? No? Therefore you're a hero

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00:29:01.640 --> 00:29:03.920
and not a doer. So in reality, this is all

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of us. Correct, Well, how is AI going to handle this?

439
00:29:07.079 --> 00:29:10.400
Are you ready? All? Right? Here we go? This is

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how they handle it, all right. James seems to argue

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that obedience to the law, the moral law, is still

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a standard of Christian living, suggesting that progress in holiness

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should have observable effects in one's life. However, if Christians

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cannot keep the law perfectly, how much progress is sufficient?

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How is this progress evaluated? If breaking one commandment means

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breaking the whole law? Look at James two ten? What

447
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does James two ten saying? If you are offending one point,

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you're guilty of all that? So even AI now realizes

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I got a problem. Let me read that again. Right,

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if Christians cannot keep the law perfectly, how much progress

451
00:30:01.839 --> 00:30:07.079
is sufficient? How is this progress evaluated? If breaking one

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commandment means breaking the whole law? If breaking one commandment

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00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:14.319
means breaking the whole law, there's no way to evaluate progress?

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All right? So number three again, they're borrowing from my words.

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If we can't keep the law and are in a

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perpetual state of sin, are discussions of progress just semantics?

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That's my words, all right? So let me read it again.

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If we can't keep the law and we're in a

459
00:30:35.319 --> 00:30:39.880
perpetual state of sin, our discussions of progress just semantics?

460
00:30:40.680 --> 00:30:42.759
I think obviously it is, But I asked it as

461
00:30:42.799 --> 00:30:46.039
a question instead of affirming it dogmatically. I gave my

462
00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:48.640
perspective and that but then asked it as a question.

463
00:30:48.759 --> 00:30:52.279
So then AI can offer its analysis, right, it says,

464
00:30:52.279 --> 00:30:54.680
your third point gets to the heart of the matter.

465
00:30:55.359 --> 00:30:58.480
If Christians continually are in a state of sin and

466
00:30:58.559 --> 00:31:02.039
breaking the law, then the discussion of progress could seem

467
00:31:02.519 --> 00:31:07.319
like mere semantics. After all, if believers are constantly guilty

468
00:31:07.319 --> 00:31:10.720
of violating God's law, how meaningful can any claim of

469
00:31:10.759 --> 00:31:14.079
progress really be? So it basically is just restating what

470
00:31:14.160 --> 00:31:18.000
I said. Okay, which is good. Then it says logical analysis.

471
00:31:18.079 --> 00:31:20.400
Then it gives me the logical analysis of what I said.

472
00:31:20.440 --> 00:31:22.759
Are you ready for its logical analysis? Here we go.

473
00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:28.079
You are correct and asserting that if breaking one part

474
00:31:28.160 --> 00:31:30.960
of the law means being guilty of breaking all of it,

475
00:31:31.279 --> 00:31:34.000
then a Christian is in a continual state of law breaking,

476
00:31:34.279 --> 00:31:40.079
which logically undermines the idea of real progress. How can

477
00:31:40.119 --> 00:31:43.319
we claim to be progressing towards obedience when in fact

478
00:31:43.640 --> 00:31:49.039
we're perpetually guilty before God. So again AI agrees with

479
00:31:49.079 --> 00:31:52.519
me logically logically, And I've always tried to make the

480
00:31:52.519 --> 00:31:55.559
point that logically we have to look look. I think

481
00:31:56.000 --> 00:31:58.759
we have to look at things logically to some level, right,

482
00:31:59.079 --> 00:32:01.519
And then if, as if logic and the Bible are

483
00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:03.799
in conflict, we've got to try to figure out what

484
00:32:03.880 --> 00:32:06.720
to do there, Right, do we just abandon logic? Well,

485
00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:10.559
if we abandon logic, then things become really I mean, look,

486
00:32:10.839 --> 00:32:13.480
if we abandon logic, here's where we come up with.

487
00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:18.920
Let's abandon logic. God empowers you to keep the law

488
00:32:19.039 --> 00:32:25.119
and obey him. However you can't do it. If abandon

489
00:32:25.359 --> 00:32:28.920
logic leads me to that, how can any rational person

490
00:32:29.240 --> 00:32:32.680
live in a Christian life with that system? I have power,

491
00:32:33.799 --> 00:32:37.640
but I can't But yet I have power. That seems ridiculous,

492
00:32:37.640 --> 00:32:40.240
does it not? Isn't that what we kind of mock

493
00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:43.920
charismatics for claiming they have the power to heal, but

494
00:32:44.119 --> 00:32:48.559
just ever seemingly to be able to actually do it. Well,

495
00:32:48.559 --> 00:32:52.240
then you're like, that's ridiculous. It's just if I'm going

496
00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:59.240
to criticize them, then I have to criticize us. Amen.

497
00:33:01.279 --> 00:33:04.559
They go on, Ay, it goes on. This creates a

498
00:33:04.599 --> 00:33:10.680
situation where claims of sanctification or progress seems like word games,

499
00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:16.079
claiming that things are improving, when in reality the fundamental problem,

500
00:33:16.640 --> 00:33:23.960
sin and law breaking persist. So it doesn't find any

501
00:33:23.960 --> 00:33:26.839
flaws in my logic, because I don't think there's any

502
00:33:26.880 --> 00:33:29.079
way to get around my logic right, because what am

503
00:33:29.079 --> 00:33:31.119
I doing. I'm going to what Scripture tells me about

504
00:33:31.160 --> 00:33:34.039
sin and then just logically applying that. Well, if I

505
00:33:34.119 --> 00:33:36.720
logically apply what it says about sin, then I can

506
00:33:36.759 --> 00:33:41.799
inevitably say we're all perpetually in sin. Now, as a church,

507
00:33:41.920 --> 00:33:44.000
what do we do with that fact? I don't know.

508
00:33:44.119 --> 00:33:46.160
I know what most Christians do. They get ticked off

509
00:33:46.200 --> 00:33:48.880
at me and claim it's not real. But they can't

510
00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:51.119
prove to me that it's not real, So then they

511
00:33:51.160 --> 00:33:55.720
just leave because they can't prove to me that what

512
00:33:55.759 --> 00:33:58.680
I'm saying is wrong, so they just leave. Well, you

513
00:33:58.759 --> 00:34:03.319
can go leave and play Disneyland, but reality says you

514
00:34:03.359 --> 00:34:10.119
can go to another church. You're still sinning, but go

515
00:34:10.239 --> 00:34:13.360
feel better pretending that we're with all the other nonsinners.

516
00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:17.119
Maybe maybe we're the only sinful church in Abilene and

517
00:34:17.360 --> 00:34:20.199
the surrounding areas, But I have a feeling that we're

518
00:34:20.239 --> 00:34:23.440
no more sinful and no less sinful than anybody else,

519
00:34:23.880 --> 00:34:26.519
including the atheist sitting on their couch today getting ready

520
00:34:26.559 --> 00:34:35.199
to watch football. Amen. All right, So biblical perspective. Uh oh,

521
00:34:35.280 --> 00:34:38.719
here we go. Look at Roman seven twenty four through

522
00:34:38.760 --> 00:34:52.039
twenty five. I love this paragraph for it everybody reads

523
00:34:52.119 --> 00:34:54.000
Romans seven twenty fourth through twenty five. What does it

524
00:34:54.039 --> 00:34:59.000
say a wretched man that I am? Who will deliver

525
00:34:59.119 --> 00:35:00.920
me from the body of death? Thanks be to God

526
00:35:00.920 --> 00:35:03.599
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So I myself serve the

527
00:35:03.679 --> 00:35:05.280
law of God with my mind, but with my flesh

528
00:35:05.280 --> 00:35:07.679
I serve the law of sin. Finally, AI got to

529
00:35:07.760 --> 00:35:10.920
Romans seven twenty four and twenty five. This is good.

530
00:35:11.079 --> 00:35:13.599
Now what is AI about to say? Are you ready?

531
00:35:14.239 --> 00:35:18.599
Everybody listened to these words carefully. Okay, here we go, right,

532
00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:20.320
I want to go to an AI church. I don't

533
00:35:20.360 --> 00:35:22.360
want to go to a person's church. I've decided AI

534
00:35:22.480 --> 00:35:24.199
is going to be the best church. Okay, are you ready?

535
00:35:24.239 --> 00:35:29.679
Here we go. Paul's personal experience reflects this ongoing tension.

536
00:35:30.320 --> 00:35:33.639
He recognizes that he is continually guilty of sin, even

537
00:35:33.639 --> 00:35:37.239
though he desires to obey God. However, he also recognizes

538
00:35:37.440 --> 00:35:42.199
that the solution to this dilemma is Christ's righteousness and

539
00:35:42.239 --> 00:35:46.320
the grace of God, not his ability to make progress

540
00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:58.280
and keep being the law. That's perfect all right? So

541
00:35:58.880 --> 00:36:03.320
AI asks ask me this question, are your points logical,

542
00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:07.840
fact based and consistent with scripture? So it asked me

543
00:36:07.880 --> 00:36:11.360
this question, Hey, do you think my position is logical,

544
00:36:12.119 --> 00:36:17.199
fact based and consistent with Scripture? I say yes, What

545
00:36:17.280 --> 00:36:20.719
does AI say? Logically? So they're going to examine those

546
00:36:20.719 --> 00:36:24.559
three things? Is my view logical, fact based and consistent

547
00:36:24.599 --> 00:36:29.079
with scripture? All? Right, here we go. Logically, your points

548
00:36:29.079 --> 00:36:32.960
are sound. If the Holy Spirit's empowerment does not lead

549
00:36:32.960 --> 00:36:35.519
to perfection, and if Christians continue to break the law,

550
00:36:35.639 --> 00:36:37.880
then the claim of real progress could indeed be seen

551
00:36:37.880 --> 00:36:42.000
as either subjective or an overstatement. Additionally, if Christians are

552
00:36:42.000 --> 00:36:45.280
perpetually guilty of breaking the law, claims of sanctification could

553
00:36:45.280 --> 00:36:51.280
seem like philologically philological semantics, then meaningful progress. So logically

554
00:36:51.320 --> 00:36:55.800
they say, check, I'm good, and I stand by my look.

555
00:36:55.840 --> 00:36:58.440
I try not to be dogmatic about some of my hypotheses,

556
00:36:58.480 --> 00:37:01.320
but on this one, I'm just absolute dogmatic because I

557
00:37:01.360 --> 00:37:03.960
can prove it as long as unless you tell me

558
00:37:04.000 --> 00:37:06.480
my definition of sin is wrong. And then you've got

559
00:37:06.480 --> 00:37:08.239
to tell me what Jesus what God meant when he

560
00:37:08.280 --> 00:37:10.880
said be holy as he is holy, Because if you

561
00:37:11.280 --> 00:37:14.559
change the definition of sin, then you've got to redefine

562
00:37:14.559 --> 00:37:17.119
what God's holiness is, and now you're going to change

563
00:37:17.119 --> 00:37:20.800
who God is. You see the inevitable result there? If God,

564
00:37:20.840 --> 00:37:26.280
if holiness means God, then anything apart from perfection is sin,

565
00:37:26.599 --> 00:37:31.360
which is us continually right, So how about fact base?

566
00:37:33.000 --> 00:37:35.320
The fact that Christians continue to sin and cannot keep

567
00:37:35.320 --> 00:37:39.320
the law is well supported by both scripture and experience,

568
00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:43.599
which cracks me out because how would a I know Okay, hey,

569
00:37:43.639 --> 00:37:46.800
I can't really say, but we know I can say,

570
00:37:47.440 --> 00:37:49.760
is it fact based? What do I always say to

571
00:37:49.800 --> 00:37:52.840
a charismatic? Well, if healing is guaranteed in the intellement,

572
00:37:55.559 --> 00:37:59.000
I can challenge them, right, well, I can just say,

573
00:37:59.079 --> 00:38:01.079
if you have a new home and a new spirit.

574
00:38:02.960 --> 00:38:06.199
What I said this, even when the controversy was building

575
00:38:06.199 --> 00:38:08.519
in this church? What did I tell people, don't argue

576
00:38:08.519 --> 00:38:13.199
with me, just go be perfect? Did any of them

577
00:38:13.239 --> 00:38:16.159
decide to go be perfect? No? They decided to leave.

578
00:38:17.599 --> 00:38:22.239
Why because it's easy to land and be perfect? Right?

579
00:38:23.079 --> 00:38:26.920
Just what and my perspective am I telling you, hey,

580
00:38:28.079 --> 00:38:30.840
don't be perfect? Do I tell anyone not to be perfect?

581
00:38:31.079 --> 00:38:34.320
Do I tell anyone to sin? But people get mad

582
00:38:34.360 --> 00:38:38.880
at me simply because I just say we're sinners like that,

583
00:38:39.199 --> 00:38:41.559
that's a weird reason to get mad at me. I'm

584
00:38:41.559 --> 00:38:44.400
not telling you not to go be perfect, go be perfect,

585
00:38:45.400 --> 00:38:47.599
so you should be like, Okay, I'm gonna show you,

586
00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:51.280
but you should stay here to show me that you

587
00:38:51.320 --> 00:38:53.480
can be perfect. Then I can bring you up here

588
00:38:53.519 --> 00:38:57.719
and go everyone I was wrong because they have achieved perfection,

589
00:38:57.880 --> 00:39:01.280
and then we could all acknowledge them. Using a wrestling phrase,

590
00:39:01.639 --> 00:39:05.320
we can acknowledge them as our example of perfection, but

591
00:39:05.400 --> 00:39:08.280
we will never acknowledge them as our example of perfection,

592
00:39:08.480 --> 00:39:12.199
because they will always be an example of sin, just

593
00:39:12.360 --> 00:39:17.159
like I am. I am your example of a sinner

594
00:39:18.840 --> 00:39:24.039
who just went to seminary. Okay, that's the only difference. Okay,

595
00:39:24.239 --> 00:39:28.920
all right, So I like that it says it's well supported.

596
00:39:29.000 --> 00:39:32.440
The Bible consistently teaches that human beings, even those redeemed

597
00:39:32.440 --> 00:39:35.760
in Christ, are still plagued by sin until they are

598
00:39:35.880 --> 00:39:45.119
glorified until the So even the AI acknowledges that even

599
00:39:45.159 --> 00:39:51.159
within scripture, everyone is plagued with sin until glorification. Okay,

600
00:39:51.440 --> 00:39:56.119
I believe that Christian that all systems of theology make

601
00:39:56.320 --> 00:40:01.360
the same mistake. We go grab what is me for glorification,

602
00:40:01.840 --> 00:40:06.960
and we drag it into now what a charismatics do?

603
00:40:06.960 --> 00:40:10.440
Do we believe healing is guaranteed in the atonement? Yes?

604
00:40:11.039 --> 00:40:14.320
When when I get a new body, what do they do?

605
00:40:14.920 --> 00:40:18.320
Go grab that promise and make it for now? Do

606
00:40:18.400 --> 00:40:20.239
I believe that there will be a time that I'll

607
00:40:20.280 --> 00:40:24.119
be completely free from sin? Yes, but I can't grab

608
00:40:24.159 --> 00:40:30.079
it and bring it into the now. Now. Sin is

609
00:40:30.119 --> 00:40:32.320
wrong and I'm guilty of it, and I should fight

610
00:40:32.400 --> 00:40:36.239
against it. But I have to acknowledge whatever fight against

611
00:40:36.320 --> 00:40:40.280
one sin, and from a human perspective, let's just again,

612
00:40:40.320 --> 00:40:43.559
nobody likes me to say this is really it's irrelevant

613
00:40:43.599 --> 00:40:47.920
because any victory over one sin, I'm still a sinner. Now,

614
00:40:47.960 --> 00:40:50.239
I'm not saying that excuses any sin. That's where everyone

615
00:40:50.239 --> 00:40:54.119
accuses me. I'm not excusing sin, any sin in me.

616
00:40:54.280 --> 00:40:57.519
I'm not excusing I've never I hope you've never thought

617
00:40:57.559 --> 00:40:59.800
I've excused any sin. I've always tried to acknowledge. I'm

618
00:41:00.360 --> 00:41:03.039
I'm a sinner because I'm a sinner. But and I'm

619
00:41:03.039 --> 00:41:05.400
not saying it's right, but I know that even if

620
00:41:05.440 --> 00:41:08.840
I didn't commit certain sins, and I can stand here

621
00:41:08.840 --> 00:41:11.440
and pat myself on the back. Just because I didn't

622
00:41:11.440 --> 00:41:16.159
commit that sin, I'd still be a sinner. See whatever

623
00:41:16.320 --> 00:41:18.840
sin that you could find in me, and say, how

624
00:41:18.960 --> 00:41:21.960
dare he? How dare that he did that? Even if

625
00:41:21.960 --> 00:41:24.400
I didn't do that, you should still be looking at

626
00:41:24.440 --> 00:41:27.679
me as I'm a sinner. But you don't only because

627
00:41:28.719 --> 00:41:31.199
if I don't commit a certain sin, then everyone's okay

628
00:41:31.239 --> 00:41:38.159
with me. That's just a weird Christian way of thinking, right,

629
00:41:38.320 --> 00:41:40.639
So fact base, they say, I'm good to go. All right,

630
00:41:40.679 --> 00:41:43.519
how about consistent with scripture? All right, here we go

631
00:41:45.079 --> 00:41:47.840
my critique or they say your critique, because they're addressing me,

632
00:41:48.639 --> 00:41:55.559
your critique align aligns with a clear biblical understanding of

633
00:41:55.639 --> 00:42:01.480
the human condition post conversion. They say that my view

634
00:42:01.800 --> 00:42:06.079
aligns with a clear biblical understanding of the human condition

635
00:42:06.559 --> 00:42:09.559
post conversion. And this is where I get in trouble

636
00:42:09.599 --> 00:42:14.360
with everyone, because I believe my condition post conversion practically

637
00:42:14.440 --> 00:42:17.719
it's the same as it was pre conversion. What do

638
00:42:17.760 --> 00:42:22.719
I believe changed post conversion? My position with God? I

639
00:42:22.840 --> 00:42:26.480
go with Luther, which says, at the same time, I

640
00:42:26.559 --> 00:42:36.639
am a saint and a sinner at the same time. Amen.

641
00:42:38.480 --> 00:42:40.639
While the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit works and

642
00:42:40.679 --> 00:42:42.840
believers to grow in holiness. And this is where, of course,

643
00:42:43.199 --> 00:42:45.320
is going to go. With that typical view, it also

644
00:42:45.400 --> 00:42:48.199
teaches they will never achieve perfection or perfectly keep the

645
00:42:48.280 --> 00:42:51.679
law in this life. Therefore, any notion of progress must

646
00:42:51.760 --> 00:42:56.639
be carefully defined to avoid overstatement. So it simply will

647
00:42:56.679 --> 00:42:59.079
say this Christianity is going to continue to teach that

648
00:42:59.119 --> 00:43:01.679
we have the Holy Spirit to empower us. So the

649
00:43:01.719 --> 00:43:04.000
best AI can say is what can you have to do?

650
00:43:04.039 --> 00:43:06.840
Then you got to really define what you mean and

651
00:43:06.880 --> 00:43:09.960
not overstated. And if you really define what you mean,

652
00:43:10.400 --> 00:43:14.119
you're going to find yourself admitting what progress is really

653
00:43:14.239 --> 00:43:18.639
just kind of semantics. Now it says, what is the

654
00:43:19.639 --> 00:43:22.440
It says this leaves us with a thiological tension. So

655
00:43:22.679 --> 00:43:26.000
this is what AI says. Okay, if I consider your perspective,

656
00:43:26.280 --> 00:43:29.519
I've got a problem here. There's a thiological tension. So

657
00:43:29.679 --> 00:43:32.119
this is how it describes. It calls it a thiological

658
00:43:32.159 --> 00:43:36.800
dilemma that I've created. Okay, right, See when y'all say

659
00:43:36.960 --> 00:43:40.320
I don't understand even AI doesn't understand me. Or here's

660
00:43:40.360 --> 00:43:45.840
what AI says. Progress and sanctification is a biblical doctrine,

661
00:43:46.599 --> 00:43:50.119
but that progress is often described and in a non

662
00:43:50.199 --> 00:43:54.239
perfectionist term, the goal is Christ's likeness, but it has

663
00:43:54.360 --> 00:43:58.320
never achieved in this life. Perfection is the standard of

664
00:43:58.360 --> 00:44:00.920
the law, but Christians are justified by keep by christ

665
00:44:01.000 --> 00:44:05.239
imputed righteousness, not their own law keeping. Thus your critique

666
00:44:05.320 --> 00:44:09.360
highlights a key point. Sanctification must be understood in terms

667
00:44:09.400 --> 00:44:12.800
of growing dependence on Christ and the work of the Spirit,

668
00:44:13.320 --> 00:44:15.880
not as an attempt to measure up to the laws

669
00:44:15.880 --> 00:44:21.159
of demands in any ultimate sense. Now I like this

670
00:44:22.000 --> 00:44:24.719
all right, Now I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna change

671
00:44:24.760 --> 00:44:29.559
this a little bit. Yeah, I'm gonna go to the back. Okay,

672
00:44:29.760 --> 00:44:34.239
So your critique highlights a key point sanctification must be

673
00:44:34.599 --> 00:44:39.960
understood in terms of growing dependence on Christ. Now there,

674
00:44:40.039 --> 00:44:43.239
I love because I think that's what sanctification is. Right.

675
00:44:43.719 --> 00:44:49.639
The more I'm sanctified, the more I realize what that

676
00:44:49.760 --> 00:44:53.519
I'm a sinner. See, I think the growth and sanctification

677
00:44:54.119 --> 00:44:57.760
is the growth in becoming more aware of my sin,

678
00:44:58.960 --> 00:45:03.320
which then makes me more dependent on Christ. So I'm

679
00:45:03.360 --> 00:45:11.000
gonna change sanctification as the grow growth and understanding your sinfulness.

680
00:45:12.039 --> 00:45:15.800
The more I we have actually taught about this in

681
00:45:15.840 --> 00:45:19.159
this Church before I really understood this concept. The closer

682
00:45:19.199 --> 00:45:21.159
I get to God, the more I will realize what

683
00:45:22.559 --> 00:45:25.559
how sinful I am. The more I grow as a Christian,

684
00:45:25.840 --> 00:45:29.440
the more I will realize how far I am from

685
00:45:29.480 --> 00:45:32.360
being what I should be. What I always make the joke.

686
00:45:32.400 --> 00:45:38.440
What is education? Yeah, education is you growing in your

687
00:45:38.559 --> 00:45:42.480
understanding of how dumb you are. Right. The more I

688
00:45:42.480 --> 00:45:46.480
study Scripture, the more I understand how dumb I am right.

689
00:45:46.800 --> 00:45:48.679
The more I grow as a Christian, the more I

690
00:45:48.719 --> 00:45:50.920
realize how and so then what does it lead to?

691
00:45:51.119 --> 00:45:56.320
Sanctification leads to a growing dependence on Christ and his righteousness.

692
00:45:58.199 --> 00:46:01.039
The more where you are of your sin, the more

693
00:46:01.079 --> 00:46:05.840
you're being sanctified, the more you somehow convinced that you were.

694
00:46:06.039 --> 00:46:12.360
And that's why I think younger Christians almost inevitably it's

695
00:46:12.519 --> 00:46:18.599
younger Christians younger married Christians, because younger single Christians realize

696
00:46:18.599 --> 00:46:20.880
how much they say right. They know they're struggling with

697
00:46:20.920 --> 00:46:23.599
things they don't want to admit, but they because we

698
00:46:23.719 --> 00:46:25.880
know the biggest sin you know in the world is

699
00:46:25.920 --> 00:46:28.360
you know, physical relations is the biggest thing in the world.

700
00:46:28.360 --> 00:46:30.920
You know, so, but once you get married, that's at

701
00:46:31.000 --> 00:46:34.239
least temporarily taken care of. Right, so then you can

702
00:46:34.280 --> 00:46:37.920
be like, I'm young. Dun dun, dun dud And so

703
00:46:38.079 --> 00:46:40.960
then you can be like, I'm growing. Yeah, you're growing

704
00:46:41.000 --> 00:46:43.519
because you're not committing that sin you were struggling with,

705
00:46:43.599 --> 00:46:46.320
because now you're free to do that. Right. You see

706
00:46:46.320 --> 00:46:49.280
the game that gets played here. So so and so

707
00:46:49.559 --> 00:46:53.480
you're young, you're you're you're excited about God. That's a

708
00:46:53.480 --> 00:46:56.000
good thing. You got zeal for God. That's a good thing.

709
00:46:56.039 --> 00:46:59.800
Nobody should throw water on that. You're passionate, you're studying scripture.

710
00:47:00.079 --> 00:47:02.719
Everything is great, and I think that lasts. But if

711
00:47:02.760 --> 00:47:06.719
you continue to grow, if you continue to grow and

712
00:47:06.840 --> 00:47:10.320
be honest with yourself, twenty thirty years down the road,

713
00:47:10.480 --> 00:47:18.239
you're gonna look back going there's a lot of spiritual pride, arrogance, unloving, condemning,

714
00:47:18.559 --> 00:47:21.320
being judgmental. And you know what, I've realized, after twenty

715
00:47:21.360 --> 00:47:26.519
or thirty years of this, I'm still a sinner. I

716
00:47:26.559 --> 00:47:30.320
think sanctification is growing into that reality. Now I disagree

717
00:47:30.320 --> 00:47:34.840
with AI's use of this. So it's a sanctification is

718
00:47:34.920 --> 00:47:37.559
understood in terms of growing dependence on Christ and the

719
00:47:37.599 --> 00:47:40.440
work of and the work of the Holy Spirit. I say,

720
00:47:40.440 --> 00:47:42.440
I struggle with that work of the Holy Spirit. Now,

721
00:47:42.519 --> 00:47:44.760
if you say the work of the Holy Spirit is this,

722
00:47:45.400 --> 00:47:49.320
because the Spirit is in me and I'm growing, the

723
00:47:49.360 --> 00:47:52.519
Spirit convicts me more and more of that imperfection that

724
00:47:52.719 --> 00:47:56.000
is inside of me, because the Holy Spirit knows the

725
00:47:56.039 --> 00:47:59.679
imperfection inside of me, because the Holy Spirit is inside

726
00:47:59.679 --> 00:48:03.800
of me. Right, So that if we say it that way,

727
00:48:03.840 --> 00:48:07.360
then I'm okay, all right it Sanctification is not an

728
00:48:07.360 --> 00:48:10.960
attempt to measure up to the law demands in any

729
00:48:11.079 --> 00:48:16.320
ultimate sense. Otherwise discussions of progress risks becoming subjective are

730
00:48:16.400 --> 00:48:22.239
merely a semantic exercise. This tension between being justified in

731
00:48:22.360 --> 00:48:26.800
Christ yet still sinful in practice is the paradox of

732
00:48:26.840 --> 00:48:31.119
the Christian life, which points us back to the centrality

733
00:48:32.119 --> 00:48:35.639
of grace. Are you ready for this? So this entire

734
00:48:35.679 --> 00:48:41.599
discussion produces this paradox, and it points us back. I

735
00:48:41.679 --> 00:48:44.639
love it. This is Ai, ladies and gentlemen, points us

736
00:48:44.679 --> 00:48:50.800
back to the centrality of grace and the amputation of

737
00:48:50.920 --> 00:49:02.199
Christ's righteousness. AI has to realize what it's imputed righteousness

738
00:49:02.599 --> 00:49:05.880
that's our only hope in this So and all of this,

739
00:49:06.119 --> 00:49:09.719
when we say progressive sanctification, What can how are we

740
00:49:09.800 --> 00:49:12.760
going to define progressive sanctification from this point forward in

741
00:49:12.760 --> 00:49:16.079
this church, right or hopefully when you even when this

742
00:49:16.159 --> 00:49:19.239
church is gone, when whenever this church comes to an end,

743
00:49:19.400 --> 00:49:22.280
hopefully for the rest of your Christian life. Progressive sanctification

744
00:49:22.400 --> 00:49:27.880
is what a progressive growth in your awareness of your

745
00:49:28.079 --> 00:49:33.239
sin and thought, word, deed, desire. By what you do

746
00:49:33.559 --> 00:49:37.960
and not do internally and externally, you grow more. And

747
00:49:38.039 --> 00:49:41.000
why do I grow more and more into that? Because

748
00:49:41.000 --> 00:49:45.440
I have the spirit inside of me doing what reveal,

749
00:49:45.599 --> 00:49:48.679
making it known, convicting me of it. Right, I've got

750
00:49:48.679 --> 00:49:51.280
something inside of me making it known, so I feel

751
00:49:51.320 --> 00:49:53.559
more and more guilty. And so then what does that do?

752
00:49:53.840 --> 00:49:58.400
Sanctification then, is growing an awareness of sin and growing

753
00:49:58.559 --> 00:50:05.199
in a greater dependent upon imputed righteousness, not in a

754
00:50:05.280 --> 00:50:08.760
growing desire to try to do better, because even doing

755
00:50:08.800 --> 00:50:13.000
better is such a game. Right If I do better

756
00:50:13.360 --> 00:50:16.360
in this, am I doing better in that? And the

757
00:50:16.400 --> 00:50:19.159
inevitable result is, even if I appear that I'm doing

758
00:50:19.239 --> 00:50:23.320
better external doing better may not actually mean anything. I

759
00:50:23.360 --> 00:50:28.719
think the God that I'm not like these people, and

760
00:50:28.800 --> 00:50:32.239
the other person was like, Lord, I I'm unworthy of everything.

761
00:50:32.280 --> 00:50:36.920
Who went home justified the one, not the good person,

762
00:50:37.400 --> 00:50:40.480
the sinner. Now in our minds, no, no, no, no,

763
00:50:40.559 --> 00:50:43.440
the good person is the same person the person doing

764
00:50:43.440 --> 00:50:47.440
the better. They cannot be really saved. No. Sanctification is

765
00:50:47.440 --> 00:50:49.440
where we become more and more aware of saying, what,

766
00:50:50.320 --> 00:50:53.800
I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner and my only hope

767
00:50:53.840 --> 00:50:56.760
is imputed righteousness. It's not in trying to do better.

768
00:50:57.119 --> 00:51:00.679
If Christianity gets reduced and Christianity is been reduced to

769
00:51:00.800 --> 00:51:04.039
just a system of trying to do better, we try

770
00:51:04.079 --> 00:51:06.000
to do better, we try to do better, but we

771
00:51:06.039 --> 00:51:11.239
play games because we and again I think, I mean,

772
00:51:11.280 --> 00:51:15.079
we know this. Statistics prove this. You have people raised

773
00:51:15.079 --> 00:51:21.519
in a Christian home, when do they leave Christianity about seventeen? Right,

774
00:51:21.639 --> 00:51:26.559
what happens, They're no under parents' control, Right, So they

775
00:51:26.559 --> 00:51:28.599
go and they and they may live in all kinds

776
00:51:28.639 --> 00:51:32.719
of sin. When do they come back? Those who come

777
00:51:32.760 --> 00:51:40.719
back come back after they're married. Why, some of that

778
00:51:40.840 --> 00:51:43.639
sin and that desire is now they have a way

779
00:51:43.679 --> 00:51:45.840
to fulfill it. So now they come back and then

780
00:51:45.840 --> 00:51:48.920
they're like, oh, now I'm moral and I don't know

781
00:51:48.920 --> 00:51:51.320
what's wrong with the kids in the world. Today. I

782
00:51:51.360 --> 00:51:54.840
don't know what's wrong with the world. It's so shut up.

783
00:51:56.880 --> 00:52:03.119
That was you. Now you talk a big game because

784
00:52:03.159 --> 00:52:06.079
now you're married, you have kids, and so now you're

785
00:52:06.119 --> 00:52:09.519
all mister Godley and talk a big game. But in

786
00:52:09.519 --> 00:52:13.800
many cases you want to look at them and got

787
00:52:13.880 --> 00:52:16.079
You're the same person I knew when you were a

788
00:52:16.119 --> 00:52:24.159
teenager what happened. And this is why many Christians and

789
00:52:24.679 --> 00:52:27.599
even the church itgnos this right. So the church has

790
00:52:27.599 --> 00:52:34.280
emphasized what forever, getting married as early as you can.

791
00:52:35.400 --> 00:52:38.800
Why because you can avoid one major area of sin.

792
00:52:38.920 --> 00:52:40.920
Because what's the biggest area of sin in the church

793
00:52:41.079 --> 00:52:44.079
is that one area? Is it not? I mean, that's

794
00:52:44.119 --> 00:52:53.320
the sin? This is so many other things are perfectly okay, gossip, pride, backstabbing,

795
00:52:53.440 --> 00:52:56.440
lying to see, it's all we make a million excuses

796
00:52:56.440 --> 00:52:59.880
for that. And so really Christianity is just about one sin,

797
00:53:00.039 --> 00:53:02.159
if you think about it, which is just ridiculous, is

798
00:53:02.199 --> 00:53:04.840
it not, because that one sin is always listened with

799
00:53:04.880 --> 00:53:08.480
all the other sins, right, idolatry, convesteousness. I mean we

800
00:53:08.480 --> 00:53:11.400
can go on bitterness. I mean we're supposed to do

801
00:53:11.440 --> 00:53:15.519
all things without complaining and grumbling. Nobody gets church excommunicated

802
00:53:15.559 --> 00:53:19.199
for grumbling and complaining. Man, I should have made that

803
00:53:19.280 --> 00:53:21.400
a major sin in this church, right, And anytime anyone

804
00:53:21.480 --> 00:53:24.079
grumble complain, I'm like, we're gonna have church discipline now.

805
00:53:24.159 --> 00:53:27.119
Everybody like, well, you can't church discipline someone for that. Oh,

806
00:53:27.199 --> 00:53:29.280
but if they commit this sin, everyone would be like,

807
00:53:30.559 --> 00:53:34.400
throw them to the wolves. Right. It's such a weird game.

808
00:53:35.079 --> 00:53:37.639
So how do we define sanctification. I'll make sure we

809
00:53:37.719 --> 00:53:43.079
leave with this understanding. Sanctification is a Christian systematically progressively

810
00:53:43.119 --> 00:53:46.719
growing in an awareness of their own their own sin,

811
00:53:47.480 --> 00:53:51.000
not growing in an awareness of everyone else's sin. That's

812
00:53:51.079 --> 00:53:54.039
typically what we do, right, growing an awareness of our

813
00:53:54.079 --> 00:53:56.840
own sin. We will credit that to the Holy Spirit

814
00:53:56.880 --> 00:53:59.119
being inside of us, which makes sense. He's inside of me.

815
00:53:59.199 --> 00:54:01.039
He knows what's going on inside of me. He sees

816
00:54:01.079 --> 00:54:03.920
that sin, right, Okay, So I become more and more

817
00:54:03.960 --> 00:54:07.360
aware of it, and this leads to not me becoming better,

818
00:54:07.599 --> 00:54:10.079
but this leads me to growing in my dependence upon

819
00:54:11.000 --> 00:54:14.920
imputed righteousness, because I realize any attempt to do better

820
00:54:15.440 --> 00:54:19.119
is ultimately going to be futile. It's like I'm on

821
00:54:19.239 --> 00:54:22.639
the Titanic. It's going down, and if I move all

822
00:54:22.760 --> 00:54:26.000
the chairs to the other side of the ship. It's

823
00:54:26.000 --> 00:54:29.280
still going down. If I run down to my room

824
00:54:29.519 --> 00:54:32.480
and clean it all up, the boat is still going down.

825
00:54:33.159 --> 00:54:35.440
If I go put on my best suit and sit

826
00:54:35.519 --> 00:54:40.400
on the deck, I'm still going down. Right, Well, inevitably,

827
00:54:41.519 --> 00:54:44.639
I have a sinful nature, and the boat's going down

828
00:54:45.119 --> 00:54:50.320
until it's raised again, and then the sin is gone.

829
00:54:50.440 --> 00:54:53.519
Now am I justifying in it? I'm not everyone. I

830
00:54:53.599 --> 00:54:56.000
have to say it online because we're like you justify you.

831
00:54:56.119 --> 00:55:02.760
I'm not justifying anything because God says it's sin. Now,

832
00:55:02.800 --> 00:55:06.400
I may not understand God's system, right. God says be holy,

833
00:55:06.440 --> 00:55:10.239
but he doesn't make me holy. That's bothers me. Right, Hey,

834
00:55:10.360 --> 00:55:12.199
I don't want you to sin, but I'm not gonna

835
00:55:12.199 --> 00:55:15.239
stop you from sinning. Well that's a little frustrating. So

836
00:55:15.320 --> 00:55:18.840
I understand that there's things that don't make sins. But

837
00:55:18.920 --> 00:55:21.360
I can try to take this system and at least

838
00:55:21.400 --> 00:55:25.639
acknowledge this. God is going to fix the problem. And

839
00:55:25.719 --> 00:55:29.440
maybe the whole point here now is that he saves

840
00:55:29.480 --> 00:55:33.440
me by an imputed righteousness. That's the whole point. And

841
00:55:33.480 --> 00:55:36.480
so then I am to be because remember, the whole

842
00:55:36.480 --> 00:55:39.880
point is he confounds the wisdom of the wise. Right, Well,

843
00:55:39.880 --> 00:55:43.239
one confounds the world more than anything that I can

844
00:55:43.280 --> 00:55:48.920
be saved and yet a sinner. That is confusing? Is

845
00:55:48.960 --> 00:55:52.800
it not? Well, because I'm not saved by what I do?

846
00:55:53.280 --> 00:55:57.760
It's my salvation is supposed to be about whom Him,

847
00:55:58.280 --> 00:56:00.679
not me. We want to make it about me and

848
00:56:00.719 --> 00:56:03.679
how he changed me where I can. And we said, well,

849
00:56:03.719 --> 00:56:05.800
I'm not to get the glory, but you want everyone

850
00:56:05.840 --> 00:56:08.440
to look at you. No, the if shoe is he

851
00:56:08.639 --> 00:56:13.599
saved me even though I'm a sinner, So it magnifies

852
00:56:13.639 --> 00:56:19.239
what his grace and his righteousness, not mine. I think

853
00:56:19.280 --> 00:56:22.360
that that makes at least some level of sense. Right.

854
00:56:22.960 --> 00:56:28.480
So sanctification is the process as we progressively moved to

855
00:56:28.519 --> 00:56:31.280
a deeper understanding of our own sin and guilt. We're

856
00:56:31.280 --> 00:56:33.880
broken and humbled by it, which drives us to a

857
00:56:33.920 --> 00:56:38.960
deeper reliance upon the imputed righteousness of Christ. That is sanctification.

858
00:56:39.440 --> 00:56:42.679
Every other definition of sanctification, I'm going to argue, is

859
00:56:42.800 --> 00:56:50.119
trash because all these other definitions are basically what God

860
00:56:50.159 --> 00:56:53.719
empowers you to do it, but you can't do it.

861
00:56:54.199 --> 00:56:59.599
That makes no sense. This one makes perfect sense. But

862
00:56:59.679 --> 00:57:03.320
I have right, This one makes more sense I'm made

863
00:57:03.360 --> 00:57:05.599
more aware of my sin and I have to rely

864
00:57:05.679 --> 00:57:10.639
on His imputed righteousness. That makes sense, because I can't

865
00:57:10.840 --> 00:57:17.679
right That one makes logical sense. And what is the

866
00:57:17.760 --> 00:57:21.360
standard is the law is the constant standard, right, But

867
00:57:21.440 --> 00:57:25.159
we do not modify the law. The law stays intact

868
00:57:25.360 --> 00:57:28.400
this way, right, because if I'm going to define progress

869
00:57:28.440 --> 00:57:30.880
and maintain the right definition of the law, there can't

870
00:57:30.880 --> 00:57:33.760
be any progress. This one can be progressed because what

871
00:57:33.800 --> 00:57:36.440
am I admitting. I'm admitting more and more that I

872
00:57:36.519 --> 00:57:40.159
violate the law. So the law stays the law. I

873
00:57:40.239 --> 00:57:42.719
grow in my understanding of how much I violate the law,

874
00:57:42.920 --> 00:57:46.519
which then drives me to a greater reliance upon imputed

875
00:57:46.599 --> 00:57:51.039
righteousness that maintains everything. That does not have me reverting

876
00:57:51.079 --> 00:57:53.840
back to Catholicism. That doesn't have me reverting back to

877
00:57:53.880 --> 00:57:57.039
a Sacramental system. It doesn't have me reverting into claiming

878
00:57:57.079 --> 00:57:59.079
the Spirit has given me some power that it doesn't

879
00:57:59.079 --> 00:58:02.599
really give me the power for it's logical, it's biblical,

880
00:58:02.960 --> 00:58:08.639
it's consistent. It just ticks everyone off. I don't know why,

881
00:58:11.000 --> 00:58:13.039
but I've I mean, we've watched it in this church.

882
00:58:13.119 --> 00:58:16.719
I don't get it. I can show I can emails

883
00:58:16.719 --> 00:58:18.880
and YouTube comments. I can show you this will just

884
00:58:18.960 --> 00:58:22.039
literally drive every Christian to the point of screaming at

885
00:58:22.039 --> 00:58:24.079
me saying I'm a heretic. I'm like, how am I

886
00:58:24.159 --> 00:58:29.039
a heretic? This is consistent with historical biblical orthodoxy, which

887
00:58:29.119 --> 00:58:34.719
maintains the standard and maintains the reality of sin, and

888
00:58:34.880 --> 00:58:38.920
is logically consistent. And he said, well, but what about

889
00:58:38.960 --> 00:58:41.760
this scripture? This scripture, any scripture that says I should

890
00:58:41.760 --> 00:58:44.679
be doing this is law and it's and I know

891
00:58:44.800 --> 00:58:48.480
I can't and Christ did. And if it says certain

892
00:58:48.519 --> 00:58:50.719
things that may be speaking of my position, not my

893
00:58:50.800 --> 00:58:55.599
practical reality, because it has to be right, there's no

894
00:58:55.679 --> 00:58:59.159
other way of understanding it. So I will stop there,

895
00:59:00.400 --> 00:59:03.559
all right, twelve oh five. Usually I go twelve twenty. So, kid,

896
00:59:03.639 --> 00:59:05.400
you got a little bit of a break, not too much,

897
00:59:05.480 --> 00:59:07.679
all right, So let's pray, Lord God, we come before

898
00:59:07.760 --> 00:59:12.159
you this afternoon. Lord, I hope this new understanding of

899
00:59:12.360 --> 00:59:16.480
sanctification is correct. Lord, I pray that it is consistent

900
00:59:16.480 --> 00:59:19.360
with your word. And Lord, I pray that we would

901
00:59:19.400 --> 00:59:24.280
consider this in much detail, give this much discussion amongst ourselves,

902
00:59:24.840 --> 00:59:27.840
And Lord, I pray that we just continue trying to

903
00:59:27.960 --> 00:59:31.159
understand the Christian life and what it should look like,

904
00:59:31.960 --> 00:59:34.400
and ask for forgiveness when we know we fall short,

905
00:59:34.440 --> 00:59:37.119
which is continually. We have this in Jesus name, I got,

906
00:59:37.119 --> 00:59:41.480
people said,