Is It Possible To Live A Life Without Sin?

HT: Briefcase and the Tigress

The question has been asked by most. Is it even possible to live a life without sin of some sort?

Here’s a story from my past which makes a point in this area. I was working with a young lady in an office environment many years ago. The office was large enough to have a nice kitchen with tables so the staff frequently ate lunch together.

The discussion got around to religion somehow and “out of the blue” came the young lady’s declaration; “I have never committed a sin!”

After an awkward moment of silence someone spoke up and said; “Wow! That makes just two of you!”; the implication being, just Jesus and the young lady! : )

I knew that the youngster was Catholic and she was simply saying that by the Catholic definition of venial and mortal sin, and the fact that she went to confession often; she was “spotless”.

As always, though, I’ll try to stick to biblical reference, instead of using man’s definition.

The Bible is very clear, IMO. It states without any doubt that NONE of US are sinless. Here’s one of my favorite passages from Romans (NKJV). BTW, how ANYONE can void the Big 10 is beyond me.

Rom 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
Rom 3:22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 3:24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Rom 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
Rom 3:26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
Rom 3:29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
Rom 3:30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
Rom 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

You just gotta love Paul! In his logical, yet round about way, he establishes salvation and forgiveness of sin through grace and faith, while maintaining that the law has not been made void! And, more important to the subject matter, he establishes the fact that ALL (but the One) are sinful.

So! Does the young lady have a point, or not? Are we supposed to try to live a sinless life?

This question causes some to “give in to Satan’s argument”; that is, to believe that man cannot possibly live by such a high standard so therefore; don’t try! This is Satan’s argument straight from the garden. After all, man believed Satan’s lie that we would be just like God, right! Again, Paul would natually disagree with Satan's take on things!

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

… and,

Rom 6:10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Rom 6:11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
Rom 6:13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Rom 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
Rom 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Paul makes it very clear that we are to be slaves to righteousness, that is, sinless. We are to be obedient slaves to the one who died for our sins. But … what happens if we sin anyway?

Forgive my French – but if we sin after being forgiven we had better DAMN well ask for forgiveness again! Some experience this cycle of sin and forgiveness and conclude that we can never stop the sinning! Or, worse, the forgiveness becomes a reason for the continuation of sin.

Rom 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

Heb 2:17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

1Jn 2:2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

1Jn 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Why should we confess our sins and try, try again? Because God promises our eventual victory over sin!

1 Corinthians 15:57—“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 John 5:4—“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Philippians 2:5—“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

2 Corinthians 5:21—“… that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

1 John 3:6—“Whatsoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.”

Now, what about the original question? Is it possible to live a life without sin?

According to the Bible – YES! IT IS! But not without God!

How many people do you know that are sinless? Not many, probably. Maybe just that young lady. I think ALL of us need to try harder. I know I do. We should keep trying to be the obedient slave to the love of Jesus and follow his word to achieve the victory;

Joh 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments”.

The Observer

ref article: Is-it-Possible-to-Live-Without-Sinning?

The Remnant Church

Many Christian organizations claim that they are the one true remnant church! Click the link; it will surprise you how many there are! This concept brings up questions, of course:

- Can man, on his own, determine which group is the “true” church?

- Can any man-made organization, on it's own, arrange itself, to obtain such a classification?

- Are we to be judged (harshly) by God because of the church denomination we belong to? In other words, if we belong to the wrong one, are we doomed?

I say emphatically, NO! – to all these questions! Does the Holy Spirit help man in this endeavor? Of course! But remember, I’m speaking of man creating a man-made organization here.

Where then, should we go to find out the definition of the “true” church?

As always, the Holy Bible!

The Book of Revelation gives us a picture of what the true church looks like.

Quoted from NKJV:

Rev 12:1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.

Rev 12:2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

Rev 12:3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.

Rev 12:4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.

Rev 12:5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.

Rev 12:6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

An exposition of a 1,000 pages could be written on these verses alone. We must remember that Revelation repeats history and then leads up to the “end”. A “Woman” is obviously symbolic of the church. She is clothed in the truth (light) of Christ with 12 stars (the Apostles and the 12 Tribes – New and Old Testaments) over her head. The moon under her feet could be the shadows of the Old Testament which the church stands on for foundation, after all, the “moon” reflects the light of the sun (Son)!

(for reference see; Jer 6:2, Matt 5:14, Psalm 84:11, Mal 4:2)

One-third of God’s Angels rebelled with Lucifer and were “thrown down” to earth. Obviously Jesus is the son born of the woman and the 1,260 days (years) is the period of intense persecution of the Saints (true believers) repeated here from Daniel.

(for reference see; Matt 24:21, Rev 12:6, 14, 13:5; Dan 7:25, Ezek 4:6, Num 13:34)

Remember, we are describing the one true remnant church. Let’s go on …

There are two additional, distinct descriptions.

Rev 12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

God’s church will keep the Commandments (all 10) and have the testimony (spirit of prophecy) of Jesus.

Rev 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

Joh 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

… ain’t it wonderful how the Bible tells us what it means! We don’t have to guess. So much for those folks who believe the Commandments are “nailed to the cross”!

… so let’s compile and review the true remnant church. Notice the additional descriptions …

A. It will appear and do it’s visible work after it emerges from the “wilderness” (from the persecution). This is the year 1798, BTW. (ref: Rev 12:6, 13-17)

B. It will teach the same rules the Apostles taught and all of it’s teachings will agree with biblical teaching. (ref: Rev 12:17)

C. It will keep the 10 Commandments, including number 4, pertaining to the Sabbath. (ref: Rev 12:17)

D. It will have the spirit of prophecy. (ref: Rev 12:17, 19:10)

E. It will proclaim God’s three end-time angelic messages with a loud voice. (ref: Rev 14:6-14)

F. It will be a world-wide movement. (ref: Rev:14:6)

G. It will teach the everlasting gospel, which is salvation through Jesus Christ alone. (ref: Rev 14:6)

Synopsis

Luke 11:9 tells us to “seek and you will find my church”; Ephesians 4:5 tells us there is, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” John 10:16 tells us, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. “ Rev 18:2 says, “And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! And, Rev 18:4 says, “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. “

Isaiah 4:1 says, “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, "We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; Only let us be called by your name, To take away our reproach." Seven churches (who have their own food – their own concept of truth; and their own apparel – their own righteousness) will take hold of one man (Jesus). They wish to keep their own beliefs but be called by Jesus’ name. These 7 Women represent false churches.

… Whew! …

Now, I won’t lie to you. The Seventh Day Adventist Church (which I attend) claims to be the Remnant church like some other denominations do. The teaching presented here is from the Bible, as laid out by the SDA Church. It is up to you to decide if it’s true. As I’ve stated before, and in my bio, the SDA Church is the best I’ve found, so far, at presenting biblical truth. You must decide, not because of what I say, but because of the Bible and your personal interaction with the Holy Spirit. I make no claim to being all-knowing! I’m just a layman with opinions – that’s all!

My personal belief is that we Christians, from all denominations, are part of the one true Remnant Church. BTW, SDA ministers and members have told me the same thing! It is up to God to judge who "qualifies" for the Remnant and who does not (our free will comes into play, obviously). Col 3:15 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Col 1:18 says, “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” And that we enter that body through baptism; Cor 12:13.

I believe it is wrong for man to lay claim to being the one true Remnant Church. That claim is for God only! I have not seen a church organization that doesn’t have some faults, although I sincerely pray that all of us believers are members of that Remnant!

The Observer

The U.S. Military Continues It’s Slide Towards Sodom

At this time our boys in uniform are in the midst of a massive operation in Afghanistan. But back home, their "leaders" are involved in the ruination of the services.

Slippery slopes have always been a problem for mankind. Our military leaders seem to celebrate and accommodate all forms of social engineering and flirtation with anything that denies God and claims allegiance to Lucifer.

Though religious pluralism has most always been a part of the U.S. Military, the difference now is that instead of bringing all religious practices together towards a common goal, the military is setting our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines apart into a collection of disparate groups.

Using euphemisms such as; “fairness”, “equality”, “political correctness”, and the “leveling of the playing field”, our leaders are instead leading us towards dissolution, disenfranchisement, and disintegration. This is occurring within our society generally, and within our military. The logic which states; “since society is accepting something, we should”, is logic for non-thinking men lacking in character and integrity.

Over the past year I’ve blogged about Muslims being given separate facilities to worship in, while all others have to share common facilities. Military Chaplains have lost their commissions over the last year just for praying publicly to Jesus. President Obama is now saying he will issue Executive Orders to rid the Services of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, thereby allowing gays and transvestites to serve openly amongst the military rank and file.

The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy, IMO, have always been the most LIBERAL and PROGRESSIVE organizations within the Department of Defense. Only the Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs have openly competed with them for the “honor” of being the least conservative.

Now, the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs has established and officially recognized its first Wiccan prayer circle, a “Stonehenge on the Rockies” that will serve as an outdoor place of worship for the academy's neo-pagans. Almost immediately someone placed a large wooden cross in the pagan worship area in protest.

My point here is that none of these actions generate a cohesive working environment for the purpose of military mission goals. On the contrary, it instills mistrust of one another.

BTW, spare me … I’ve heard all the arguments from the progressives. Just because Gomorrah is doing it, doesn’t mean Sodom should. We already know what fruit all this will bear.

The Observer

Is There Life On Other Planets? A Biblical Perspective

With the millions upon millions of stars in the heavens, it only makes sense that others exist "out there". Are we the only ones? It may surprise you, but the Bible speaks of such things!

The Observer