Saturday, March 12, 2016

Why Do Children Sin? Justified By Grace

This is a question which many people ask for it would appear to many that sinning is but the natural outcome of being born, thus it is easy to understand why people are easily drawn into the deceptive rhetoric of the "born a sinner" paradigm.

Let us use our reasoning faculties.

Sinning is simply the route of least resistance. It is important to consider that whilst children are not born wicked, neither are they born righteous, they are simply born innocent.

Righteousness requires good character and it is something that takes effort. Both righteousness and unrighteousness are acts of the will. With a child not understanding the consequences nor the true depths of sin, choosing evil is not deemed a big deal. Thus the route of least resistance is clearly to engage in unrighteousness from a very young age.

Jesus was born of the divine nature for He was the Logos of God. Thus Jesus was born righteous in that sense although He still had to grow in wisdom and maturity.

We are all born neutral and innocent subject to the natural passions of the flesh, yet we are also born with the light of conscience.It takes time for the reasoning faculties of a child to develop sufficiently before they are capable of engaging their will as it relates to choosing vice or virtue.


God allows us the choice to either choose Him or reject Him. Hence vice and virtue are given substance for choice must be involved. Charity or love require the choice to choose otherwise, for without choice virtue cannot exist. Likewise with vice, an individual must have the ability to refrain from unrighteousness. God clearly wants to fellowship with those whom choose to love Him and choose to love one another, hence the clear necessity of freedom of the will.


Consequences of the Birth Depravity Doctrine

The birth depravity doctrine removes both responsibility and choice from the equation. It forces upon the mind a victim perspective, i.e. "not my fault," and thus redefines repentance at the root.

With repentance redefined at the root, people inevitably cannot truly come clean regarding their rebellion for their responsibility is denied. Blame, by necessity, is shifted to the state in which they were born.

People under this deception therefore merely confess their sinfulness and end up waiting upon God to change them. This deception thus undermines the transformative dynamic presented in the Gospel, the fruit of which is a genuine salvation experience.


 Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Joh 15:8  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Joh 15:9  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Joh 15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Joh 15:11  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.


Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

Act 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Read the above passages several times until a harmony becomes apparent.





We all have to wholeheartedly yield to the leading influence and power of God which is only possible through a real repentance where the root of rebellion, the root of iniquity in the heart, is destroyed once and for all. Hence salvation is by grace through faith, the transformative dynamic, and not of ourselves lest any should boast. We are God's workmanship created unto good works, a workmanship effectually wrought through our cooperation, hence we work together with God.


 Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.


Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Tit 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;


Justification

You see, we are justified by the grace of God, the grace that brings a total transformation of the heart as the power of God brings our inward parts to life.

Tit 3:7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Rom 3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
We are justified freely by the grace of God THROUGH the redemption that is IN Jesus Christ. Paul here is speaking of the transformation wrought through abiding/walking/living in the Spirit of life IN Jesus Christ.

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

This is why Paul would write...

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Paul understood the transformative dynamic of "by grace through faith"

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
 

 Jesus Christ truly sets us free from ALL INIQUITY and PURIFIES US UNTO GOOD WORKS.

Has this happened to you do reader? Or have you fallen for the "confess your sinfulness" and "trust in a provision" whereby you "wait on God to change you" ?

If you have not been redeemed of all iniquity and made pure, whereby you are walking in purity and holiness, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust, where you no longer sin for you have been born of the incorruptible seed, then dear reader, consider if you have really repented or not, consider whether you have wholeheartedly yielded to God, whereby a true transformation will be wrought within you.



2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.


1Jn 3:6  Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
1Jn 3:7  Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
1Jn 3:9  Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
1Jn 3:10  In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
1Jn 3:11  For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.




Scott




1 comment:

  1. Very good, God does not punish the innocent. It requires knowledge to make a choice between right and wrong. Sin is not a Substance dwelling in man's DNA, it is a conscience Choice to transgress a known Commandment of God. A child (babe) cannot be charged with transgression they had no knowledge of violating.

    ReplyDelete