Many who sincerely consecrate their lives to God's service are surprised and disappointed to find themselves, as never before, confronted by obstacles and beset by trials and perplexities. They pray for Christlikeness of character, for a fitness for the Lord's work, and they are placed in circumstances that seem to call forth all the evil of their nature. Faults are revealed of which they did not even suspect the existence. ... It is because God is leading them that these things come upon them. Trials and obstacles are the Lord's chosen methods of discipline and His appointed conditions of success. He who reads the hearts of men knows their characters better than they themselves know them. ... In His providence He brings these persons into different positions and varied circumstances that they may discover in their character the defects which have been concealed from their own knowledge. He gives them opportunity to correct these defects and to fit themselves for His service. Often He permits the fires of affliction to assail them that they may be purified. {HDL 8, 9}

Amen!

Phil. 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:




The human heart can be very deceitful, even as we look to Jesus and overcome points made obvious by the Holy Spirit, we can deceive ourselves into thinking "now I've overcome those defects -- I've arrived", and close our minds to the further promptings of the Holy Spirit, as He tries to move us on to the next closet in our hearts or minds that needs cleansing.
Or thinking we have "overcome" that defect, and thus don't have it any more, and stop depending upon Christ and end up falling deeper in that very thing then we were before.

The Christian walk is a continual walk with Christ in humble obedience, depending upon His strength, and searching for a fuller knowledge of His will through scripture and prayer. There are always defects in our character that must be brought into submission to Christ's will. Some we are aware of, some surprise us that we never suspected we had, and some we don't even realize are defects until the Holy Spirit makes us face them. A lot of defects are considered assets in this world. It takes spiritual discernment to even identify them. We are always dependant upon God and His Holy Spirit and need to cooperate with them, to bring out the good, and stamp out the bad in our characters.

The wonderful point is --
We are covered by Christ's righteousness, as long as we follow the Holy Spirit's leading, and are co-operating with His cleansing work in us, we are accounted perfect in each stage as we grow in God's grace unto full maturity in Christ.

The righteousness of Christ does not cover willful disregard for God's law, and thinking it's OK to continue in transgression.

But yes, Christ's righteousness covers us, from the moment we come to Christ in confession of our sins and responding to His leading into righteousness. If a person has to be absolutely sinless in and of ourselves before salvation is given - NO ONE will be saved. They are trusting in their own achievements for their salvation and offering less than the law demands, for our own righteousness is as filthy rags.

Our perfection is in Christ. It is always in Christ.
Our part is to be IN CO=OPERATION and obedience with the leading and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.


As long as we walk in co-operation and obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit -- yes, the righteousness of Christ covers us.


The one ditch is the Pharisee ditch -- thinking one's righteousness earns them heaven
The other ditch is thinking one can continue to disregard God's law and still be covered.

Yes, all us have dormant, unknown, uncultivated defects, weaknesses, and imperfections. We inherited them. We are ignorant of them because circumstances have not yet brought them to our attention. However, having them is not the same as cherishing them or acting them out. We will not live long enough to come face-to-face with every single defect, weakness, or imperfection we inherited.

She is not saying in the quote above, or the many like it, that born-again believers ignorantly practice the sinful traits and habits they cultivated while in the world. She is specifically talking about dormant defects which they have never cultivated, which they have never ignorantly acted out. They exist in inert form. They represent our potential for evil. But not yet are we aware of them. Not yet have we manifested them in thoughts, words, or deeds.

To the multitude, and afterward more fully to His disciples, Jesus explained that defilement comes not from without, but from within. Purity and impurity pertain to the soul. It is the evil deed, the evil word, the evil thought, the transgression of the law of God, not the neglect of external, man-made ceremonies, that defiles a man. {DA 397.4}

Does the converted Christian have unknown defects of character?

There is a difference between unknown inherited traits of character and known cultivated traits of character. Unknown inherited traits of character do not count as sins. To be a sin we must learn about them and then cherish them or act them out in thought, word, or deed. However, if we immediately refuse to cherish them or act them out in thought, word, or deed we incur no guilt or condemnation.

The other question is - Do people who complete "the process of conversion" in God's appointed way ignorantly practice some of the sinful habits they cultivated while in the world? The answer is - No, of course not. If you believe otherwise, please name some sinful habits they might continue to practice without realizing they are sinning. Some have suggested ignorantly breaking the Sabbath is common. However, it is unbiblical to suggest ignorantly breaking the Sabbath is the fruit of completing "the process of conversion" in God's appointed way.

Really... Transgression of the law is still sin, whether we know it or not. Romans 5:13-14 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Romans 2:14-15 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law to themselves: 15 Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

Good point. I agree. I should have said - Unknown, uncultivated inherited traits of character do not count as sins. They do not count as sins until we cherish or act them out in words or deeds.

I don't think you are making your position any better...