There is no such thing as an instantaneous sanctification. It is an every-day work. Says Paul, "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31). He received a conversion daily to God. As the truth and Spirit of God revealed to him the defects in his character, he put away his wrong, died to self, and cleansed himself "from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1). . . . {UL 231.3}

"To men whom God designs shall fill responsible positions, He in mercy reveals their hidden defects, that they may look within and examine critically the complicated emotions and exercises of their own hearts, and detect that which is wrong; thus they may modify their dispositions and refine their manners. The Lord in His providence brings men where He can test their moral powers and reveal their motives of action, that they may improve what is right in themselves and put away that which is wrong. God would have His servants become acquainted with the moral machinery of their own hearts. In order to bring this about, He often permits the fire of affliction to assail them that they may become purified....
God leads His people on, step by step. He brings them up to different points calculated to manifest what is in the heart. Some endure at one point, but fall off at the next. At every advanced point the heart is tested and tried a little closer. If the professed people of God find their hearts opposed to this straight work, it should convince them that they have a work to do to overcome, if they would not be spewed out of the mouth of the Lord. CCh 55

Rosangela, did Paul ever reach the point where he was no longer practicing the sinful habits he cultivated while in the world? Or, did he die before Jesus was able to reveal to him all the sins he was committing ignorantly? By the way, can you name some of the sins he might have been committing ignorantly? And, can you explain why Jesus didn't reveal them to him?

One ray of the glory of God, one gleam of the purity of Christ, penetrating the soul, makes every spot of defilement painfully distinct, and lays bare the deformity and defects of the human character. It makes apparent the unhallowed desires, the infidelity of the heart, the impurity of the lips. The sinner’s acts of disloyalty in making void the law of God, are exposed to his sight, and his spirit is stricken and afflicted under the searching influence of the Spirit of God. He loathes himself as he views the pure, spotless character of Christ. SC29.


The old nature, born of blood and the will of the flesh, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The old ways, the hereditary tendencies, the former habits, must be given up; for grace is not inherited. The new birth consists in having new motives, new tastes, new tendencies. Those who are begotten unto a new life by the Holy Spirit, have become partakers of the divine nature, and in all their habits and practices they will give evidence of their relationship to Christ. When men who claim to be Christians retain all their natural defects of character and disposition, in what does their position differ from that of the worldling? They do not appreciate the truth as a sanctifier, a refiner. They have not been born again. . . A genuine conversion changes hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong. Mar 237.

Dedication, do you know of any quotes in the SOP where she describes uncultivated inherited traits of character? I believe the quote you posted above is one of them. Do you agree? By uncultivated inherited traits of character I mean - traits of character we inherited at birth but have never cultivated, have never sinned in a way that develops them, turns them into defects of character.

Rosangela believes everyone inherits a certain number of defective traits of character that are already cultivated, already developed - before we commit our first sin. She also believes we are guilty of them as if we sinned and cultivated them ourselves. She also believes they stain the fruit of abiding in Jesus, defiling them with sin, making them unacceptable to the Father. She also believes this is proof Jesus was not like us, that His human nature was like ours, not like born-again believers. I disagree with her.

Mike, you have a wrong notion. You think that only when a person is practicing some kind of sin/sinful habit does he/she have a defect of character. Love or obedience less than perfect is a defect of character. A selfish desire reveals a defect of character.

I don't think your words adequately describe what I believe. I believe defective traits of character are synonymous with defects of character - whether you have cultivated them or not. So, people are born with defects of character which they will later manifest and develop. Of course a newborn is not guilty of anything, for his unconscious defects of character are sins of ignorance; but they are the reason why he is born in need of Savior.
Mike believes fetuses commit sin in the womb. I disagree with him.

So, your answer to my question is - Paul sinned until the day he died.

"So, people are born with defects of character (sins of ignorance} which they will later manifest and develop."
1) Will they manifest and develop all of them and become guilty of them?
2) Or, will they avoid manifesting and developing some of them?
3) If so, are they guiltless of the ones they do not manifest and develop?
4) Why do sins of ignorance require a Savior if people are guiltless?


Yes, I believe children begin sinning shortly before they are born. "All have sinned". They are unaware they are sinning, nevertheless, they are guilty. Jesus' atoning blood and righteousness covers their sins of ignorance. However, it does not mean all infants are saved. Whether they are saved or not depends on factors only Jesus knows about.

No! You asked: "Did Paul ever reach the point where he was no longer practicing the sinful habits he cultivated while in the world?" My answer was that yes, Paul reached the point where he was no longer practicing the sinful habits he cultivated while in the world, otherwise he wouldn't have said, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1). This doesn't mean that, at this point, he was totally exempt from defects of character. We are born with natural defects of character which we will have to subdue until our vile body is changed.

"Christ will never neglect the work that has been placed in His hands. He will inspire the resolute disciple with a sense of the perversity, the sin-stained condition, the depravity, of the heart upon which He is working. The true penitent learns the uselessness of self-importance. Looking to Jesus, comparing his own defective character with the Saviour's perfect character, he says only-- 'In my hand no price I bring; Simply to Thy cross I cling.'" {HP 64.6}