If sinning is inevitable, unavoidable what good is salvation? We need help now. If Jesus cannot empower us to be kind and loving and patient at all times, under all circumstances what good is belief? "The devils also believe and tremble." I refuse to believe Jesus is powerless to "save to the uttermost". He promises, "Go and sin no more." I thrive on what John wrote. "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not."

As for the "how" to attain Christian perfection, I think much depends on focusing on Christ, not on perfection. By beholding we become changed. The only way to perfect freedom from sin is through Christ. He is the Way.

Focusing on perfection would imply that there's something that we can do ourselves to get there. I don't believe that is quite possible. We must lean heavily on Christ. His is the victory, and by grace we may be partakers in it.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Well said, Mike. I'm with you. If I believed even for a second that God was unable, that He was powerless, to remove sin from my life and heart before the day of transfiguration, I would give up and die. I simply cannot understand why Christian sinners would desire to cling to their sins so much as to accept a belief that it is impossible for them to depart from them. Jesus has shown us by example that it is indeed possible to live without sin. He has commanded us to cease from sinning. If He had given us a command that were impossible to follow, what kind of God would we be serving? The God I serve has power against sin that waits for nothing or no one. It is ready to be exercised the instant we come to Him.

1 Corinthians 13 gave a clear teaching that faith is not all what is asked for from a believer. Since we all fall short of the glory of God, I think we could not live out the life of Christ as what you think you could do. Hence, sinless perfect character is not the point, is not the target as what you think, moreover as a prerequisite for justification to enter heaven, I think God din't ask this from us. The target is to remain in Christ by faith and having fruit of the Spirit - love agape, this will retain forever your justification and eternal life. If you sin, confess and you will be justified and live. Whether you can reach that sinless perfect character or not is not the point, is not the target, is not a reward, is not a prerequisite for justification. We are saved by grace through faith, that is all a Christian needs, having faith in Christ and remain in Him. We loose our gift only when we withdrew from faith, not because we are not perfect sinless.

The life of the vine will be manifest in fragrant fruit on the branches. "He that abideth in Me," said Jesus, "and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing." When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing. {DA 676.4}

God will accept only those who are determined to aim high. He places every human agent under obligation to do his best. Moral perfection is required of all. Never should we lower the standard of righteousness in order to accommodate inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong-doing. We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin. All righteous attributes of character dwell in God as a perfect, harmonious whole, and every one who receives Christ as a personal Saviour is privileged to possess these attributes. {COL 330.2}

When Jesus said, "Go and sin no more," He didn't mean, "Go and gradually outgrow your sinful habits and practices." We are either all of His and free of sin or none of His and full of sin. "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "No man can serve two masters." "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not."

We are either walking in the Spirit and maturing in the fruits of the Spirit or we are walking in the flesh and maturing in the fruits of the flesh. We cannot mature in the fruits of the Spirit and mature in the fruits of the flesh simultaneously. While we are abiding in Jesus we do not and cannot sin. "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."

"Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God's people upon earth. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14. {GC 425.1}

Please keep in mind I agree with you regarding salvation and justification - both are free gifts. Nothing Jesus accomplishes in and through us adds to what He accomplishes for us and without us. However, it seems you don't believe character perfection is also a gift. We are born again "dead to sin" and "awake to righteousness." We receive character perfection as a gift. We do not achieve it.


We are born again with all the fruits of the Spirit, with all the righteous attributes of God's character - not one is missing. "Ye are complete in Him . . . ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." No, we are not born again fully mature. We mature daily in the fruits of the Spirit from "glory to glory", from "grace to grace", and from "faith to faith" - not from greater sins to lesser sins.

Again, the growth and maturation we experience while walking in the Spirit and in the mind of the new man is a free gift. None of it adds to what Jesus accomplishes for us and without us. The idea that what Jesus accomplishes in and through us comes short of the glory of God misrepresents the power and purpose of grace. "Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." "We have received grace . . . for obedience to the faith."

1. Since the day we are "reborn" through baptism, how long ago was that? Any one dare to claim walking in the Spirit perfectly without sinning?

2. So, what is the point of our discussion if you believe that believers are able to achieve a sinless perfect character, daily life without sinning, but it doesn't add anything to what Jesus had done for us; justification and eternal life which is a gift? What is this connection of a sinless perfect character with our salvation if it doesn't add anything, which means it doesn't take away anything also.

3. If sinless perfect character is achieve through the joint operation work of the Spirit and your will, and is a prerequisite for justification to enter heaven and have eternal life, then the Spirit is your Savior with the help of your will, NOT Christ is your Savior, for you believe what He has done on the cross is not enough to save you (mankind), therefore it is just called "our qualification for heaven. " What the Spirit do in you with the help of your will, is your FITNESS for heaven, this justify you for heaven and eternal life. What a mixed of GRACE and WORK. It is putting a yoke on our Christian brethren shoulder.

When Jesus said, "Go and sin no more," He didn't mean, "Go and gradually outgrow your sinful habits and practices." We are either all of His and free of sin or none of His and full of sin. "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "No man can serve two masters." "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not."

We are either walking in the Spirit and maturing in the fruits of the Spirit or we are walking in the flesh and maturing in the fruits of the flesh. We cannot mature in the fruits of the Spirit and mature in the fruits of the flesh simultaneously. While we are abiding in Jesus we do not and cannot sin. "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."

"Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God's people upon earth. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14. {GC 425.1}

The people of God will be abiding in Christ, and the love of Jesus will be revealed, and one Spirit will animate all hearts, regenerating and renewing in the image of Christ, fashioning all hearts alike. As living branches of the True Vine, all will be united to Christ the living Head. Christ will abide in every heart, guiding, comforting, sanctifying, and presenting to the world the unity of the followers of Jesus, thus bearing testimony that the heavenly credentials are supplied to the remnant church. In the oneness of Christ's church it will be proved that God sent His only begotten Son into the world. . . . {5MR 51.1}