A Few Thoughts About Subconscious Sin—Part 2

Types of sins

B1 Of ignorance, that is, did not know or did not pay attention, but either way, it was not subconscious. Leviticus 5:17 NLT Suppose you sin by violating one of the LORD's commands. Even if you are unaware of what you have done, you are guilty and will be punished for your sin.

B2 Willfully: Psalm 19:13 NIV Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

B3 Secret sins are those sins we are aware but wish for no one else to know: Psalm 90:8 NLT You spread out our sins before you—our secret sins—and you see them all.

Types of confidence that are not pride, nor sinful

B1 My wife pointed out this verse to me: Hebrews 13:18 CSB Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything.

C1 The word convinced is the Greek word πείθω peíthō. It means persuade, be persuaded, and to trust, have confidence, be confident.

C2 Adam Clarke comments on this verse: We are persuaded that we have a conscience that not only acquits us of all fraud and sinister design, but assures us that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have laboured to promote the welfare of you and of all mankind.

B2 1 Thessalonians 2:10 NIV You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.

B3 God commands us to boast: Jeremiah 9:23-24 NLT This is what the LORD says: "Don't let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. 24 But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken! (see 2 Corinthians 10:17)

B4 Galatians 6:14 NLT As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died.

Is pride the root of all evil?

B1 Some think so

B2 Love of money is one root of evil. This would be covetousness. 1 Timothy 6:10 PickNT because the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil; in their greediness some have been led away from the faith and have impaled themselves on many distresses.

B3 Would the 10 Commandments be a guide to 10 roots of evil? I don’t know.

B4 Pride is not listed.

B5 Pride is disapproved by God.

C1 Proverbs 8:13 NLT All who fear the LORD will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.

C2 Meekness is approved by God. Meekness is best defined by stating the opposite (the antonym) arrogance.

B6 Sin appears to come from 3 sources: 1 John 2:16 NIV For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

C1 Sinful desires of the flesh: Galatians 5:19-20 NLT When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,

C2 Sinful desires of the eyes. Much is said about the eyes. Consider this one verse: 2 Peter 2:14 NET Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; they entice unstable people. They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children!

C3 Sinful pride of life: Luke 8:14 NLT The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.

C4 There is God’s worldview and lifestyle (labeled as “spirit”) and the opposite (labeled as “world”).

D1 John 1:12-13 NLT But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn--not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

D2 John 8:44 NLT For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

C5 Matthew 15:18-20 NKJV But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

The rooting out of sin

B1 By God, the perfect physician, who works on the sin nature that every human has (except the Lord Jesus who never sinned).

B2 Is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is called sanctification. Sanctification is a separation from what is evil (as defined by any other standard) to what is holy (as defined by God’s standard).

C1 Proverbs 20:27 NLT The LORD's light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.

C2 2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

C3 2 Thessalonians 2:13 CSB But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

B3 Is God’s will for us. He wants us to be sanctified: 2 Thessalonians 2:13 CSB But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

B4 By giving our body, soul, and spirit to God and His ways: Romans 6:19 LEB (I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.) For just as you presented your members as slaves to immorality and lawlessness, leading to lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification.

B5 Romans 6:22 CSB But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification​—and the outcome is eternal life!

B6 We cannot be sinless in this life. God’s people are to be blameless. 1 Corinthians 1:8 NET He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Christian life

B1 We are justified, this is a complete sanctification. We have a new heart (core of our being), a new creation, this new heart is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

B2 We are being sanctified, this is progressive sanctification. God works, chastens, leads, etc. us through life to be more Christlike is our desires, thoughts, words, and deeds. 2 Peter 3:18 NET But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the honor both now and on that eternal day.

B3 We will be glorified, this also is a complete sanctification. This happens for most Christians when we die and go to be with the Lord. Some Christians will be alive at the Rapture and will ascend to the Lord to never sin again.

Self-made righteousness

B1 It can’t be done

B2 Ecclesiastes 7:16 ESV Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

C1 John Wesley writes on this verse: Be not - This verse and the next have a manifest reference to Ecc 7:15, being two inferences drawn from the two clauses of the observation. Solomon here speaks in the person of an ungodly man, who takes occasion to dissuade men from righteousness, because of the danger which attends it. Therefore, saith he, take heed of strictness, zeal, and forwardness in religion. And the next verse contains an antidote to this suggestion; yea, rather saith he, be not wicked or foolish overmuch; for that will not preserve thee, as thou mayest imagine, but will occasion and hasten thy ruin.

C2 Adam Clarke: In other words, and in modern language, “There is no need of all this watching, fasting, praying, self-denial, etc., you carry things to extremes. Why should you wish to be reputed singular and precise?”

C3 It seems best to understand this passage as teaching to avoid extremes. People cannot be sinless in this life. As others have written, we are not to be like Pharisees who were overstrict in following ceremonial law and neglecting moral law.

D1 Proverbs 25:16 BSB If you find honey, eat just what you need, lest you have too much and vomit it up.

D2 Matthew 9:14 NRSV Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?"

D3 Romans 10:3 NRSV For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God's righteousness.

C4 We are NOT to rely on our own efforts to righteousness and lose sight of God’s grace.

B3 God’s grace is greater than ourselves.

C1 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NRSV Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, 9 but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

C2 Hebrews 4:15 GNB Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin.

Titus 2:11-14 NLT For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Rejoice in God’s forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

Rest in His love for us.

Remain in His promises.

A Few Thoughts About Subconscious Sin—Part 1

Examples:

B1 Sermon I heard recently. Speaking about pride, the preacher mentioned, “If you have pride in your life, God will resist you. Right? Didn’t we just read that? (1 Peter 5:5—editor) We receive power from God, when we humble ourselves and that is called grace. Okay, so that’s why it is really, really important. Look back at your Bibles, if you still got it. Proverbs 16:18: Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall...back into that old sin that you used to get victory over. Right? Yup. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Haughty spirit before failure. Haughty spirit before falling back into sin. A haughty spirit before, quote, a relapse. Pride goes before it every time. The problem is we don’t see it. We don’t recognize it. Why? A lot of the time it is subconscious. It’s arrogance we don’t know we have. In fact, let me just put it to you this way. You can live by very humble means. You can have a plain Jane home and not have a whole lot and content to have little but still be arrogant and just not know it.”

My comments:

C1 Later he speaks of sin coming from arrogance referring to King Saul’s sins in 1 Samuel 15. YET, the Holy Spirit makes it plain through Samuel that Saul’s sin is disobedience, not pride. Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 32:24-26) would have been a better example, but even there the Holy Spirit showed Hezekiah that his sin was pride.

C2 Pride is wrong. It is spoken against by God. But subconscious pride that we do not know we have and will be punished for it?

B2 Job 1:4-5

And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day…

Of course, we confess overt acts of sin, and also secret sins, directly we are aware of them. But our unconscious sins are vastly more numerous than our conscious ones, just as the elevations beneath the ocean waves are much more numerous than those which rear themselves above the breakers as islets. For every one sin you know of, there are perhaps ten of which you are ignorant.

1. Let us understand how unconscious sins come into existence. Old habits assert themselves, in the heat of life, without our noticing them, as a man may unconsciously give a nervous twitch. Besides, our sensibilities are blunt, and permit sins to pass for want of knowing better, as a clerk in a bank may pass a counterfeit banknote for want of longer experience. Moreover, our standard is too low; we measure ourselves against our fellows, and not against the requirements of God. Then, too, though we may resist temptation, we can hardly do it without getting some stain.

2. Let us learn when unconscious sins are most to be dreaded. During times of feasting and holiday. Because we then give less time to devotion. Because we relax our self-watch. Because we are thrown into light and frivolous company. Job was always anxious after such times, and said, "It may be."

3. Let us see how to deal with unconscious sins. They are sins. They will interrupt our communion. They will work a deadly injury to our spiritual life; for hidden disease is even more perilous than that which shows itself. They must be brought beneath the cleansing blood of Jesus. We need to ask many times each day, Lord Jesus, keep me cleansed from all conscious and unconscious sin.

(F. B. Meyer, B. A.)

Definitions

B1 Subconscious

C1 Relating to thoughts and feelings that exist in the mind and influence your behavior although you are not aware of them. (Source)

C2 Acting or existing without one's awareness (Source)

C3 The Hindu concept of subconscious:

D1 First Quote (Source): Hindu Concepts of the Subconscious Mind

Before the well-known French psychologists Charcot and Janet recognized the existence of the subconscious state of mind the west was interested only in the conscious state of mind. Later Freud, Jung and others concluded that the larger portion of the mind is like the submerged portion of an iceberg. It is unknown to us. But Hindu psychology, long before the birth of Christ, was aware of the subconscious or unconscious state of mind. Panatanjali explained this unconscious state of mind as a storehouse of all past thoughts or samskaras.

These samskaras have the ability to generate tendencies in the conscious plane of the mind. Borrowing a mathematical term, if we call each of these samskaras a vector then the resultant effect of all these will be seen as tendencies in the conscious mind. In the words of Swami Vivekenanda:

Every work that we do, every moment of he day, every thought we think, leaves an impression on the mind-stuff [the internal organ or antahkarana], and even when such impressions are not obvious on the surface they are sufficiently strong to work beneath the surface, man's character is determined by the sum total of these impressions.

D2 Second (Source):

The conscious mind and the subconscious mind, sometimes also called the unconscious mind. The conscious mind is the “awake-mind” - which is only used when we are awake. The subconscious mind goes on working 24 hours of every day. It is not a physical entity, and thus not located anywhere in the physical body. It cannot be seen with the naked eye. It cannot be measured, it cannot be weighed and it cannot be taken apart for scientific research and study. 

D3 Cleansing the subconscious is done by meditation and visualization.

B2 Conscious

C1 Conscious

D1 Conscious (AWAKE)—awake, aware of what is happening around you, and able to think: She’s out of surgery but not fully conscious yet.

D2 Conscious adjective (NOTICING)—noticing the existence of something: People have become much more conscious of the need to exercise regularly.

D3 Conscious adjective (INTENTIONAL)—determined and intentional: Was it a conscious decision to break up the group, or did it just happen?

D4 Conscious adjective (AWARE)—being especially aware of or worried about something: Consumers aren’t as conscious of prices as they were last year. (Source)

C2 Conscious—aware; capable of thought or will: a conscious decision; cognizant: She was conscious of the stranger standing close to her. (Source)

The evil conclusions of subconscious/unconscious sin

B1 Fear of sinning without knowing it

B2 Every morning, we wake up and wonder how many times I sinned subconsciously. Every evening before sleep, we lay in bed and wonder how many times I sinned subconsciously. We become anxious and self-conscious what we are doing and thinking. “I must ask forgiveness or God will be angry.”

B3 At the time of dying will we be able to ask forgiveness of subconscious/unconscious sins? When our awareness is fading as we get even closer to dying, will we still sin and not ask for forgiveness?

B4 The babies that die before birth (stillborn) or before the age of accountability have no opportunity to ask forgiveness.

B5 We might as well give up the faith, for there is no hope. We are founded on pride and always proud. If pride is not conscious, then it is unconscious (subconscious). If we think we are not proud, we are. If we think we are proud, then we will be proud when we repent. According to the preacher mentioned at the beginning, God resists us. Evidently, we are proud and always proud either with conscious pride or subconscious pride. Psalm 5:5 NLT Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil.

B6 If an addict relapses, he is doing an old habit, so she/he is proud.

B7 Do you see F. B. Meyer’s comment? Even if something is done due to lacking experience, it is sin. Besides, our sensibilities are blunt, and permit sins to pass for want of knowing better, as a clerk in a bank may pass a counterfeit banknote for want of longer experience.

B8 Something is very, very wrong in this view.

B9 God have mercy; this belief is so wrong.

B10 There is no joy in forgiveness in this view, because we always sin, because we are continuously proud. On the other hand, the Psalmist rejoices at his forgiveness: Psalm 32:1-2 NIV Of David. A maskil. Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Definition of sin

B1 The King of the Universe, Jesus Christ, has laws. Sin is breaking His law, disobeying law, etc.

B2 Neglecting to do what we know is right is sin. James 4:17 GW Whoever knows what is right but doesn't do it is sinning.

B3 These laws are summarized in 10 sets that cover all sins.

C1 No other Gods

C2 No idols

C3 No blasphemy

C4 Special day for rest and worship

C5 Honor parents

C6 No murder

C7 No adultery

C8 No stealing

C9 No false witness

C10 No coveting

B4 Sin can be committed in thoughts, desires, words, and/or deeds.

B5 Sin is punished: James 2:10 NLT For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws.

B6 Death is the sentence: Romans 6:23 NLT For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

B7 What is needed for something to be a sin?

C1 A standard. God is the standard.

D1 For the nation of Israel, it is the 613 Laws of the Old Testament.

D2 For the church (believers, not an organization) it is the approximate 1,000 rules in the New Testament. (Note, I do not know anything about that website, so beware. The list itself is from Dake’s Study Bible. Dake has some heretical belief).

D3 Both sets of laws are consistent with the 10 commandments. All types of lying or false witness are sin, for example.

C2 Sin requires an immoral action, sufficient knowledge, and sufficient consent. To the extent that it keeps us legitimately concerned about the welfare of ourselves or others, it is not an immoral action to worry. Even in cases of needless worry, most worriers do not purposely worry despite knowledge that they should not. Indeed, in some cases, excessive, compulsive worry may be a symptom of a legitimate illness, and therefore not a sin.(Source)

C3 Not doing what is right: James 4:17 NLT Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

C4 Sin can be in thoughts, desires, words, and/or deeds.

A Few Thoughts on the Epistle of Titus Part 8

Titus 3:3-8 What We Were, and How God Changed Us

What We Were and How God Changed Us

3 We ourselves were also at one time foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various evil desires and pleasures, passing our time being spiteful, envious, obnoxious, and hating one another.

4 But as soon as the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared,

5 He saved us, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

6 Which he abundantly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Savior,

7 That having been justified by means of his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on them, so that those who believe in God might be conscientious to keep up good works. These things are right and beneficial to people.

Notes

B1 Before we believed the Gospel

C1 Sin is defined as

D1 Transgressing God’s law 1 John 3:4 NIV Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

D2 Unrighteousness 1 John 5:17 NIV All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

D3 Knowing what is right, but refusing to do: James 4:17 NIV If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.

D4 Anything not of faith (believing God): Romans 14:23 GNB But if they have doubts about what they eat, God condemns them when they eat it, because their action is not based on faith. And anything that is not based on faith is sin.

D5 Foolish plans as here: Proverbs 24:9 GNB Any scheme a fool thinks up is sinful. People hate a person who has nothing but scorn for others.

C2 Penalty and punishment are necessary

C3 All humans are addicted to sin. We are enslaved. John 8:34, Romans 6:12-20, Titus 3:3

C4 The characteristics of the human addicted to sin

D1 Pride

D2 The lie of believing ourselves to be good

D3 The lie that we can overcome sin on our own strength

D4 Blind and in darkness to truth and the reality of our condition

D5 The free will is hindered because of our addiction to sin

D6 We are addicted to what is pleasurable to us

D7 We do the opposite of the Ten Commandments

E1 We have other gods, namely ourselves

E2 We have idols of some type of material or imagination

E3 We blaspheme God’s character

E4 We don’t rest from anything to worship the creator, the King of the Universe (and beyond).

E5 We don’t honor our parents

E6 We commit sexual sins

E7 We steal

E8 We murder

E9 We lie

E10 We covet

D8 If we sin 10 times a day, then in one year, we break God’s law 3,650 times every year. Each sin will receive the death penalty. Some protest that it is not fair to suffer for eternity for committing one lie, but they forget or are ignorant that God, the King of the Universe, warns them that one sin will receive this penalty. James 2:10 NLT For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws.

D9 The penalty (and God warns us) is death. Death is spiritual and physical. The spiritual death of the unconverted is spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical resulting in physical death and eventually eternal death of torment in fire.

E1 Genesis 2:17 CSB but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.

E2 We earn something for what we work for. The wages of sin in death. Romans 6:23 CSB For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

E3 Works count, but all have sinned. Punishment is eternal: Revelation 20:12, 14-15 CSB I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. ... 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

E4 Matthew 25:46 NLT And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.

D10 All these sins are done in thoughts, desires, words, and/or deeds. Matthew 5:28 NLT But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

D11 People have different levels of how evil they are. Some are more evil than others.

D12 We show our sin by actions. People live the way they believe. What they say is not necessarily what anyone really believes. Some of these actions are shown in our passage. ... foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various evil desires and pleasures, passing our time being spiteful, envious, obnoxious, and hating one another.

D13 We do not and we can not seek God. We are enslaved to our sins.

E1 Romans 3:11 WEL There is no one who is understanding, there is no one seeking for God. (See Romans 3:10-18).

E2 John 8:34 NLT Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.

D14 All are sinning.

D15 All will be judged.

D16 All will be found guilty.

D17 All will die.

D18 All will be sentenced to eternity suffering as our punishment.

D19 The salvation that is offered is because God is kind and loves us enough to genuinely offer it.

B2 After we believed the Gospel

C1 What God does

D1 God initiates salvation. If God does not, then no one will be saved. John 16:8 and John 6:44

D2 God in His sovereign power frees the will from darkness, blindness, ignorance, etc. to understand our sin and God’s punishment. Acts 16:14

D3 Having a freed will, God presents the Gospel through the preaching of it. 1 Corinthians 1:21

D4 One can then believe or not believe, resist or not resist, comply or refuse the Holy Spirit of God. God has freed our will, that is, given us the ability to make a choice or contrary choice. Acts 7:51, Isaiah 63:10, Isaiah 1:20

D5 If one believes, then God gives new life (regeneration), the earnest of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, etc. 2 Corinthians 5:17

D6 All sin must be punished. Romans 6:23 and Romans 1:18

D7 Either I can be punished or someone else.

D8 If someone else is chosen, they must be sinless. Otherwise, they are being punished for their own sin.

D9 Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, is sinless. 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Hebrews 4:15

D10 Jesus is the Passover Lamb. He did this only one time. 1 Corinthians 5:7 and Hebrews 9:28

D11 The blood of Jesus paid penalty. 1 Peter 1:2, Hebrews 12:24, Ephesians 1:7

D12 Jesus suffered for our sins bearing the wrath of God. 1 Peter 2:24 and 1 Peter 3:18

D12 Salvation is not something earned. Our passage shows this. Faith is not a work.

D13 Jesus raised from the dead proving He is God, He is sinless, and He has paid that penalty successfully. Romans 1:3-4

D14 Jesus lives forever to make intercession for believers. Hebrews 7:25

D15 If we drift and finally and forever deny Jesus Christ, we will be apostate and go to eternal punishment. It is rare but does happen. When it happens? Only God knows. Let us stay in the grace of God. Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26-31

C2 Characteristics of the regenerated

D1 Fruit of the Spirit. These are not something is ourselves but a fruit of the Holy Spirit working in our life. Galatians 5:22-23

D2 We are sanctified. We are separated from addiction and slavery to sin to be separated to God for serving Him, His kingdom, and His will.

E1 Instant and completed sanctification when believing is justification. Acts 26:18, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Hebrews 10:26

E2 The Holy Spirit's continuous teaching and convicting is a ongoing work of sanctification. This is progressive sanctification. 2 Corinthians 7:1 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3

E3 Instant and completed sanctification after physical death is glorification. Romans 8:30, Philippians 3:20-21

D3 God frees us from our sins. Romans 6:7

D4 His grace gives us the grace and power to know His will and do it. Philippians 2:13

D5 The gift of the Holy Spirit who works in our lives Romans 8:7-9

B3 Verse 5 He saved us, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

C1 Works of righteousness do not save us from God’s wrath. Isaiah 64:6

C2 Faith is not works. The Scripture states it so: Romans 4:2-4 LEB For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness." 4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited according to grace, but according to his due.

C3 Mercy is receiving what we do not deserve. We deserve the wrath of God, but the Lord Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, received God’s wrath for us.

C4 Washing of regeneration and renewal

D1 These are the work of the Holy Spirit John 1:12-13, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Romans 6:3-9 (baptism does not make one saved, it is the result of being saved and then identified with Jesus Christ).

D2 Renewal. What was dead in now alive. Colossians 3:10, Psalm 51:10, Ephesians 2:4-7

B4 Verse 6 Which he abundantly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Savior,

C1 Not just a little but much

C2 Done in love, wisdom, and holiness

B5 Verse 7 That having been justified by means of his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

C1 Justification is instant sanctification accomplished entirely by God for those who believe in His son Jesus Christ.

C2 It is God’s grace, not our work

C3 God made us heirs of a heavenly kingdom Romans 8:17, Galatians 3:29, Ephesians 3:6

B6 Verse 8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on them, so that those who believe in God might be conscientious to keep up good works. These things are right and beneficial to people.

C1 Good works glorify God. So the works we do must be works that are approved by Go. Stealing to help the poor would not qualify as a good work.

C2 The good works we do are first for our family, then for our local brothers and sisters, then for our other brothers and sisters worldwide, and finally as a witness to those who do not believe.

C3 It must be a work that we can do. Some can give money, food, clothes, necessities. Some can give in labor as cleaning, repairing, running errands, etc. All can pray, but for some that is all they are able to do.

B7 Philippians 1:9-11 GNB I pray that your love will keep on growing more and more, together with true knowledge and perfect judgment, 10 so that you will be able to choose what is best. Then you will be free from all impurity and blame on the Day of Christ. 11 Your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus Christ can produce, for the glory and praise of God.