Ability > Failure > Progress > Success

~ Four States of Mankind Regarding Sin ~

 

Innocent Man (before The Fall)  ~  “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Genesis 2:15-17).  God gave man clear instructions of what to do and what not to do.

 

Adam had the ability to sin, but more importantly the ability not to sin!

 

Natural Man (after The Fall)  ~  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  The Apostle Paul explained it this way, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.  For what I am doing, I do not understand.  For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.  If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.  But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.  For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.  Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me” (Romans 7:14-20).  Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden we are not able to not sin!  Fortunately, the believer who is experiencing normal (not average) spiritual growth is sinning less and less as they are in the process of becoming transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

 

Regenerated Man  ~  “Put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3:9b-10).  “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).  The Christian is a “new creation” in Christ – not a “makeover.”  As a believer with the indwelling Holy Spirit we are able to not sin!

 

Glorified Man  ~  “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!  Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:1-3).  Our final stage will be when we are transformed and no longer able to sin!

 

Comment  ~  These four categorizations are from Augustine of Hippo in “The Bondage of the Will.”

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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“S” Choice Tests, 5

~ Decision Making Basics: Stumbling Test ~

 

Series Note ~ This series looks at eight words that begin with the letter “S” which can significantly help in Christian decision-making. So far, we have looked at 1) The Scripture Test, 2) The Secrecy Test, 3) The Survey Test, 4) The Spiritual Test, and 5) The Stumbling Test.  

 

Scripture ~ “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak” (Romans 14:20-21).

 

Key Question ~ “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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God Attribute, 115

~ God Helps ~

 

This Series  ~  This series of posts looks at some of the many attributes of God.  Generally, we move in alphabetical order.

 

Scripture  ~  “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me’?” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

 

Jesus said, “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16-18).

 

Jesus continued, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26).

 

“The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Why Trust God? 85

~ God Promises Restoration ~

 

Introduction  ~  “Abundant Life Now” previously provided a list of Biblical of examples of fearing / reverencing God (217 posts).  In this current series we look at Biblical accounts that demonstrate that we can fully trust God.  Initially we posted seven general reasons for trusting God.  We are currently looking at passages from all 66 books of Scripture which demonstrate a reason for trusting our Creator. 

 

Scripture  ~  “Then the Angel of the Lord answered and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?’  

 

“And the Lord answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words.  So the angel who spoke with me said to me, ‘Proclaim, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal.  I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; for I was a little angry, and they helped — but with evil intent.’

 

“Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.’” 

 

“Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; the Lord will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem”’” (Zechariah 1:12-17).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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The Christian Walk, 19

~ Walk In Wisdom ~

 

Series Introduction  ~  The New Testament has much to say about how a believer should live their life.  Christians should never have to guess about the life that pleases God.  In this series we look at a variety of passages that speak about the Christian walk on earth. 

 

Scripture  ~ “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.  Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Colossians 4:5-6). 

 

Comments  ~  1. To have grace-oriented speech means your speech speaks more highly of a person than they deserve.

 

2. We are not to walk in our wisdom, or the wisdom of the world but in wisdom from God. 

 

Quote  ~  “To walk with someone means you are aware of their presence.  And this is true with God.  If you’re to walk with Him, you must be continually aware of His presence.” —Kay Smith {Pleasing God)

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Church Attendance

~ Why Attend a Local Church? ~

 

To Obey God’s Word  ~  “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

 

To Receive Instruction  ~  “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

 

To Worship God With Other Christians  ~  “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:19-20).

 

To Fellowship With Other Christians  ~  “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.  Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.  And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

 

To serve Other Christians  ~  “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’  Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.  As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.  If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.  If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.  Amen” (1 Peter 4:8-11).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Promise of God, 13

~ God Is My Light And Salvation ~

 

This Series ~ God has made many promises to His people. This series of posts looks at some (100) of the many attributes of God.  It is not an exhaustive list.

 

Key Factor ~ God not only makes promises to His people but He also keeps all of His promises.

 

Scripture ~ “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Fool Characteristics, 53

~ Don’t Be A Close Friend Of A Fool ~

 

Series Note  ~  In the first 47 posts in this series we looked at some passages in the Book of Proverbs – wise sayings that are generally true – that describe a “fool” (singular) from God’s perspective.  Now we continue by looking at verses Proverbs which talk about ”fools” (plural).  Some may surprise you. 

 

Scripture  ~  “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20).

 

Important Truth  ~  “The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’” (Psalm 53:1a).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Bible Answer, 118

~ Did You Get It Right? ~

 

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~~~~ bible answer ~~~~

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question:  What is the first color mentioned in the Bible?

 

answer:  Green

 

“‘Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;’ and it was so” (Genesis 1:30).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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