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BACK TO BASICS, PART III

WHAT ABOUT SIN?

There is no sin a believer can commit to lose his salvation. Period! As a matter of fact, no one goes to hell because of his sins. The sins of the world were placed upon Christ on the cross. They were dealt with once and forever. Hell is reserved for those who commit the unpardonable sin of disbelief. Those who refuse to believe in Christ as Savior cannot be forgiven because belief is the only basis for which salvation is granted. But can a believer sin without consequence? With the exception of his salvation, the answer is NO! There is consequence when a believer commits a sin. That consequence is losing the filling of the Spirit, intimacy with God, being cut off from grace and falling into a state of carnality. The Apostle Paul calls life in carnality a state "wastefulness." In other words, when the believer lives outside the Sphere of Faith, he has detoured the spiritual life. He makes no progress towards God's glory or his eternal rewards. His purse has holes. If he so chooses to live outside of faith, that is his choice. But his position, rank, rule and riches will be at minimum. He will forever be a private in God's army.

THREE STATES

There are three states before God which result from what we think about Christ. The disbeliever lives in a state, realm or sphere of Evil. (We are all physically born into the Kingdom of Satan.) He is a child of Satan and a child of wrath and his eternal destiny is hell. The believer, in contrast, who has been born again into God's kingdom, lives at the onset of his new life in a state or Sphere of Faith. It was faith by which he was born again and so this is his present state. This state is also known as a state of sanctification and the filling of the Holy Spirit. It is a state which we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a righteous lifestyle before God.

But this state of sanctification is not continous or permanent. Our wills are very much involved. This state can be lost if we chose to act contrary to God's will. Disobedience results in a third state or Sphere and that is the Sphere of Carnality. Such a state results from a believer committing sin. All sin, whatever the degree or severity, results in the loss of the filling of the Spirit.

In the carnal state, we are said to be "cut off from Grace", and 'quenching the Spirit.' It is a state where our spiritual progression comes to a halt. Furthermore, in this state, we cannot placate God with our good works and righteous deeds. If we continue in this state, we come under discipline which is employed by God to get our attention and focus back on Him. If we fail to respond, the degree of discipline will increase even unto death in some cases if the believer remains unrepentive. However, if we are wise and respond, we will acknowledge, cite and confess our sin unto God. It is the acknowledgement of our sin which reinstates us to the spiritual state and the filling of the spirit.

SINS AFTER SALVATION

Post salvation sins do not affect our eternal destination of heaven, but they definitely affect our relationship with God and our spiritual growth here in time. We are still His children but unconfessed sin leaves us estranged, distant, and at odds with His plan for our lives. All works that we do in God's name and for the church and our fellow man in the carnal state has only a temporal effect. Such works have no eternal value. At judgement, they will be burned as wood, hay, and stubble.

Sins are liken to sharpened, steel pins which ever threaten to burst the believer's relationship with God. They ever dance around his heart awaiting their opportunity to plunge themselves into the believer. But they have no power of themselves. They must be invited. And so they are when the believer desires that which God has forbidden. When there is evil desire, it acts like a strong magnet pulling the sharpen pin towards the believer causing the filling of the Spirit to be lost. At that moment of loss, the intimate relationship the believer enjoyed with God is gone. He will remain distant until he acknowledges the sin, accepts the forgiveness, and gets his focus back on Christ Jesus, as Lord of his life.

The fact is, we all as believers will go through this process of "in and out of faith" many times in our lives. Why? Because sin attacks our weaknesses, which we all have. Number one weakness, PRIDE. And from time to time, we will fail. Those who say they no longer sin because they are Christians lie. John says this, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us." As long as we are in bodies with a sin nature, we will sin and separate ourselves from God. God knows our frailities and has provided the means to reestablish us with Him. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sin s and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, 1 Jn. 1:9.

But let us not for a moment think sin is not a serious business. It is a disobedient act. It is turning our backs to God, who has given us so much to be thankful for, now and forever. We must ever strive to keep sin under control by the power of the Holy Spirit. This can only be done by keeping our focus on Christ, our Lord. We must learn to wear blinders to the distractions of the world, the flesh and the devil. We must grow and develop by God's Word, which has the effect of having our minds transformed.

ROM 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

When our mind is transformed by God's Word, we grow spiritually. The more we develop in this vein, the closer we come to having the "mind of Christ." And the more our thoughts are transformed, the less we will sin because our desire for the forbidden will lessen. The temptation to sin will never lessen, but our desire for it will. But we must be ever diligent and aware. Satan is very cunning and a master of deception.

RANK, RULE, RICHES

I have stated more than once that any good work done in the Sphere of Carnality will have no eternal value towards our rank, rule and riches in heaven. Christ speaks of the carnal believer as having a purse to hold valuables but with a tear at the bottom. All will be lost. But for the faithful believer who spends the majority of his time in the Sphere of Faith, his purse will have no such hole. He is acquiring heavenly credits through time spent in study, prayer, meditation, and good works towards God and his fellow man. And as he grows, develops, and progresses towards spiritual maturity, he is gaining in rank, rule, and riches. The highest awards/rewards go to those who glorify God in the earth by reaching spiritual maturity and becoming disciples of Christ. I call these high awards the GLORY BLESSINGS. For those who reach spiritual maturity bring glory to God and receive fantastic and lavish blessings from God.

All believers will inherit eternal life, enjoy eternal bliss and receive a mansion or home in heaven. But only those who spent a considerable amount of time in the Sphere of Faith will have the rewards of a good soldier...to him go the spoils. In fact, the more quality time logged into the spiritual life here in the earth will determine the degree and extent of his position inGod's administration. Some will rule cities, some countries, some worlds. From such ranks, one will even sit at Christ's left and right hand.

Those faithful servants, residents of the Sphere of Faith, are those who will wear the white garment of honor and will be decorated in accordance to their faithfulness on the earth. It is to these who looked to heaven and used their time on earth not on selfish ambitions and making a show amongst their fellow man, but to bring glory to God. Such is accomplished through self-sacrifice, humility, and discipline and its rewards beyond all we can ask or think.

We must get our focus and attention upon heaven and not earth, upon Christ and not self, and realize that our good is guaranteed and assured through obedience to God. We will experience peace and contentment as a reward for our faithfulness. We must work towards God's glory and not our own. And if we do, we will become recipeints of the Glory Blessings. And we must spend our time wisely, residing in the Sphere of Faith. This pleases God and we shall be rewarded one day in heaven with rank, rule and riches forever and forever. Amen.

Copyright ©1998 Robert W. Case Jr.,