The Renewed Man When the Bible says “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature…” (11Corinthians 5:17), it is outlining to us the OBVIOUS change that the converted, born-again person experiences. It is not a make-believe, hypocritical, half-transformed experience. It is real. God now lives in the man, through the living transforming truths of Jesus Christ. The man is sin-free, not half-changed. He is not reformed in just some of his ways or most of his ways. The Bible says “ALL things are become new and ALL things are of God” (vs 17&18, emphasis supplied). Unfortunately, there is a widespread teaching that states that “we cannot live a life free of sin.” The proponents of this teaching are quick to say “we sin in thought, word and deed…we cannot stop sinning…no one is perfect…we must think evil at some point even as a Christian…” More unfortunate is the fact that the majority of professed Christianity propagate that sin-freeness is not possible in this present world while we have sinful human flesh. How far have they fallen from Bible truth! What do they have to offer a sin-sick world? They tell the drunkard, liar, thief, murderer etc. that he must accept Christ. And when he does, they tell him that he can’t really stop sinning in this present world. What hope is that? What change are they offering? Are they inviting the sinner into a place where he feels comfortable in his secret sins, simply because he says “I believe that Jesus died for me on Calvary’s Cross?” The sincere seeker of truth and genuine change from a life of sin, ought to know that the aforementioned is NOT true Christianity. The renewed experience that God gives to the repentant is genuine. And, it is no secret. The liar now speaks the truth. The thief stops stealing and becomes an honest labourer. The drunkard becomes sober. The callous, hard-hearted unforgiving one becomes warm, tenderhearted and forgiving. (Ephesians 4:23-32). This is all made a reality because God alone now dwells in and is therefore exalted in the heart (Romans 3:22). When God converts us or puts a ‘stopping’ to our sinful rebellion, we ought to walk in the newness of life from thenceforth. The Bible is clear in its instructions to us concerning the renewed man. His present experience is totally opposite to his past unregenerate life. “ Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness…but now being made free from sin, and become the servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Romans 6: 18 & 22). Clearly, the present life of the regenerated individual is now governed and patterned after the word of Truth which abides in him as long as he keeps it. (1 John 3:9; Romans 12:1&2). Indeed, he walks with God. He walks as Christ walked- in the experience of sin-freeness (1 Peter 2:21-23). Christ wants to renew you today. Would you let Him? Sis. Ann-Marie Ballantyne
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Joined to YHWH by Sabbath Keeping I cannot overemphasize the importance of Sabbath keeping to one's salvation. I saw this recently while studying the fifty-sixth (56th) chapter of the Book of Isaiah. As it pertains to Sabbath keeping an expression in verse six (6) jumped out at me, "that join themselves to the LORD (YHWH)" Emphasis supplied. It was not long while thinking upon it that I saw that in this Great Controversy we are either Joined to YHWH or Joined to Idols, saved or lost by them respectively and the role of Sabbath keeping in this decision. I want to say that He who is joined to YHWH by necessity keeps YHWH's fruit sign of the seventh day Sabbath, whereas he who is joined to idols do not, but instead keep their own statutes/laws. Moreover Sabbath keeping also joins man to YHWH continually, yea even forever. Take a look at the following points, prayerfully, using your Bible and you will see: 1. Sabbath Keeping shows a person has JOINED HIMSELF TO YHWH GOD- Isaiah 56: 2-4,6-7. Ezekiel 20:20 2. The only other joining is to Idols- Hosea 4:17 3. Whenever Israel polluted YHWH's Sabbaths they were described as going after their idols- Ezekiel 20:16,18-20,24 4. Also, whenever they polluted YHWH's Sabbath, going after their idols, they were described as walking in their statutes and observing their judgments (or laws), instead of YHWH's statutes and judgments- Ezekiel 20:13,18,21,24 5. God's call is for us to repent and turn away from our idols which separate us from joining to YHWH GOD- Ezekiel 14:5, 6 6. When we repent he cleanses us from these idols, gives us a changed mind and experience, comes into our minds and causes us to keep His statutes. including his Sabbath. This work is called Justification and joins us to the ONE GOD YHWH- Ezekiel 36:25-28, Romans 3:30-31, Deuteronomy 6:4 7. He commands us to Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy because Sabbath keeping puts YHWH continually before our faces, since it is the only command in which YHWH's name is mentioned three (3) times (as His Sabbath day)-Exodus 20:8-11 (LORD IS YHWH). 8. Continual Sabbath keeping, as the perpetual covenant, must not be forgotten and is forever; forever joining us to YHWH GOD and guiding us on the way home to Zion- Exodus 31:13,16-17, Jeremiah 50:4,5, 9. This is why there remains a Sabbath keeping to those called "The People of God". Because those who keep the Sabbath are joined to YHWH GOD, and the remnant thereof are sealed, by Sabbath keeping, with His name written in their mind- Hebrews 4:9-10 (Rest-Greek-Sabbatismos-Sabbath Keeping), Revelation 7:3, Revelation 14:1 10. The earth will be destroyed because its inhabitants defile it and themselves, joining to their idols, breaking God's everlasting covenant of Sabbath keeping, while those who continue in Sabbath Keeping are forever joined to YHWH, even coming before him for eternity to worship him every Sabbath, forever- Ezekiel 20:18, Isaiah 24:4-5, Isaiah 66:23 As Jeremiah 50:5 says of God's people, I implore you to come and go with me. "They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD/YHWH in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten" And Sabbath keeping is that perpetual covenant that joins us to YHWH as Moses declares in Exodus 31:16 "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant." Will you turn from your idols? Will you join to YHWH with me today? Will you keep His seventh day Sabbath with me? I pray you will. Amen Sis. Anesia Baptiste The Philosophy of Sinfreeness is HolinessThe philosophy of sinfreeness has been rejected by many people due to the fact that there is a great misunderstanding of and lack of interest in the true Gospel of Christ, which is the plan of salvation, on the part of those that claim to seek after God. However many if not all would agree that if one is worshipping God they are expected to be holy for it is there reasonable service Romans 12:1. They are called unto holiness because God who is holy has said that as he is holy those who worship him must also be holy Leviticus 19:2, 1 Peter 1:16. Why is this so? The holiness of those that are God’s is what shows them to be children of God; it is what separates them from this sin sick world Numbers 16:5. By this we can with great assurance say that the call to holiness is the requirement to all that would serve God as God alone. As Romans 12:1 says it is there reasonable service. For this reason the bible identifies the people of God as a holy nation that has been called out of darkness 1 Peter 2:9. With all of this written clearly in the good book we still have many persons that still strongly oppose the reality of sinfree living here upon this earth. What then is their understanding of the word holy that has been repeated countless times throughout written scripture? We cannot say because to try to make sense of error is dangerous to the mind. However we can say it is based strongly upon insincerity of heart of many so called believers of bible doctrine. In an attempt to bring proper understanding to the mind that is truly seeking Gospel truth we will in this study take a truthful look at the words holy and holiness. We will show that a call to holiness is a call to sinfreeness. We will do this by taking an in-depth look at the meaning of these words in the original written language of the bible, old and new testaments. We will look at both the Hebrew word for holy and the Greek word for holy to understand its true meanings. Hebrew- Quodes: "A masculine noun meaning a holy thing, holiness, and sacredness. The word indicates something consecrated and set aside for holy use only; it was not to be put into common use, for if it was, it became profaned and common (hol), not holy. This word also designates divine holiness: The Lord alone can swear by his own holiness; and his ways are holy.” Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary Old Testament, pg. 982 no. 6944 Greek word for holy is hagia, neut. Is hagion, adjective from hagos: “Any matter of religious awe, expiation, sacrifice. Holy, set apart, sanctified, consecrated, saint. It has a common root, hag-, with hagnos, chaste, pure. Its fundamental idea is separation, consecration, devotion to the service of deity, sharing in God's purity and abstaining from earth's defilement. Pure, clean, ceremonially or morally clean, including the idea of deserved respect, reverence. It particularly means perfect, without blemish. Metaphorically it means morally pure, upright, and blameless in heart and life, virtuous, holy. Generally spoken of those who are purified and sanctified by the influences of the spirit. This is assumed of all who profess the Christian name, hence hagios, saints, Christians." Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary- New Testament, pg. 70, no. 40 Upon proper examination of both words in the Hebrew and Greek text it can be clearly seen that the understanding of the word holy gives a perfect definition of the word sinfreeness. What will be done now is that we would go into a few bible texts that give the understanding of the word holy to show it to mean being free from all sin. 2 Corinthians 6:15-17 tell us we are to be separated or set apart from all that is unclean in the world, which gives a proper understanding of the Greek word used for holy. What this tells us is that God is calling us away from sin and all things that are not of him Isaiah 52:10-11. We have seen that the word holy means that one is sanctified, consecrated and devoted to the service of YHWH Leviticus 21:6-8. Holiness is identified as one sharing in God’s own purity and abstaining from all earthly defilement John 17:14-17, Titus 2:14. It is written that God is light and in him there is no darkness which means that no man can claim to be a partaker of the divine nature and yet still be a partaker of sin. By this knowledge we understand the prayer of Jesus our Lord. In order that one be identified as holy unto God the understanding of holy tells us that one must be pure, clean, ceremonially or morally clean, including the idea of deserved respect, reverence. It particularly means perfect, without blemish. Metaphorically it means morally pure, upright, and blameless in heart and life, virtuous. This same understanding is given in these texts that are in the bible. Ephesians 1:4 tells us that we must be blameless for God has chosen us out of this world. Ephesians 5:27 says that the church must be without spot or blemish. Colossians 1:21, 22 show us that when we are reconciled we are in fact made holy, unblameable and unreproveable. The call to holiness is a most necessary one so much so that even in our very conversation holiness is required of us 1 Peter 1:15-16. Being holy unto YHWH is what makes you a saint of YHWH. Why is this so? For we have moved from darkness by being made true partakers of God’s wonderful light Colossians 1:12-13. In order that any be made holy he is under the influences of the Holy Spirit Luke 12:11-12, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 2: 12-13. The Spirit of God will lead no man to sin John 14:23-26. The scripture tells us when the spirit of truth shall come he will convict the world of righteousness, sin and judgements to come. That spirit will lead us into all truth. Therefore he cannot lead us into a lie because no lie is of the truth John 2:27, 1 John 4:6. The understanding of holy/holiness is the same as sinfree/sinfreenesss. This is not a new doctrine. This is the same doctrine preached by the prophets of old and if any must be saved he must be saved in sinfreeness which is holiness. 1John 1:9. To be born of God is to be holy; to be holy is to be sinfree. CALL TO HOLINESS IS A CALL TO SEPRATION WHICH IS A CALL TO PURITY WHICH IS A CALL TO PERFECTION THIS MEANS THAT YOU ARE JUSTIFIED SINFREE Sis. Ashaki Johnson
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