The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum All Mixed Up

Chosen,

First, unless I am totally misunderstanding your position, you appear to hold to a form of Wesleyan perfectionism, i.e., although we are sometimes sinful on the outside, we are in essence sinless, aka: perfect/sanctified on the inside. Doubtless if this is the case, then we are at opposite poles on this issue.

Second, you appear to bifurcate the nature of man so that a believer is comprised of two separate "natures"; one that is totally sanctified and cannot sin and one that is evil and from which sin comes forth. But I find, nor did any of the Reformers or Puritans, anything in Scripture to support anything akin to this. Man has but one nature, which from conception is corrupt, depraved, evil. When the Holy Spirit regenerates that spiritually dead nature (aka: soul, spirit), a new disposition is created, or should I say re-created. Yet this nature isn't fully developed. The transformation of the new nature is a life-long process which won't be completed until the believer is glorified, i.e., made perfect. As I stated before, sanctification is two-fold. There is the "definitive" aspect which due to the imputed righteousness of Christ, God looks upon the believer as "holy". (cf. Zech 3:2-5). And, there is the "progressive" aspect whereby the new nature becomes more and more conformed to the image of Christ, albeit in part. Both aspects find their origin in God. Yet in the latter, there is an actual "working out" of that progression of sanctification by the individual who is held responsible to do so.

Third, I believe you are wrongly injecting your own ideas into the passages where Jesus speaks of the tree producing fruit:

Notice, that the Lord Christ makes no mention whatsosever about the "root" of the tree, but only of the "tree" itself and it being the bearer of the fruit. Again, it is the Spirit of God Who works and wills within a believer, it is nonetheless the believer who brings forth the fruit. It is the "fruit of the Spirit", i.e., it is indicative of one indwelt by the Spirit and by which one can be known. A believer can and often does produce "good" fruit and yet continues to sin throughout his/her life. (cf. simul iustus et peccator)

Matt 12:33 is certainly speaking of human beings as the context indisputably shows. The entire discourse is a tirade against the dissimulation of the Pharisees. The point of that specific text is that good fruit can only come from a good tree and and evil fruit comes from an evil tree, thus "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit." There is a one-to-one correlation between what a person is and what he thinks and does. This is also an apologetic against the modern "moralizing" often heard in both the world and in many churches.

Re: Gal 5:17; 22-24. There is certainly a "struggle" that is taking place between one's nature and the Spirit of God Who dwells within. That is the whole point of the passage and which Paul expresses in detail in his autobiographical corollary in Rom 7. Thus the exhortation beginning in vs 13 to walk according to the influences of the Spirit and not according to the flesh, i.e., the remaining sinful disposition in one's nature. In principle this struggle has been won and shall be completely victorious when the believer is glorified. However, in the meantime, here on earth the struggle is real and will continue throughout one's lifetime.

In His grace,