Originally posted by whatever:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by MikeinGhana:
How much disobedience can we get away with and still be a believer?
All of it! But watch out for the chastening hand of God. You will not be glad you disobeyed! We are kept by the power of God, not our obedience. A believer that continues in sin and disobedience does not lose his or her salvation, period.
Boy, did I word that question poorly. Yours was a good answer, of course. Please let me try again.
How far can we go in disobedience before it becomes clear that we really do not believe? </font>[/QUOTE]And once again, we see that the emperor has yet another new royal tailor! And he is wearing yet another set of new clothes. Once again the tailor has been changed, perhaps to keep up with the latest style. But the latest, along with the many before, have bought the cloth from the same roll of fabric.
Why the need to 'expose' those we assume to be hypocrites? We can't see this that clearly, at all. The best we can do is observe fruit. You might notice I did not say be a "fruit inspector". ("Ed chose his words well, here!" - Language Cop)
The parable of the tares among the wheat show something of this in Matt. 13:24-30. I do not know this for a fact, even though I probably should, as a farmer, but have been told that some, if not all, tares are almost identical to wheat when it first sprouts, and pokes through the ground. I do know what the Biblical tares are, I think. In fact, tares can be one of a number of plants. They may be vetch, darnel, ryegrass, cheat, or a couple of others. About any of these is a good feed for livestock, but not desirable for human consumption. The part that is eaten by ruminants is often the whole plant, in the form of hay, or pasture. However, when the seeds mature, some of these are considered toxic, especially in larger porportions. Most can be removed at the harvest, in one way or another, from a grain crop, with only the reduction of the yield of grain, which would not be absolutely devestating.
Take them out as the crop is young, and you may not differentiate correctly. Pull the plants halfway through the growing season, and you are likely to have wheat uprooted with the tares, from the roots, for most, and vetch tendrils around nearby plants, thereby stripping the wheat from the stalk when removing the vetch.
The second fallacy is germane to the whole discussion, we are here having. This is illustrated in Mat. 7:21-23. And 'Lordship', contrary to the advocates of LS is exactly what will not be the issue. This bunch KNEW Jesus was Lord; they attempted to fully 'follow' Him. They did everything you could think of, starting with recognizing him as "Lord". And they were doing it all for Him, so they thought. He thought otherwise, and said so.
The issue, again, WILL NOT BE 'Lordship'. The issue will be doing the will of the Father. What is that? I suggest it is stated in Scripture. And it has been mentioned several times in various threads on these pages. Perishing is not consistent with the will of God, in the sense of His 'determined' will, although allowed in his 'permissive' will. (II Pet.3:9) One of the things we are 'required' to do, is do God's work to be saved. What exactly? Scripture answers, again: "This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent." (Jo.6:29)
And we ain't even going to try to get into 'disobedience', except to say, this is a Lordship issue! And one cannot even think about having Him as Lord, BEFORE, one has Him as Savior. Nuff' said on this!
In His grace,
Ed