Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
--The above is worship: Presenting your body a living sacrifice--something that must be done 24/7
--Renewing your mind...proving the will of God: 24/7.
Praying always; rejoicing always, giving thanks in everything, and:
"Be ye continually filled with the Holy Spirit."
--Worship is in everything we do. Jesus spoke of giving a glass of water in my name. It could be a glass of water, it could be giving someone the time, or telling them what time it is. Is it a service done for Christ, in the name of Christ, for His sake--small or little, does it matter?
Worship is not confined to one hour at 11:00 am. in the church building of your choice. It is putting Christ first in your life, and making sure that all that you do you do for Him; that He gets the praise and glory for it.
OTOH, what can an unsaved man do that is considered good?
Isaiah said:
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
--There is nothing good. Everything he does is as a filthy rag.
That verse does not mean we cannot do good. A coat represents righteousness in the scriptures, as when God clothed Adam and Eve with coats made from an animal skin.
The fact we have a coat on shows that we do some good, but that coat is torn and filthy because of the sin we have committed.
Jesus taught that even sinners do good.
Luk 6:32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye?
for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye?
for sinners also do even the same.
Jesus tells us here that sinners both love and do good. Yes, he is saying that it is no big deal to love those that love us, and to do good to those that do good to us, and it is far greater to love those who hate you and treat you poorly, nevertheless it is still good to love those that love you and do good to those that do good to you. In fact, you should love those that love you and do good to those that do good to you.
So sinners can love, and they can do good. Christians tend to be too critical of non-believers. They aren't all wicked demons as some portray them, some are much better people than Christians I have known.
Look at the question that the crowds asked Jesus:
John 6:28-29 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
--What good work could they do?
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
--The only good work they could is to believe. First get saved; then God would consider their works, not until then will one's works be considered.
I agree 100% that all you can do to be saved is believe. But it is not a sin when an unbeliever tells the truth, or when an unbeliever does a good work. They don't always have some ulterior motive, they are not always trying to glorify themselves. Christians are too critical.
Can an Ethiopian change its skin; can a leopard change its spots? neither can you who are accustomed to doing evil.
If your interpretation of this scripture were true, then God would be the author of sin. After all, who gave the leopard his spots? God! Who gave the Ethiopian his dark skin? God!
You are misinterpreting this verse, it is a kind of sarcasm, Jeremiah is saying these Jews are so accustomed (a learned behavior) to sinning, that it has almost become their nature like spots on a leopard or dark skin on an Ethiopian. You have completely misinterpreted this scripture. Your interpretation actually blames God!
I am not a Calvinist. Suppose you were arguing with someone about Irresistable grace. He makes his point, and you respond "I can't stand idiots!" Did you call him an idiot or not? IMO, you did. And that is how I took it.
I know you are not a Calvinist, but you have been greatly influenced by Calvinism as I once was. I used to tell my kids that we sin because we are born sinners. Total error, I pray God forgives me for teaching this error.
You believe like Calvinists, that we are like a corrupt tree that can only bear corrupt fruit. This is the false teaching of Luther, Calvin, and Edwards. Jesus shows we can determine whether we are a good tree or corrupt.
Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good;
or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
Your will is not controlled by your nature as Calvinism falsely teaches, your nature is controlled by your will. You can "either make" yourself a good tree with good fruit, "or else make" yourself a corrupt tree with corrupt fruit. Total Inability is absolutely false doctrine.
Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
Proverbs 24:9 The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.
Foolishness is wrong. It is not a manner of humor.
I don't know, Elijah mocked the false prophets.
1 Kin 8:27 And it came to pass at noon,
that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
Do you know why Elijah mocked these false prophets? Because they were extremely stubborn and obstinate. They continued to leap and jump and cut themselves for hours even when it was obvious their false god was not going to answer.
And this is how I tend to deal with very stubborn and obstinate people. They are not going to listen, so you mock them to embarrass them. Sometimes this is the only way you can get a hard-headed person's attention. And sometimes even that doesn't work.
Look up 1John 1:8,10
If I told you I didn't sin, then I would be sinning. We all sin. We have a sin nature. By nature we sin. The name of this thread is "Why do you sin."
Yes, I made it personal. The reason? Personal examples quite often work by making the person think more. Besides that, the title of the thread is personal, using a personal pronoun. Why do YOU sin? Good question!
We sin because we obey the lust of our flesh. Jesus had the exact same flesh as us, his flesh pulled and tugged at him just like ours does. This is temptation, not sin. Jesus never obeyed his flesh when it would have caused him to sin. We do.
Luke asks why do we sin? We enjoy it. People take drugs because it feels good. People commit fornication because it is very pleasurable, at least for the moment, though it may quickly bring shame or death. People are arrogant because it appeals to their pride.
The three lusts are named in 1 Jhn 2:16, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. This is why we sin.
But you are wrong to teach Jesus did not have the same exact flesh as us, he did.
Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of
the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
This teaching that Jesus was born of a virgin to escape a sin nature is false. What difference would a virgin make? Are virgins sinless?
No, she had to be a virgin because it was a sign, this is how people knew Jesus was the son of God, because he was born of a virgin. It was a miracle. It had nothing to do with a sin nature being physically passed from the father, that is nothing but superstition. Jesus was the "son" of David.