If you can't claim it, you denigrate the work of Christ in yourself.
Or plainly say you are not even in Christ.
Why do you yourself want to claim it so badly?
You cannot claim to be in Christ if you are not in the Vine. If you are in the Vine then it is Christ working through you. Think of yourself as an avatar for God. A faithful, obedient servant.
Just listen to what Lanolin said:
"Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness, but a faithful man who can find?" (Proverbs 20:6)
And I fail to see how we denigrate Christ's work by claiming that it came from Christ, my friend. On the contrary, we would be disparaging it if we claimed it as our own.
What kind of bride is Jesus expecting to find?
One that is "not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Eph 5:27)
Exactly. That is why JESUS purifies us. We do not purify ourselves.
Better be sure then that you are "truly circumcised of the flesh".
My point exactly. One must be filled completely with the Holy Spirit (have their heart circumcised by true repentance) before one is ready to be truly baptized into the Body of Christ (which is without spot or blemish). Many believe they are baptized, but yet have not even repented in accordance with what God actually calls sin (this includes misusing God's name, Sabbatical desecration, monetary/materialistic idols in one's heart, etc.). Yet one must be TRULY born by both Spirit and the water to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. There is a reason for this, my friend.
The one true baptism is the baptism of water, fire, and Spirit. For there is only one baptism (Ephesians 4:5), not three. For they are three in One. Baptism works like the trinity. As does our spirit, soul, and body.
When you first believe, you receive the inward gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2; Ephesians 1:13). When you are truly baptized you receive the outward gift of the Holy Spirit and therefore you are submerged in God's Spirit and your flesh is metaphorically circumcised. This is what it means to be in the Father and have the Father in you. The one baptized must cloth Himself with Christ. That is why the Holy Spirit descended upon the One in whom we are imitating when He was baptized. This is where the true persecution begins (baptism by fire). This is why Paul said that the ones who actually belong to Christ have truly been baptized into His Body (1 Cor. 12:13), for they have completely died to the desires of the sinful flesh through the circumcision of the flesh. Personally, I myself have not been baptized yet. I have only been on this path a short time. In fact, not all that long ago I was an "agnostic atheist." I take this very seriously and do not want to be one of those people who gets baptized multiple times after they start believing. I want my Baptism to be the One true Baptism, although I think me and God have made it to the point where I am ready, though I am searching for a new church as of right now.
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the [Outward] gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, [Literally] no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are [Truly] born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:5)
"and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a [completely] clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 3:22)
Isn't our "skin" from God?
By differentiating portions of our selves into "good" and "bad" parts, you leave a door open for more sin, and an excuse to perform it.
Be ALL good, or quit playing Christian.
Our "skin" is from the dust of the earth. The Earth is from God. Our "skin" is in a fallen state, as is the earth. Either you can serve the flesh which results in death, or you can serve the Spirit which results in life. The Bible makes this very clear. In fact, that is the point Paul was trying to make when he said "with my flesh I serve the Law of sin" when he was speaking on behalf of humanity. If one serves their "skin" then they are not serving God. You must submit your members to God, through the Power of Christ. Are we clear on this, my friend?
Paul differentiated these parts as well and made it very clear that one can indeed fall back into sin. That is not to say that we must lazily live in sin just because it is possible.
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap destruction, [that is, eternal destruction] but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. [the Spirit will never urge you to go against the Testimony Of God/Spiritual Law of God] And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. [implying that if we lose heart, we do not inherit the promise of eternal Life. The same promise that we have by foreknowledge if we truly believe] Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith [Living faith and dead faith do not dwell in the same household]. (Galatians 6:7-10)
"The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." (Romans 8:6)
"Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness."
(Romans 6:13)
Peter also warned us not to fall from our secure position back into the error of lawlessness:
"Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position." (2 Peter 3:17)
OK, but if you aren't willing to glorify God with a witness of your newly given goodness, someone may ask you to manifest the badness.
Be bold in the grace God has given us, and be prepared to defend the righteousness God wishes everyone would partake of.
If someone asks me to manifest badness, then I will listen to God instead of that person. And I am boldly defending God's righteousness through the Grace He has given me. By doing this I am defending the fact that is of God and not myself.
But seek first the [Soveriegn] kingdom of God and His [OWN] righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
Let the good works speak for themselves, my brother. I may have helped build a rollercoaster but I do not claim it as my own. The owner of the theme park (who is also the architect in this case) who made the blueprints claims it as His and then He rewards me after the work is all said and done.
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)
Apparently, I owe Born Again 2004 an apology. I misspoke. I was under the impression that no one was trying to argue the fact that only God alone is good. I was wrong
Again, I hope this has helped, friend.
