God's Way of Escape from Sin.

[Tenchi]

1 Corinthians 10:13

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

​

Carl’s hooked. Badly. He didn’t intend to become addicted but he’s caught now and can’t see how to get free. The pornographic pictures just fire him up; they make his brain blaze with lust. And there is the intense, gratifying release that always results, driving Carl on into more and more images, and lust, and bondage. He knew what he was doing was wrong. He knew it would bend him, corrupt his thinking, and darken his soul. But the pleasure of his sinful addiction is fierce and powerfully habit-forming!

Everywhere Carl looks there is something that provokes his sexual lust. On billboards, magazine covers, in t. v. commercials, music videos; on ten-foot store signs at the mall, Carl sees women in various states of undress, lips slightly parted, heavy-lidded eyes staring suggestively, arching invitingly toward him; all around Carl, females in skin-tight yoga pants that reveal every crevice, and curve, and crease of their womanly form walk past, careless of the blaze they ignite in Carl’s mind. After a few hours out-and-about, what choice does Carl have but to return home powerfully aroused and dive headlong into the sexual images he’s collected on his phone or p.c.?

It’s so easy to find the foul images he so strongly craves! Way too easy. It seems like there are millions of pictures and videos to see; millions of women eager to satisfy Carl’s addiction. What can he do? He’s helpless before the tidal wave of sexuality sweeping over him from the ‘net and the world around him. This scares him, this feeling of being on the edge of a kind of lust-madness. And he’s slowly spiraling downward into harder, more violent, more warped images and videos. If he can’t find a way out, he’s terrified of what he might become - and do.

To the few people to whom Carl has spoken of his…problem, the advice has been less than helpful: Take a cold shower, stay busy, work-out lots, go for a run, think of the naked women he looks at as his sisters, get a girlfriend with whom he can fornicate, install controls on his phone and p.c. None of this stuff has helped. Is Carl out of luck, then, doomed to be a slowly self-destructing porn addict?

No. God’s got a way out. Here it is:

Romans 13:12-14
12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

There are two parts to the advice given here:

• Walk properly: Put on the armor of Light who is Christ.
• Cast off the works of darkness; make no provision for the flesh.

Put on Christ. In other words, get saved; become a child of God through trusting in Christ as Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-10). When one does, one is clothed in the Armor of Light, in the righteousness, truth and power of Christ, becoming a “new creature in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17), a “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), in whom one obtains all one needs to be a holy, stable, controlled person. (Ephesians 3:16; Ephesians 5:9; 2 Timothy 1:7)

Make no provision for the flesh. Get rid of the p.c.. Get rid of the cell-phone. Stay away from the mall. Stop watching t.v.. As much as possible, remove everything through which temptation is entering your life. The drunk must avoid the pub and the porn addict must avoid the internet. Usually, “making no provision for the flesh” is where the addict to sin finds out how serious he (or she) is about breaking out of their addiction.

There are lots of addicted Christians, though, aren’t there? Yes, more and more, it seems – especially to porn. How come they’re addicted if the Holy Spirit is in them? Shouldn’t the Spirit free them from all addictions?

Well, God doesn’t make puppets of His children. The Spirit gives believers spiritual life, but he won’t coerce those in whom he dwells to live as he wants them to live. At every turn, they must be agreeing to his transformation, his changing, of them. This is done by way of submission to the Holy Spirit, by a constant yielding to his will and way throughout every day.

Romans 6:12-18
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
13 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.
14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

Continued below.

 

[Tenchi]

The Holy Spirit brings believers into conformity to Christ, out of bondage to sin and into a life of consistent holiness and purity, as they “present themselves to God as instruments of righteousness.” This isn’t a once-a-day thing, though, but frequently a moment-by-moment one. As often as the crossroads of choice to live one’s own way rather than God’s appears, the believer must choose again to go God’s way by renewing their submission to Him. (Romans 8:14; Romans 12:1; James 4:6-10; 1 Peter 5:6; Acts 20:18-19)

As the born-again believer remains in humble submission to God throughout each day, the Spirit works naturally, subtly, but profoundly in them, altering their desires, teaching them the liberty-giving Truth of God, strengthening them to stand free of sin and Self. As the believer remains yielded to God, the Spirit “mortifies,” or “puts to death,” the deeds of their flesh (Romans 8:14), enabling them in their conduct to reflect the truth of who they have become in Christ.

Sin is just a symptom of something else: Self. The Real Problem isn’t addiction to porn – or any addiction, for that matter. The reason there’s addiction at all is that Self is ruling upon the throne of one’s heart. What do I mean by “Self”? I mean the “old man” of whom Paul wrote in his letter to the Church in Rome. (Romans 6:6) The “old man” is who we are apart from God, ruled by our own will and desires, selfish, temporal and short-sighted, ordered by the impulses of our flesh rather than by the will and way of the Spirit. Out of the rule of the “old man” – Self - come all the sins and addictions under which we labor.

Until the “old man” is dealt with, the symptoms of sin he produces cannot be halted. But the “old man” is so rotten, so incorrigibly evil, that he cannot be remediated. (Jeremiah 17:9; Ephesians 2:1-3; Titus 3:3; Romans 8:5-8) God cannot improve Self, our “old man,” and so He has put him (or her) to death with Christ on the cross of Calvary. How? No idea. But this is what the Bible tells us is the case, regardless.

Romans 6:1-7
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, who are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

This is why it is so vital for a person to be born-again, saved, and made a new creature in Christ. The person who is “in Christ” has been united spiritually with him, dying to the “old man” and rising to newness of life in Jesus, freed from the power sin and Self. When a person lives by faith in the truth of their co-crucifixion with Christ, humbly yielding themselves to the control of the Spirit throughout every day, they reflect more and more in their daily living the effect of being under his control: changed desires and thinking and an increasingly holy, Christ-centered life.

This is God’s way to freedom from all sin. In a nutshell:

• Put on Christ (get saved).
• Make no provision (opportunity) for the flesh.
• Live in constant submission to the Holy Spirit.
• By faith, count on the truth of your death to Self.

There’s one other thing to add to this list: Keep short accounts with God. (1 John 1:9) Sin hinders the work of God in one’s life (Psalms 66:18; Isaiah 59:2; 1 Peter 3:10-12); it obscures God, makes Him seem distant and unreachable. Until we confess our sin and are cleansed of it, sin stands in the way of being set free by God. As sin crops up, then, deal with it before God, confessing it to Him and receiving His cleansing from it.

It takes time to develop a sinful habit or addiction and it takes time to come free of it. The work of God is, generally, a progressive one, growing and changing us subtly and naturally over time, after the manner of a branch of a tree (John 15:4-5). One, then, must be patient, persistent and consistent in living in the submitted, by-faith way Scripture prescribes in order to come fully into freedom from sin and Self.

Neither Carl, nor you, reader, are helpless against an addiction to porn (or any sin). God can bring you free, totally and permanently. But, He will only do so His way. At the end of His transformation of you isn’t just liberty from sinful habit and/or addiction, you see, but a greater, deeper experience of Him which is the real goal – and reward – of living a holy life.

What will you do? Will you submit to God’s “way of escape” and not only come free of sin but deeper into communion with God? It’s what you were made for, you know. God won’t just set you free from addiction but sets you free to know and delight in Him. What a great God He is!

Philippians 3:7-8
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Psalm 16:8-11
8 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Do you want God, though? Or do you just want freedom from your addiction? What you do with what you’ve just read will reveal the truth.

 

[Who Me]

With All addictions the addiction has to want to beat it.
As 1cor 10:13 says, God will provide a way of escape.
Often that is being able to turn the pc/mobile etc off, or to simple stop staring at those scantily glad girls.

That is just the start, getting rid of mobiles and other computer devices isn't that easy, but anti virus programs will block port and allow for a third party to monitor one's Internet use.

Having a hobby, book, going for a run are all means of distracting one's self.

But more importantly is the discipline of keeping close to God and seeking his help daily, hourly, as needed.
Look at the A A's 12 point plan and adapt it to one's need.
It is a lifelong struggle that can be won.

 

[Edward]

As 1cor 10:13 says, God will provide a way of escape.
Often that is being able to turn the pc/mobile etc off, or to simple stop staring at those scantily glad girls.

And to stop thinking about it all the time. Because it will get into his heart and that is what he will become. Rather he should spend that time reading the bible or at least listen to some tv pastors.

If you keep your mind and heart guarded by not thinking about it or looking at it. I have actually prayed before that the Lord would guard my eyes while I am in the store. I don't even look at the magazines by the register.

So he is going to have to want to put porn behind him or he will continue in it.

 

[Who Me]

And to stop thinking about it all the time.

Not so easy when dealing with an addiction, but certainly the biblical comand to think about what ever is lovely, of good report etc etc etc is worth following, its good advice for all of us.

 

[Tenchi]

With All addictions the addiction has to want to beat it.
As 1cor 10:13 says, God will provide a way of escape.
Often that is being able to turn the pc/mobile etc off, or to simple stop staring at those scantily glad girls.

Well, as I explained in my OP, God tells us in His word what His "way of escape" is pretty clearly. A man (or woman), though, has to "put on Christ" before he puts off things that "make provision for the flesh." Without the power of God given to a person in their spiritual "second birth," they have no hope of coming free of sin in the way God intends.

That is just the start, getting rid of mobiles and other computer devices isn't that easy, but anti virus programs will block port and allow for a third party to monitor one's Internet use.

The real key to living free of sin and addiction is in being under the constant control of the Holy Spirit. When a man is, he can put off the things of the flesh with a freedom and power that is divine, because God is changing him, he is not merely trying to change himself.

Having a hobby, book, going for a run are all means of distracting one's self.

But more importantly is the discipline of keeping close to God and seeking his help daily, hourly, as needed.
Look at the A A's 12 point plan and adapt it to one's need.
It is a lifelong struggle that can be won.

The 12-Step program is Man-centered, unfortunately, putting the onus on the addict to take all the steps of the program toward a "Higher Power" in order to change. But God says to us in His word that He changes us by His power; we don't change ourselves for Him.

Philippians 1:6 (NASB)
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:13 (NASB)
13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Philippians 4:13 (NASB)
13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NASB)
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NASB)
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

Jude 1:24-25 (NASB)
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,
25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

The reason people come under the power of addiction in the first place is because they are so profoundly selfish and weak. How, in this condition, can they become who God wants them to be? They can't; not really. Oh, they can make some changes, yes, but not in the direction God wants and for the reasons He intends. Lots of folks who don't know and love Christ have gone through the 12-Step process and come, in some measure, free of their addiction, but not fully and permanently free, as God would make them by His power. These folks never "put on Christ," as Paul commanded in his letter to the Romans. Their goal is to win free of addiction, not come into joyful fellowship with their holy Maker. But God's changes in us are ALWAYS toward the goal of deeper communion with Himself, not just freedom from the damaging effects of our sin.

 

[Edward]

The reason people come under the power of addiction in the first place is because they are so profoundly selfish and weak. How, in this condition, can they become who God wants them to be? They can't

I've never heard that said better.

I think a lot of people want to serve God but they have one, maybe two sinful activities that they like so they be as good of a Christian as they can but still make room in their life for addictive habits. And that's not what scripture tells us to do. The Lord said seek me with all of your heart and all of your stregth and soul 100% and then you will find me.

He says, come out of her my people! (The world). You have to cut the umbilical cord to this earth. And some will cut most of it but leave something. Their addiction.

It doesn't matter what it is. Could be gambling, porn, drugs, sexual immorality. It all leads to death, right? And the fix for all of them is the same.

Jeremiah 29
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.../

No one can seek the Lord with all of their heart and there be room in the same heart for...watching porn or fornications or whatever. You have to cut it out. The Lord is a Jealous God and wants ALL of your heart.

Who would steal the Lords money to go pay a prostitute, or to buy drugs? Certianly not! But if you gave your life to the Lord and accepted His salvation...then your whoe life belongs to Him, including your paycheck! What do you mean you worked for for that? God gave you the skills and the talent to be able to do that job. On top of that, He gave you the oppurtunity to get that job! So it's God's money. All your dollars are belong to Him! Not 10%, all of it!

If the people with the addiction problems don't want to quit, then in my mind that is willful disobediance so who knows what will happen to them? Cut the Cord. 100%.

It's more fun after you do. Walking with the Lord is a grand adventure!

 

[Who Me]

But God says to us in His word that He changes us by His power; we don't change ourselves for Him.

Romans12:12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Tells to offer, that is we take an action.
Do not be conformed, in other words we are not to do what the world does, again we take action.

1Cor 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

The discipline of living the Christian life shown above.

Don't throw away tools that help people overcome problems
the 12 point plan you think so little of:-
The heart of the suggested program of personal recovery is contained in Twelve Steps describing the experience of the earliest members of the Society:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

As James says what good is it if one says to the cold and hungry, 'go I wish you warm and well fed' and does nothing about it.

The addicted need practical help to overcome there addiction, not for a while, but for the rest of there life.

 

[gordon777]

​

Well, God doesn’t make puppets of His children. The Spirit gives believers spiritual life, but he won’t coerce those in whom he dwells to live as he wants them to live. At every turn, they must be agreeing to his transformation, his changing, of them. This is done by way of submission to the Holy Spirit, by a constant yielding to his will and way throughout every day.

Romans 6:12-18
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
13 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.
14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

The teaching is to people who have not believed in Jesus Christ, otherwise we have no need for any man to teach us..



1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Hebrews 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.



Now God teaches us Himself and of course God constantly guides us dwelling in us in Spirit..




John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Ephesians 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Galatians 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

[gordon777]

Romans12:12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Tells to offer, that is we take an action.
Do not be conformed, in other words we are not to do what the world does, again we take action.

We are to be transformed by belief in Jesus Christ, then He is formed in us, then we are born again, then all old is passed away.

If you guys need more instruction, I know how to give more.



2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

Titus 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

 

[Who Me]

If you guys need more instruction, I know how to give more.

therwise we have no need for any man to teach us..

Make up your mind.

If Christians do not need men to teach them, why are you offering to teach us?

Of course you could always repent of such nonsence and accept that yes Christians need to be taught no matter how mature they are in Christ.

 

[gordon777]

Make up your mind.

If Christians do not need men to teach them, why are you offering to teach us?

Of course you could always repent of such nonsence and accept that yes Christians need to be taught no matter how mature they are in Christ.

In the end it is a time of many false prophets and false teachers, and these of course want us to listen to them/be taught by them. Many do hear their deceitful reasonings. It is safer to not be taught by any person, and just God, is an easy and safe way to avoid satans ministers, speaking right now, everywhere.





Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.




They do have that form of godliness, but deny the power ( you only see text from them, so why should people be on forums for years trying to instruct ( deceive) anyone ?

We are told how to recognise, their teaching is of lust( coveting) instead of the teaching Apostle Paul presents against their deceit ( his longsuffering/patience, to actually see his sufferings of Christ as the truth compared to a lie)




2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their's also was.
10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

 

[Who Me]

In the end it is a time of many false prophets and false teachers

Yes, which is why there is a need for clarity and consistency by those who teach.

 

[Tenchi]

Romans12:12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Tells to offer, that is we take an action.
Do not be conformed, in other words we are not to do what the world does, again we take action.

This is the pitfall so many believers stumble into. They want to do for God; they want to "take action"; and they see in God's word many commands to do so. But they attempt to do so from the wrong state-of-affairs spiritually. Absolutely, there are things the child of God is supposed to do. They are to "work out their own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12), as Paul wrote. But he goes on in the very next verse to explain how: "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). Here, then, is the correct dynamic within which the born-again person "takes action": The Christian works out only what God has first worked into them. In other words, the child of God is a container and conduit of God's power, who gives them both the desire and the ability to do His will. It isn't, then, that the Christian is doing for God, but that God is doing in and through them what He wants to do.

What happens instead, however, is that the born-again believer assumes responsibility for their obedience, from their own human resources, trying to serve God as He commands. But like begets like: A dog begets a dog; a cat begets a cat; a duck begets a duck; and you only beget more of you. It is only God who can beget godliness in His children, though many of them try to produce by their own effort a flawed, ugly, sin-plagued version of His godliness. God is not pleased by these corrupt attempts to do by human strength and will what He intends He should do by His power and wisdom. And so, in His word, God is constantly telling us that He will do in and through us by His power what He wants to do.

Romans 8:13 (NASB)
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if BY THE SPIRIT you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (NASB)
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as FROM THE LORD, THE SPIRIT.

Philippians 1:6 (NASB)
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL PERFECT IT until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:13 (NASB)
13 I can do all things THROUGH HIM who strengthens me.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NASB)
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is He who calls you, and HE ALSO WILL BRING IT TO PASS.

1 Peter 5:10 (NASB)
10 ...THE GOD OF ALL GRACE, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, WILL HIMSELF PERFECT, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

Jude 1:24-25 (NASB)
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,
25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

And so on.

Yes, we children of God have much that He has told us to do. But if we try to do His will by the wrong means, under the wrong spiritual dynamic, the result is far from what God actually intends. We have only the power of our own flesh upon which to rely apart from God's strength given to us in the Person of the Holy Spirit. But as Paul wrote to the believer in Galatia, "Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:3) His answer to his own rhetorical question here is a resounding "No!"

1Cor 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

The discipline of living the Christian life shown above.

Don't throw away tools that help people overcome problems

Obviously, Paul did not write only this bit you've quoted from his letter to the Corinthians. See above. If Paul "disciplined his body and made it his slave" (NASB), it was only by the power of the Holy Spirit, obtained in constant submission to the Spirit's will and way. And so it was that in the next chapter Paul wrote:

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB)
13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

God has made a "way of escape" which I explained in my OP. Only by God's "way of escape" was Paul - and any other believer - able to truly "put to death the deeds of the body." (Romans 8:13) Urging people, then, to self-effort and self-discipline outside of the "way of escape" laid out in God's word is urging them into a constant cycle of trying, strength depletion, failure, confession, trying again, strength depletion, failure, confession, and so on in a frustrating, endless repetition of this miserable cycle that is nothing like the "abundant life" of peace, rest and joy described in the Bible.

John 10:10 (NASB)
10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB)
28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

As James says what good is it if one says to the cold and hungry, 'go I wish you warm and well fed' and does nothing about it.

The addicted need practical help to overcome there addiction, not for a while, but for the rest of there life.

There is nothing more practical, more life-transforming, more God-centered than the "way of escape" God has prescribed to us in His word. True freedom, freedom that not only takes us from bondage to sin but into fellowship with God, is found only in God's "way of escape," never in a mere 12-Step program trusting in some vague "Higher Power."

 

[Tenchi]

The teaching is to people who have not believed in Jesus Christ, otherwise we have no need for any man to teach us..



1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

And what is the apostle John doing in his first letter? What is the verse you quoted here doing but teaching the truth to the readers of John's epistle?

Now God teaches us Himself and of course God constantly guides us dwelling in us in Spirit..




John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Ephesians 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Galatians 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

You don't seem to recognize the enormous irony in what you've written here. See above. All the verses/passages you've offered were written by men teaching the content of these verses/passages to others! Think more carefully, brother. Yikes.

 

[Tenchi]

We are to be transformed by belief in Jesus Christ, then He is formed in us, then we are born again, then all old is passed away.

If you guys need more instruction, I know how to give more.

The more you write, brother, the more you erode our confidence that you can.

In the end it is a time of many false prophets and false teachers, and these of course want us to listen to them/be taught by them. Many do hear their deceitful reasonings. It is safer to not be taught by any person, and just God, is an easy and safe way to avoid satans ministers, speaking right now, everywhere.

This is actually a fast route to self-deception and kooky doctrine. Every person I've known who had the sort of off-kilter notions about the faith that you do, gordon777, had taken up the unteachable, isolated-from-instruction attitude that you describe here. But Paul wrote:

Ephesians 4:11-15 (NASB)
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

If you want to be sure to be a spiritual "child," tossed about by every wind of false doctrine, refuse to be taught by those gifted by God to teach His Church. God has made some of His children to be pastors and teachers so that they might "equip the saints" and help them "grow up in all aspects into him who is the head, even Christ." Through these men, in part, the Holy Spirit works to teach the saints of God. It is very foolish - and spiritually dangerous - then to refuse what God intends to do through those He's gifted as pastors and teachers.

They do have that form of godliness, but deny the power ( you only see text from them, so why should people be on forums for years trying to instruct ( deceive) anyone ?

Like yourself?

I've been a discipler of men for nearly thirty years and serve as an Elder/pastor at my church. How about you?

 

[Christ_empowered]

Good point about Hod at work in believers. Thanks

 

[jerry63935]

the important thing in making a way of escape . is knowing the way of escape, ( Jesus )

i deal with things from my past all the time days i do good days i dont.

a thought came to me last week God is more interested in our confession 1 john 1:9 than our excuses of why

 

[gordon777]

Did the false prophets of Israel like the idea that their day had come ?

Were priests and pastors good examples, of people being in a position of trust, to not deceive the whole nation of Israel ?




Jeremiah 2:8 The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

Zechariah 13:2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.


All before the Shepherd were those thieves and robbers ( prophets, priests, pastors)


John 10:8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.



The sheep never heard these prophets, priests, pastors.

Why do the same robbers and thieves, prophets, pastors and priests, expect they can be heard now ?




For clarity to the disputers here, satan was in all of those ministers ( teachers) and that did not change, that continued, as shown:



2 Corinthians 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.




How did satan and his ministers plan to deceive the whole world ?

The devil stole mans position with God, by hearing the devils counsel instead of only hearing God.

Those thieves, only come to steal, kill and destroy. But Christ ( unlike all those false prophets, pastors and priests before Him) came to give all life, by laying His life down for all.

The prophets, pastors and priests were hired ( by satan) to leave the sheep ( those same teachers spoke to deceive the lost sheep of the house of Israel) and the sheep were scattered. Those hired ( prophets hired by satan, who took them over in spirit, because they are wicked people never cared for the sheep.)

God vowed that those same shepherds will not feed the sheep ( never instruct) ever again. God will deliver them to never be destroyed by them ever again, through Himself seeking the sheep, as He did.





Ephesians 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.


John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

Ezekiel 34:6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

Ezekiel 34:10 Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
11 For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.





That is Gods way to escape from sin, to escape from the ones who try to keep people in sin speaking in the forums, and trying to show they should be heard.




God also told how that would be anybodys mistake to hear them, ( speaking great swelling words of vanity as they are exposed for doing. ) and not God only..



Isaiah 2:22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of ?

Isaiah 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

 

[Tenchi]

Bump.