THE BIAS OF DEGENERATION by Oswald Chambers

"Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Romans 5:12

The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man's sin; but that the disposition of sin, viz., my claim to my right to myself, entered into the human race by one man, and that another Man took on Him the sin of the human race and put it away (Heb. 9:26) - an infinitely profounder revelation. The disposition of sin is not immorality and wrong-doing, but the disposition of self-realization - I am my own god. This disposition may work out in decorous morality or in indecorous immorality, but it has the one basis, my claim to my right to myself. When Our Lord faced men with all the forces of evil in them, and men who were clean living and moral and up right, He did not pay any attention to the moral degradation of the one or to the moral attainment of the other; He looked at something we do not see, viz., the disposition.

Sin is a thing I am born with and I cannot touch it; God touches sin in Redemption. In the Cross of Jesus Christ God redeemed the whole human race from the possibility of damnation through the heredity of sin. God nowhere holds a man responsible for having the heredity of sin. The condemnation is not that I am born with a heredity of sin, but if when I realize Jesus Christ came to deliver me from it, I refuse to let Him do so, from that moment I begin to get the seal of damnation. "And this is the judgment" (the critical moment), "that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light."

It is not the good or bad we do, because there is nothing whatsoever we can do of ourselves that can make non-effective our nature which is always sinning. It is only through identification with Jesus Christ's life, death, and ressurection life can we walk rightly.

Whether they seem good or bad to us, it isn't the outward acts that condemn or justify us. Whatever I do can never satisfy God's righteousness. It is our nature, which is bound up in sin (by heredity), that makes our right as filthy as (menstral) rags.

Everything we think we do or can try to do is perverted because our nature is full of sin (through Adam). All our doings are stained with sin.

. . .but God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. ( Eph. 2.4-10 )

Realizing our identity in Jesus Christ
--as stated in the first paragraph--
manifests our justification, sanctification, and glorification, which is (righteousness) THE ONLY WAY God has made possible ENABLING US TO RAMAIN IN RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

( This whole process is detailed fully in Romans chapters 3 through 8. It is reckoning our old nature dead with Christ, and walking in His spirit of resurrection that God leads us by His Spirit into what we are becoming and what we will do. There is no other way. Chapter 6 is the key.)

We must, whether you want to call it rely, trust, depend, believe, etc., on God to work outward His Life through us or we are walking in the flesh . . . no matter what we think about what we or others do.

It is not anything we try to do. This constitutes putting our trust in ourselves and in the same stroke, not believing God.

It's a one or the other situation.
Nobody can truly serve two masters.
We can only serve one and disregard the other.

It is finding our selves crucified with Christ that we walk in the newness of life. It's not the act, but the nature that must change. God will only reveal His glory living through us when we remain crucified with Christ.

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. ( Lk. 9.23 )

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he (Jesus) said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. ( Mk. 8.34-38 )

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. ( Mt. 10:32-33 )

edited: errors

wow, thanks greg for sharing that here, something "clicked" when I read that. It was like a confirmation of questions that I had asked the Lord so many times before, "Why did one man's disobedience spill over unto me".

I've got to mull over that so more.

by philologos on 2010/10/5 22:19:23

mkal on 2010/10/6 2:12:39
"Yes, what Phanetheus has said here, "It is only through identification with Jesus Christ's life, death, and ressurection life can we walk rightly," is truly the answer to living for God."

I don't think this is quite what OS is saying. Today's 'My Utmost' will make it clear. OS is talking about genuine regeneration. When we ARE dead to sin then we must reckon it to be so, but to reckon it to be so when we have not experienced it will produce a spiritual schizophrenia.

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Brother Ron,

Belief implies following God's prescribed way.
Identification with Jesus Christ is relating with God on His terms. This is the beginning and end of our relationship with God.

You keep on babbling about spiritual schitzophrenia, however the regenerate has three natures:

1. The nature of the flesh (being created human)
2. The nature of sin (being Adam's seed)
3. The nature of Christ Jesus (being regenerated)

. . . and don't go getting wordy trying to proclaim how you are no longer human and never sin either.

Entire sanctification is bunk!

Come to terms with full reality or go back to that never never land.

You and i butt heads whenever contradiction is seen.

Things could be related with you to exhaustion, and you would continue to ignore the contradictions believing --sometimes less than-- half the truth.

You keep on with your books opinions and i'll keep on shouting Bible.

It's the sweet sweet song of salvation that transforms us, and any other message is anathema (Gal. 1.8-9). In the meantime pray for me as i do you. It is only God's Holy Spirit that/who will break up the fallow ground in us.

Soi Deo Gloria!

How does one become a holiness preacher ignoring God's Law?

It's been fun. Are you enjoying the ride as well?

The emphasis is not to be what we are or are not.
The emphasis is Jesus Christ in us and lived outwardly.

(It's thought you might be reading things into what was writting from here. You have done that before many times. . . and i have failed to clarify things fully as well. Go figure.)

From a twinitarian
to a trinitarian:

Yur kotz
in the caritas
of Christ,
gregg

To MikeH,

The way I see what I think you're trying to get at, is from the point of view that God knows what we're going to think before we've thought it. He also knows the precise millisecond at which we 'get' the word which has been coming to us from Him (by whatever means He chooses - often a variety of routes, until we begin to notice a recurring theme and begin to pay more conscious attention).

It is that moment of 'hearing' which is critical to His assessment of our response. Do we, as faith is created by 'hearing the word of God', believe and receive it? Or do we choose to reject it?

Those who hear the invitation to believe for salvation, and understand it, and yet reject Christ consciously, holding that opinion until they die, do seem to fall under the conviction of

John 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me'.

The Christian sitting under ministry which the Spirit is not enlivening to his understanding, (at that time), isn't, I don't think, what's being discussed here.

Any help?