Wouldn't that suggest that the Holy Spirit is weaker than evil?
2006-09-13 06:10:24 · 29 answers · asked by georgia b 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I have heard plenty of Christians claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I have never heard a Christian say, "I no longer sin." In fact, they all say that they have to seek forgiveness, daily. Please explain the contradiction and please don't tell me that it hasn't been said both ways.
2006-09-13 08:54:15 · update #1
Who asserts that it is possible to be "filled with the spirit" and still commit sin?
The first step toward understanding this difficult relationship between the indwelling Holy Spirit in the believer's life and the continued presence of sin is come to some understanding what "sin" is; the many different forms that it can take; and to differentiate between "sin" and temptation in the believer's life.
Sin is "anything" that is directly contrary to the commandments or will of God, and God is good, therefore, sin is anything that is NOT good. It can be as simple as a little white lie, or as complex as pre-meditated murder; just to cite a couple examples.
Believers are NOT perfect, or SIN-LESS! Believers have recognized their sinful nature; have come to terms with God's prescription for rectifying that sinful condition and accepted God's gracious gift. Perfection, biblically speaking, is not SIN-LESS-NESS, but spiritual maturity. Admittedly most Christians have not matured spiritually to the level that God expects them to.
The Holy Spirit is NOT "weaker than evil" because, being the Holy Spirit of God; the God who chose to give us freedom of choice along with the rational capacity to understand and recognize good and evil wishes obedience based on love for God, good, and right, rather than obedience by force!
When you understand the whole picture of God's love, mercy, justice, and wrath, it all kinda balances out into a system, which if done any other way would make God guilty instead of man.
2006-09-13 06:23:19 · answer #1 · answered by MrDan 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We are still given free will. We still make mistakes, and sometimes, we, just like little kids, just don't listen.
We do not become instantly perfect, but rather, we strive for perfection. The Holy Spirit gives the "soft whisper" of the good side of your conscience a blowhorn, so to speak.
The Holy Spirit is not weaker than evil... but being creatures of both flesh and spirit, we are still torn between the two. The flesh wants one thing, the spirit wants the other. Sometimes, the flesh wins... sometimes the spirit wins.
But, as Christians, our flesh wins far less often than what it used to when we were non-Christians.
2006-09-13 13:19:33 · answer #2 · answered by seraphim_pwns_u 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Holy Spirit is our helper, and through the Holy Spirit we will understand a lot of things God talks us to us. But sin is just something we deal with in our life, and it is not only the bad stuff like killing and adultery and so on. Jesus cleanses us from our sins. And that is a relief. Then He treats us as if we have never sinned. Think about David.
2006-09-13 13:13:08 · answer #3 · answered by SeeTheLight 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Every believer has two natures, the old and the new, flesh and spirit. Until we die, there is a battle between these two natures within us.
The important thing is that the Holy Spirit convicts us, making us aware of our sin, that we may ask Jesus for forgiveness!
2006-09-13 13:16:59 · answer #4 · answered by slim1234 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is a rhetorical question. You cannot be filled with the holy spirit and commit sin.
2006-09-13 14:01:08 · answer #5 · answered by mortgagegirl101 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that's a great question! i'm with you on that one. i don't think you CAN commit sin and be "filled with the Holy Spirit" at the same time. it's like you're spitting on God or something. i believe to sin is human, but we should always TRY our very hardest to eliminate sin from our lives. whether that's possible or not, i've yet to find out. so yes, i am a sinner, but i don't go around professing to be "filled with the Holy Spirit"... that would give people who are struggling in their faith the worst idea of what it is to be a Christian.
2006-09-13 13:14:54 · answer #6 · answered by Vol_Fan 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's called being human. However, if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then you are convicted and know that what you have done is sinful. It's that presence of the Holy Spirit that convicts us and leads us to repent.
2006-09-13 13:13:11 · answer #7 · answered by Apple21 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No.....the Holy Spirit does not posess you and use you like a puppet. That is taking away your free will and your ability to choose how to live your life. You allow the Holy Spirit to guide you to make good decisions on your life, but ultimatley it is your choice to do whatever you will.
2006-09-13 13:13:49 · answer #8 · answered by The Nag 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't think tht you can. Yet, God can still use anyone for His purpose. All things work together for good for those who love God. There also have to be fruits of the spirit. Not just because someone says they are filled w/ the Holy Ghost or act like it necessarily are. There are charlatans and false prophets out there. Everything should be measured by the Bible.
2006-09-13 13:14:42 · answer #9 · answered by frankyglitz 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
No. I believe that sin is ones own fleshly desires. We must understand and identify what are weak areas are and why we desire things that we know is wrong. If we can understand that we have choices, we have control, etc we can overcome any evil desires. We must loose the desire and master our own thoughts first. If we can self discipline ourselves, and commit to living in the spirit of Christ, we can defeat the sinful desires. That is why Jesus came to this earth and taught us how to live as a human but walk in the spirit. As we mature spiritually, we desire to live right and loose the desire to poison our own soul with sin. Be careful not to let Satan twist the truth, twist scripture and twist your thoughts of his evil sin being stronger than the Holy Spirit. Satan loves to twist truths and twist scripture. I once heard a cute story that a grandfather was telling his grandson. The little boy said grandpa why are people sometimes good and sometimes bad. The grandpa smiled and said, inside each person there are two spirits trying to live, one is good and one is bad, but only one can survive. The little boy innocently asked, which one will live grandpa? The grandpa said, whichever one you feed my dear. How true. Satan is fighting to get you to sell your soul for your own foolish desires. God is willing to redeem you to have peace and happiness. Satan and God cannot live in one man. For as scripture tells us, you will learn to love one and hate the other. God gave us free will. We all make choices in live and in death. We will reap the consequences of our choices, whether they be good or bad choices. If we live for God we will receieve the blessings. If we live for Satan, we will recieve the curses. Some children desire to eat nothing but candy. If they were permitted to just eat what they wanted and what they desired, they would have failing health, become sick and eventually suffer and die. Parents and adults teach and guide children to eat vegies, fruits, meats etc. They give the children what they need to have healthy bodies. They also try to teach the children to desire the foods that are good for the body & mind. They teach the children to stay away from harmful substsnaces etc, because these things can harm them. Children are often immature and do not understand that until they mature. The spiritual part of us is like that too. Often we crave things that we want that are not really good for us. We need those spiritually mature persons to teach us how to feed our souls healthy and good spiritual foods. We also need to avoid the things that we crave that can harm us. As we grow in the spirit of wisdom, we discover that by being spiritually well, we enjoy life and are healthier. If we value or health we strive to be the best we can be. Remember, garbage in garbage out. Good in and good out. We all have choices.
2006-09-13 13:28:41 · answer #10 · answered by Shayna 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋