2007-10-07 16:45:59 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You have to sometimes clean up your beahvior to have God's grace put upon you because laying around and doing nothing isn't good.
2007-10-07 16:50:42 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Both ignoring our bad behavior and thinking it's completely our responsibility to clean it up are wrong-headed.
If a person is saved he or she will have a desire to act in a way that pleases God. To that extent, the person will clean up their behavior on their own. If a person is saved, he or she will also have the presence of the Holy Spirit to enable the person to eliminate bad behavior.
To put the entire responsibility on God and continue in bad behavior is to presume upon God's grace. To take the responsibility yourself is to be spiritually arrogant and proud.
2007-10-07 23:51:06 · answer #2 · answered by Craig R 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
God's grace is free and available to all. It covers all sin and gives eternal life. Many buy into this intellectually. The trick is that God's grace has more to do with God than us. Several things happen when we are saved.
We know God. We are intimately linked forever to God and to all believers. We are adopted as children. We are given the Spirit to comfort, counsel, and chasten us. The law is written on our hearts and minds. We are a royal priesthood chosen for good works. We are foriegners here...sojourners that desire another homeland...we know that we do not belong here. We are dead. The new man lives.
Along with these changes and many others an interesting phenomena occurs...we are able to face the truth about ourselves and better still we desire truth in our inner parts. The world claims that if we start to understand and acknowledge more and more our deep brokeness it will drive us into negativity and depression. But with the Spirit to sustain us, it is the opposite.
The following things will increase proportional to each other as we experience God. The more that we realize we are sinners to the core and understand the deep sins of motive and self focus, the more value grace and the Lord's sacrifice will mean to us, the more thankful we will become, the more we will want to draw near to God, the closer he will draw near to us, the more we will agree, the more we will desire to walk in the Spirit, the more we will sacrifice ourselves for others, the more we will know Christ experientially, the more joy we will have, the more we will want to draw closer and closer to God in Christ by the Spirit.
So instead of wondering what God will "cover", how about we all start examining the depths of our soul to better understand what He has covered. The rest will take care of itself from glory to glory as we are transformed into the image of Christ.
agapefromnc
2007-10-08 00:02:57 · answer #3 · answered by harry killwater 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I can speak for myself and the Christian brothers and sisters that I know personally, that some good changes were apparent immediately upon conversion, and most continue to grow in sanctification. I have less desire to do the things that I know are against my faith. It is not that I am so good, it is that I do not care to partake in most of the "revelry" that I thought was such great fun at one time. It is my experience that if you want to do something long enough, sooner or later, you will have that moment of weakness. Taking every thought captive to Him is my goal, but I have not arrived. It is grace plus nothing, lest anyone boast, but if Jesus did not change our life at all, then I would question the conversion. Cleaning up is not a condition, but it is the result, or fruit of a conversion. God bless you and yours.
2007-10-08 15:56:11 · answer #4 · answered by One Wing Eagle Woman 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I guess it comes down to personal accountability. Those who are true believers have very little concept of this. It seems that everything weighs on their responsibility towards their deity and whatever values they're held to within. I clean up my behavior because I genuinely care about other people and the future we all share.
2007-10-07 23:50:22 · answer #5 · answered by Cosmodot 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To the extent that we are responsible to one another and not God.
God's grace may be infinite but your next door neighbor's surely isn't.
2007-10-07 23:50:17 · answer #6 · answered by John 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just 'cause we're likely to be forgiven doesn't mean it's fine to do things we know are wrong. Of course we're responsible for being decent human beings to the best of our ability. I think it's like this: I've totally forgiven my kid for wetting her pants as a toddler, but it sure was exasperating when she did it and I'm glad she grew out of it.
2007-10-07 23:50:30 · answer #7 · answered by Ambivalence 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not asking if you are a believer or not, but if you can find a better set of rules to live by than the Ten Commandments, be sure and send me a copy. Would sure like to them
2007-10-07 23:58:01 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It depends on your denomination. Some say there is nothing you can do. It's all grace at work. On the other end of the spectrum are the Catholics, who say you must do penance for past sins - that everything has its price.
2007-10-07 23:49:30 · answer #9 · answered by Robin Runesinger 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I choose the answer to queastion D. all of the above
2007-10-07 23:50:34 · answer #10 · answered by Lucky 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋