11/20/18 DESIRE DETERMINES DESTINATION
Desire and willingness to sin leads to being sinful.
Desire and willingness to trust and obey Christ leads to being righteous.
WE CHOOSE
God gave Adam a free will. As long as Adam chose not to sin, he did not sin, he was not sinful. Though Adam was not created with a sinful nature, he did have the power of choice, and eventually HE CHOSE to sin.
God allows fallen man (all of Adam's children) the power of a free will, and God's grace enables us to believe, receive and follow God, whether we are saved or not. Though we were born with a sinful nature, God enables whoever receives Him (God) to become the child of God.
(Parenthetical Comments)
In the two following Bible passages I have added a few parenthetical comments, just to be helpful for those who are not familiar with these passages.
CONSIDER GOD'S REVELATION THROUGH PAUL
Romans 6:16-23
(this passage refers to the life choices of a Christian. dlg)
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye (believers. dlg) yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
(Yielding to sin leads to death, but yielding to obedience leads to righteousness. dlg).
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin (before you were saved), but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
(Our choice to sin led us to sin and our choice to be and do righteousness led us to holiness. dlg).
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
(Before Christ, we had no righteousness, we were unrighteous and could not do righteousness. dlg)
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
(Since we now have Christ, we are not held captive by sin, but we are empowered to do that which is right, which leads to holiness, which leads to everlasting life. dlg).
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
CONSIDER GOD'S REVELATION THROUGH JOHN
John 1:9-13
9 That was the true Light (Jesus. dlg), which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own (the Jews. dlg), and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him Jew or Gentile), to them gave he power (authority, right. dlg) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
(Salvation is the gift of God, not the invention of man. We cannot "will" ourself into righteousness, but can receive the will of God and be saved. dlg).
CONSIDER WHAT JESUS SAID
Matthew 5:6
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
