John Wesley one day walked to his mother and asked: “Mum, define sin for me”.
Her answer was this: “Whatever weakens your reasoning, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes away your relish for spiritual things, in short, if anything increases the authority of the flesh over the spirit, that to you becomes sin, however good it is in itself.”
– Susanna Wesley –
This is very true. Man can only be in one of two states: in light, under the dominion of Christ by complete submission and surrender to His eternal Lordship, redeemed by His precious blood.
Or in darkness, our default birth state through Adam's sin, under the dominion of the devil and delusion that we are our own god. Without Christ's Lordship we serve the devil, consciously or unconsciously.
- Christopher Williamson
There is no righteousness in the flesh alone. Man was essentially a spiritual being, living in a body, possessing a soul. Righteousness can only be attained through being born again into a New Creation, who became One with God. The gift of righteous new birth is soooo expensive that it can only be purchased by Jesus’ Blood.
- Hs Ng
Many a times, ‘Self-rghteousness’ says, “I can be good by my own good work, no need Jesus. I can figure out good & evil, & run my business all by myself.” It has a good outward appearance, looks like very nice, kind, charitable, even sacrificial etc, but all these are just a filthy rag in God’s eyes.
- Hs Ng
There is nothing good in the flesh, life in the spirit is our calling, it's a battle to give it all, Jesus knows our struggles , he himself experienced it all . New nature here I come!
- Ken Statema
Sadly, this is true; but it is more than an individual. denominations, churches, pastors, not just sheep get focused self. I can't tell you how many pastors/church-rulerships/denominations have stomped on God's plan for sheep (this sheep included) because of fear that they might lose control instead of thinking of the church as developing and sending out sheep.
- John Andrews
Precisely what the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents. OUR choice to set what WE believe good and evil is. Therefore making OUR choices the prime directive. As opposed to God's word being the prime directive in our life.
- Bill Hawkins
Oh wretched man that I am.
- Grant Kinkade
“Jesus remember me…”
(the thief on the cross)
He guards us as a Shepherd
guards his flock
His Holy Spirit brings us
into His Harmony, we get to be
His servants, united in Him
in His Love.
All gifts received from
the Father, to walk in
Life, not death.
- An Foxtrot
Yes, Oswald Chambers writes in his devotional, My Utmost For His Highest, that sin is, "my right to live my life my way".
"18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another."
- Apostle Paul, Galatians 5