I’m new to the T-Nation community. I’m 57 years of age and I’ve been married to the same wonderful woman (she has to be to put up with me)for 36 years.This union has produced three beautiful daughters and eight grandchildren.
I’m a retired Postal Letter Carrier (33 years),Vietnam veteran(11th Armored Cavalry Regiment-1969),Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran (124th Cavalry Regiment,36th Infantry Division,Texas Army National Guard-2004),and retired from the National Guard this past February.
I came to this site to fine tune my strength training in preparation for old age.While in Iraq,I ran across an old edition of a Testosterone magazine in a care package sent to us and liked what I read.While investigating this site,I ran across a subject very dear to my heart,Jesus Christ.
I’ve replied to some of the religious posts and being new to the community,may I be so bold as to put up my first post.
I have gained wisdom,that it is,through hard knocks,trials and errors,hand me downs,and studies.
What I post,I do so with the help of the Holy Spirit in a meek and loving manner.
Ezekiel 3:17-21 “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel,therefore hear the word at my mouth,and give them warning from me.When I say unto the wicked,thou shalt surely die,and thou giveth him not warning,nor speaketh to warn the wicked from his wicked ways,to save his life,the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity,but his blood will I require at thine hand.Yet if thou warn the wicked,and he turn not from his wickedness,nor from his wicked ways,he shall die in his iniquity,but thou hath delivered thy soul.Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness,and commit iniquity,and I lay a stumbling block before him,he shall die,because thou hath not given him warning,he shall die in his sin,and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered,but his blood will I require at thine hand.Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man,that the righteous sin not,and he doth not sin,he shall surely live,because he is warned,also thou hath delivered thy soul.”
Ezekiel 18:21-24 “But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath commited,and keep all my statutes,and do that which is lawful and right,he shall surely live and not die.All his transgressions that he hath commited,they shall not be mentioned unto him,in his rightneousness that he hath done he shall live.Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?saith the Lord God,and not that he should return from his ways,and live?But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness,and committeth iniquity,and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth,shall he live?All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned,in his trespass that he hath trespassed,and in his sin that he hath sinned,in them shall he die.”
Scripture normally divides all humans into two classes.
1)The natural man/woman- The unregenerated or fleshly person who rejects the righteous ways of the Spirit and is not able to understand God and His ways,but instead relies on human reasoning or emotions.
(I Corinthians 2:14)“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God,for they are foolishness unto him,neither can he know them,because they are spiritually discerned.”
2)The spiritual man/woman-
The regenerated person who believes in Jesus Christ,endeavers to follow the leading of the indwelling Spirit,and resists sensual desires and the dominion of sin.(I Corinthians 2:15)“But he that is spiritual judgeth all things,yet he himself is judged of no man.”
Although regenerated believers receive the new life of the Spirit,they retain the sinful nature with it’s evil inclinations.(Glatians 5:17)“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,and the Spirit against the flesh,and these are contrary the one to the other…”
The sinful nature that remain in them cannot be made good,it must be put to death,and overcome through the power and grace of the Holy Spirit.They accomplish this by denying themselves daily,removing every hindrance or sin,and resisting all sinful inclinations.Believers themselves,by the power of the Spirit,must wage war against the sinful nature,crucify it,and put it to death daily.
By this process of self denial and yielding to the Holy Spirit’s sanctifing work,believers in Christ will experience liberation from the power of their sinful nature and live their lives as spiritual Christians.(Romans 6:11-13)"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin,but yield yourselves unto God,as those that are alive from the dead,and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."
Not all Christians put forth the required effort to overcome fully this sinful nature.Instead of consistently resisting the inclinations of their sinful nature,they yield to some of them.Although they are not living in persistent disobedience,they are in the process of compromising with the world,the flesh,and the devil in some areas of their lives,while still wanting to remain a part of the people of God.(I Corinthians 10:21)“Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord,and the cup of devils,ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table,and of the table of devils.”
This leads to the third group of people
3)The carnal Christian-
Although carnality and rebellion are not the rule in their lives,nor have they entered into the serious immorality and unrighteousness that would separate them from the kingdom of God,carnal Christians are behaving in such a way that they are no longer growing in grace and are acting as if they are new converts,who do not understand the full implications of salvation in Christ.
Their carnality is expressed in envying,and strife.(I Corinthians 3:1-3)“And I brethren,could not speak unto you as unto spiritual,but as unto carnal,even as unto babes in Christ.I have fed you with milk,and not with meat,for hitherto ye were not able to bear it,neither yet now are ye able.For ye are yet carnal,for wereas there is among you envying and strife,and divisions,are ye not carnal and walk as men?”(Hebrews 5:13-14)
"For everyone that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness,for he is a babe.But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age,even those who by reason of use have their sences exercised to discern both good and evil."They are indifferent to and tolerant of immorality .They do not take the Word of God or His apostle with utmost seriousness.(I Corinthians 5:1-2)“It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you,and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles,that one should have his father’s wife.And ye are puffed up,and have not rather mourned,that he hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.”
The perils of carnal Christians is that they are in danger of being led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ and being more and more conformed to the world,and if they continue to conform to the world,they will ultimately be excluded from the kingdom of God.(I Corinthians 6:9-10)“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?Be not deceived,neither fornicators,nor idolaters,nor adulterers,nor effeminate,nor abusers of themselves with mankind,nor thieves,nor revilers,nor extortioners,shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
Carnal Christians must realize that they are in danger of departing from the faith if they are unwilling to cleanse themselves from all that displeases God.They must take warnings from the tragic example of the children of Israel whom God destroyed because of sin.They must understand that it is impossible to partake of the things of the Lord and the things of Satan at the same time.They must separate themselves completely from the world and purify themselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit,perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord.(II Corinthians 7:1)“Having therefore these promises,dearly beloved,let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Unblievers have been challenged by believers and yet the unbelievers have seen our hypocrisy.This should not be so.We as believers should live our lives as to not bring reproach to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.When the unbeliever sees our actions or hear our words they should be able to see Christ in us.We should never have our good evil spoken of.
(Jude 20-25)“But ye, beloved,building up yourselves on your most holy faith,praying in the Holy Ghost,keep yourselves in the love of God,looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.And of some have compassion,making a difference,and others save with fear,pulling them out of the fire,hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling,and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,to the only wise God our Saviour,be glory and majesty,dominion and power,both now and ever.Amen.”
MARANATHA
