No Choice

Hmm, let's brainstorm through this. My standard pat answer has been, if you could keep the law perfectly, you could get into heaven without Christ. Of course, nobody ever did (except Jesus), and I believe the Bible says nobody can, so the matter is settled.

But let's do the "what if." You do know that some Holiness groups do believe that through the sanctification process, one can actually reach the point that he simply stops sinning. So let's say this happens as you describe it. You die to self and become alive in Christ, Christ living in us.

Well and good. But, what about all those sins you committed up to the point where you quit? Are they covered by the blood? Or are only the sins you committed up to the point where you were saved? And do you need the blood from the time you quit sinning?

I think even if you reach sinless perfection, you're still out of luck. You still need the blood of Christ to cover the sins up to that point. Just as we need the blood to cover the sins I've committed since God saved me, as well as before.

Doesn't James 2:10 say that if you keep the law except for one point, it's just as if you broke every law?

You know, HP, that's a pretty good question. What if we could, except the Bible says we can't.

 

Ga 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

HP: Are we too late to inform brother Paul of his own words?

 

Scripture never states this, in fact even if the whole law could have been kept, it would have been futile apart from faith. Even if one kept the whole law, they would still need faith.

 

Well, I certainly wouldn't dispute that, except that we're discussing a "what if" question. Just as the Bible says it's impossible to please God without faith, so does Paul say that the law exists as a schoolmaster to teach us what sin is and the impossibility of living up to the law perfectly.

That failure leaves us under the wrath of God and without hope. Except for what Jesus did.

In order to discuss "what if" we have to ignore all those scriptures we both cite. So in order to discuss what would happen if we could keep the law perfectly, we have to ignore scriptures which say we can't, and scriptures which tell us to believe for our salvation.

We're just having some fun here with idle speculation.

 

HP: Agreed. His love indeed has shown mercy!:thumbs: :godisgood: