The False Doctrine of "SINLESS PERFECTION"
byBOB L. ROSS
The devil has deceived people in many ways and with many false doctrines, and the heresy of sinlessness in the flesh is one of them. Not many communities have escaped this heresy, and I am sure that wherever you may live, some false teacher has come along to propagate this doctrine. In fact, from the pulpit, over the radio, and on television, people are subjected to this heresy all over the world.
In view of the widespread area this false doctrine has permeated, we deem it wise to refute this heresy with the Word of God, in order to establish God's people in the truth.
When One Is Saved
First of all, let us notice what happens when a sinner is saved. In Ephesians 2:1, we read, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."
This verse teaches us that a person becomes alive spiritually when he is saved. Note, too, that before being saved, the person was "dead" spiritually. Not dead physically; the flesh wasn't dead; but "dead" spiritually. Now when the sinner is saved, he becomes "alive" spiritually. This has nothing to do with the old flesh, but with inner spiritual life in Christ. The flesh has been alive all along. Now the soul is quickened to life, or united to Christ's life.
Notice another verse in John 6:63 — "It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing." Here we are taught that God's Spirit is the Agent who "quickens" a sinner to spiritual life, and that the flesh is profitless. The flesh is absolutely unprofitable in every respect. It is carnal, not spiritual.
The Two Natures
So when a person is saved, he is "quickened" to life — spiritual life in Christ — by the Spirit of God, and the flesh is not concerned therewith in the least degree. Thus, the Christian now has two natures that are alive — he has the fleshly nature and the spiritual nature. His spiritual nature was once "dead" (without Christ), but is now alive, so there are now two natures. The fleshly nature is the nature that he received from Adam at physical birth, and his spiritual nature is the nature he received from Christ when born again.
Paul tells us of these two natures in Galatians 5:17: "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Here we are told that the two natures of a Christian — his fleshly nature and his spiritual nature — are at war with each other.
Paul teaches the same truth in Romans 7:22-23, 25b: "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." We see here that both the spiritual nature and the fleshly nature are in every born-again child of God.
We Do NOT Teach "A Sinning Religion"
I want to say in this connection that Baptists do not teach that a Christian has the privilege of "sinning a little every day," as you may have heard some preacher say over the radio or TV. That doctrine is of the devil, and the idea that Baptists teach such — regardless of who said it — is of the devil. [Read a related sermon by C. H. Spurgeon entitled "The Doctrines of Grace Do Not Lead to Sin" #1735, Romans 6:14-15]
What Baptists teach is exactly what Paul taught — that the flesh is good for nothing (spiritually) and that the Spirit and the old flesh are at war in the Christian. Baptists do not teach that a person can live a "sinless" life in the flesh, for as long as we are in the flesh, we shall have this warfare going on between the Spirit and flesh.
I heard a "sinless perfection" preacher once say that one could live sinless, but he would make "a few errors and mistakes along the way." Now, where did this preacher ever get the idea that errors and mistakes are not breaches of the Law?
God's Law demands absolute perfection, and one error or mistake brings condemnation. Listen to James 2:10 — "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
Sin is sin, despite the fact that some want to excuse it as an error or a mistake.
How Made Perfect
Secondly, look into the Scriptures and read how we are "made perfect." The Law demands perfection, if we are to enter Heaven. Now, how are we to be perfect? Well, we are made absolutely perfect before the Law of God by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Jesus lived in the flesh, under Law, and He kept the Law perfectly. Then He died to satisfy the Law's demands against sin. Thus, He established the Law. He fulfilled both the perceptive and penal sanctions of the Law.
This is the righteousness Christ wrought out for us. It is absolutely perfect. When God saves us, He clothes us with this righteousness, and we stand perfect before the Law. We don't have another deed to do to fulfill the Law's demands, for Christ did it all. Listen to the Scripture:
"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" — Romans 10:4
"For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified" — Hebrews 10:14
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" — II Corinthians 5:21
Now, that's how we are made perfect.
Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord,
and Jesus Christ's righteousness is given to us and thereby we are made holy.
Brother, sister, you can have all the so-called "sinless perfection" you can muster up, but I would not swap the perfect righteousness that is mine in Christ for all the fleshly righteousness of all the so-called "sinless" people in the world. The whole crowd of self-righteous, hypocritical, white-washed Pharisees will split HELL wide open without the perfect, holy, imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:19-20).
Thirdly, I want to show you that the born-again person cannot sin in the new nature — (not the old, but the new) — the nature given to him when he was quickened by the Spirit. Listen to I John 3:9 — "Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
Notice that phrase, "he cannot sin, because he is born of God." But according to the notion of the "sinless perfection" crowd, a Christian can sin! I heard one say over the radio just a few days ago that "if you sin after you're saved, you're lost again." But this verse says that a saint cannot sin!
But, what will the "sinless perfection" crowd do with that verse? Will they accept it? If so, they will have to come on over and believe in Eternal Security, for if a person cannot sin, then he is secure eternally. But if they teach that one born of God can sin, then they deny God's Word. Now, which horn will Mr. Sinless Perfection take? He is stabbed to death on either one.
Now, what does this verse teach? It is telling us that the man born of God does not and cannot sin, because the seed of God — the new nature begotten by the Spirit — remains in him. Now, the flesh isn't born of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh. But the "new man" — the spiritual man — is born of God. It is this inward man — the new nature — that does not, and cannot sin.
When God saved us, He did not change our old Adamic fleshly nature one particle; He simply gave us a new nature. Now, we have two: one of them wants to sin, the other fights against sin, and causes us to serve the Lord. All sin is of the old fleshly nature, and all good is of the spiritual nature. This new nature (new man) cannot sin and cannot even approve of a sinful thought.
Another verse that teaches us this same truth is I John 5:18 — "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."
You see, here we have security again. The new man keeps himself, and the devil cannot touch him. The only nature the devil can touch is the old flesh. The old flesh is nothing but a mass of sin.
We won't have this old body of sin in Heaven, for the Lord will give us a new body. No sinful thing can enter Heaven, so God doesn't take the old sinful body to Heaven! Beloved, the very fact that Christians die, physically, proves that they are not sinless in the body. Do you realize that the only thing that causes either physical or eternal death is sin? Thus, IF we were sinlessly prefect in the flesh, we would never die, for there would be no sin to cause us to die. In view of the fact that we all die, it is quite evident that no one is perfect in the old flesh.
"Sinless Perfectionists" Are Void of the Truth
Lastly, I want to call your attention to God's indictment against those who loudly boast that they are sinless. Let us read in I John 1:8 — "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
Now, the next time you hear a so-called "sinless preacher" or "falling from grace" person tell you how holy he is, you just recall this verse, and remember that it states that such a person does not have the truth in him, and is deceived by himself. Yes, they deceive themselves, the verse says. Do you know what that means? It simply means that a person has hypocritically lied and said that he is sinless, and he has said it so long, he has deceived himself. You know, you can tell a lie for the truth so long that you yourself will believe it. That's the case with so-called "sinless perfectionists." They have deceived themselves.
But notice I John 1:10 —
"If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
You know, if a person were to say, "God you are a liar!" we would think that it is a horrible blasphemy. Well, when the so-called sinless, holy people of this world say they have no sin in the flesh, they make God a liar! Let's read the verse again: "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (I John 1:10). All liars shall have their part in the lake of fire, and the man who lies by saying his flesh is sinless is on the road to Hell, in front of the whole line of liars, for he has lied on God. God's Word says that the flesh is full of sin, carnal, sold under sin, but the sinless perfectionist calls God a liar, and says, "Well, here's one exception."
These so-called "sinless perfectionists" know that we don't tell people to "sin a little every day;" they know what we teach. We teach that good works are the fruits of being born of the Spirit; but those works are not motivated by the flesh, but by the Spirit. The flesh profits nothing. The Spirit, thank God, fights against our old flesh, and causes us to win the victory day-by-day.
The trouble with those who boast and talk about "sinless perfection" is that they are blind spiritually, and may need to be born again and clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. May God grant that it may be so.
The VERDICT on "Sinless Perfectionism"... In closing,
let me say that the False Doctrine of "sinless perfection"
will do one of two things to the person who believes it! It will either make a man:
(1) a self-righteous hypocrite,
or (2) it will make him an infidel.
Now, here is why this conclusion is true...
Only a hypocrite would profess to be perfect in the flesh. The most godly Christians who have ever lived were not those who boasted about being "perfect in the flesh," but rather were those who moaned over the sinfulnessof their flesh. Nowhere in the Bible do the writers ever claim perfection in the flesh. Why, even in the spiritual realm, the Apostle Paul had this to say, even after he had been saved for a great number of years —
"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 3:12-14
Thus, the man who claims any perfection except that perfection which we have in Christ and the new nature, is a hypocrite. He is not sinless in the flesh and simply lies if he says that he is. He is exactly like the Pharisees of old who thought that they, too, were sinless in the flesh.
Now, this doctrine will make an infidel out of a man because anyone with common sense realizes that he cannot be perfect in the flesh. Thus, when one hears the doctrine of "sinless perfection," and hears all the boasting of the bossy women and hen-pecked men who claim to be sinless, then that man will say, "Well, if that's Christianity, then I don't believe a word of it."
Well, you don't have to be a hypocrite or an infidel; if you will just take your Bible and study it, you will find that what I have preached to you is the Word of God... and that sinless perfection is of the devil.
Paul said in Romans Romans 7:7-25
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. [8] But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. [9] For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. [10] And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. [11] For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. [12] Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. [13] Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. [14] For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. [15] For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. [16] If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. [17] Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. [18] For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. [19] For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. [20] Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. [21] I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. [22] For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: [23] But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. [24] O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? [25] I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
James said in James 3:2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
__________________
Rich
"It takes a Carter to get a Reagan."
Last edited by Mr. Conservatism; 03-02-2010 at 07:34 PM.
What are the doctrines (pural) of Grace? Well you are correct here, Grace doesn't allow for enjoying a little sin everyday. Grace is power over sin, given as The Gift of God. By the transgression of one, many were made sinners, but by the sacrifice of one MANY are made righteous. Notice, they will not be made righteous at some distant, future time, They are NOW made righteous. Finally my brethern, BE PERFECT. Stand fast in the liberty where with Christ HATH made you FREE, and be not entangled AGAIN with the YOKE OF BONDAGE.
Paul said in Romans 7:25
Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
James said in James 3:2
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
Glad to see you actually posted a llittle of your own heart after the pages of cut and paste that was one of the worst defense of whitewash religion displays Ive seen. Your scripture you posted you dont even understand! The James scripture actually says its possible to be a perfect man! LOL!
__________________
Elm River Hunt Club
Wayne County Illinois
www.illinoisdeerhunters.com
What are the doctrines (pural) of Grace? Well you are correct here, Grace doesn't allow for enjoying a little sin everyday. Grace is power over sin, given as The Gift of God. By the transgression of one, many were made sinners, but by the sacrifice of one MANY are made righteous. Notice, they will not be made righteous at some distant, future time, They are NOW made righteous. Finally my brethern, BE PERFECT. Stand fast in the liberty where with Christ HATH made you FREE, and be not entangled AGAIN with the YOKE OF BONDAGE.
Romans 7:22-25
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: [23] But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. [24] O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? [25] I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Yes Snooky, we are now made righteous by the IMPUTED righteousness of Christ. But our flesh is still captive to the old nature and to the law of sin (as Paul says above). We will be sinners until we close our eyes in death. In Christ, we are redeemed sinners. Thank God for His grace and mercy! There is nothing good in our flesh. Now, with that said....the verses in some of the other threads that are misapplied over this issue are there to encourage us to suppress our old nature as much as we can. We will never attain perfection (sinlessness) while in the flesh. When we meet the Lord, we will be made perfect and will be given a new body that is perfect. As has been already pointed out...if we did not sin, we would never experience physical death. It is/was sin that brought about physical death.
__________________
Rich
"It takes a Carter to get a Reagan."
Last edited by Mr. Conservatism; 03-02-2010 at 07:50 PM.
Glad to see you actually posted a llittle of your own heart after the pages of cut and paste that was one of the worst defense of whitewash religion displays Ive seen. Your scripture you posted you dont even understand! The James scripture actually says its possible to be a perfect man! LOL!
"Your scripture you posted you dont even understand!"
Really? There is no understanding needed..it is very plain. Does it anger you that someone is pointing out your errors? Careful now...don't sin!
"The James scripture actually says its possible to be a perfect man! LOL!"
LOL indeed!!....It says...In many things we offend all.
You must have missed that part in your zeal to defend heresy. Christians are all perfect inwardly because they have the imputed righteousness of Christ. In this life, no one will acheive sinlessness. That is a concept embraced by hypocrites and pharisees.
"Your scripture you posted you dont even understand!"
Really? There is no understanding needed..it is very plain. Does it anger you that someone is pointing out your errors? Careful now...don't sin!
"The James scripture actually says its possible to be a perfect man! LOL!"
LOL indeed!!....It says...In many things we offend all.
You must have missed that part in your zeal to defend heresy. Christians are all perfect inwardly because they have the imputed righteousness of Christ. In this life, no one will acheive sinlessness. That is a concept embraced by hypocrites and pharisees.
Actually it is plain to your carnal mind and what I say is foolishness to you but that is to be expected. But the truth is hidden from you. 1Cr 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.
Yes, I have sinned in my life what a wretched man I am. Who shall save me. Here are the words you are blind to. Thanks be through Jesus Christ our Lord. He will save me by grace! He will help me in my time on need and empower me to overcome. Yes Paul said he had struggles in the flesh but he would be saved by the power of God through Jesus Christ.
We all have sinned and if we say we havent we lie. That is true! Show me where it says if you say you have turned from your sins you are a liar.
Here are your false prophets!
'Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Mt.7.21-23)
Your cut and paste man is a false prophet. He is dressed in sheeps clothing saying he is a man of God. Even doing his work in the name of Jesus. But he produces bad fruit. He teaches people to live in sin and does the same. Their is no love in him. He is disobedlent to the Word of God which is truth. He is a worker of iniquity. He works for satan keeping people in sin.
Bad Fruit 1Jo 3:8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
Good Fruit 1Jo 3:9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 1Jo 3:10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.You will know them by their fruit. This verse say how we will know who the children of God are!
__________________
Elm River Hunt Club
Wayne County Illinois
www.illinoisdeerhunters.com
Yes Snooky, we are now made righteous by the IMPUTED righteousness of Christ.
There is the KEY!! Made righteous, by the righteousness OF CHRIST!! Not of works. But we have the mind of Christ, who knew no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth! We are PARTAKERS of his devine nature!! Christ IN YOU the HOPE OF GLORY!! Made in the image and likeness of God. A NEW creation in Christ Jesus.
Can you deny that what I am saying is not qouted from the scriptures?? Are these statements just something that I have imagined?? Look them up and read it for yourselves. Tell us what the bible really says about thes and many other such passages that have been presented here. Do you believe as the scripture HATH said?? Is 8:20 has something also to say, but I will let you look that up also.I want you to read it for yourselves. If one doesn't believe Gods word, I know he will not believe me.
qoute;
"The James scripture actually says its possible to be a perfect man! LOL!"
Not only says that is is possible, but we are told to finally be perfect. Paul tells us that the scripture was given to bring the believers, (one who believe the scriptures) to the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ, UNTO A PERFECT MAN. Here is another key, Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, LET US GO ON UNTO PERFECTION.
qoute;
and the heresy of sinlessness in the flesh is one of them.
This isn't what I have said, or any other has maintained. This is something you have brought forth from your own mis-understand concerning of the doctrine. I quoted your statement concerning what I was saying, and your agreement with it. Now you change what I really said and twisted it into something that you could attack successfuly. Lets be truthful and stay with statements made, and not bring in false statements to support our opposition of the scriptures.
If you fellows believe in Gods Grace as the scriptures hath said, you MUST admit that the Grace of God that bringeth salvation has not only appeared unto all men, but that it TEACHES us how to live in this present world. It teaches every man how to posess his vessel unto sanctification and honor. Is the sanctification and honor in sinful living?? I think not.
Another view
