Hi, I guess I am mixed up to. When Jesus said, "If you continue in my word then you are my disciples, didn't that go along with, "I have sanctified them by your word, your word is truth," and "you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you." Sorry obout the paraphrases.

I was just wondering, is the abiding power given by grace or is it something. Chuck Smith, you know the heretic leader of Calvary Chapel, believes that you can lose you salvation if you stop abiding in the vine. To the contrary the Scripture teaches us that without Him we can do nothing. That is, is remain in His word it is by His doing. As Reformed believers, if we truly are, then it is not the outside of the cup but the inside that is underscrutiny, an it can only be cleansed by the washing of the water by the Word, not the word. It is sanctification by the Spirit. When we grasp the absoluteness of His foreordination in bringing into conformity our New Man with the image of Christ, we experience, yes even feel as David and all the saints of old the incredible freedom of the sons of God set free by the Son of God.

If I understood Pilgrim correctly, it is we who choose whether or not we remain in the vine. I think not. We who have been grafted in remain because it is he who works in us both to will and to do. Whether or not sin is present is not the measure of our salvation, but the word of Christ. Even as the Scriptures tell us that if we deny Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us, because He cannot deny Himself.

What we cannot do is judge by our feelings, but we will certainly be led by them. Let me explain. It is possible to not feel like obey the word of God, and it is possible to command those feelings, or to resist the Devil and he will flee. But, not all feelings a eminating from the fallen nature and it is a grave mistake to reduce our new life to one of vacuous emotive content. Take time to read the Psalms and you will understand more fully the life of a beliver if you read it with feeling.

It is impossible to be out of the Spirit if you are a believer, and if you are a believer you will always be doing the will of the One who sent you. The Galatian error is based around this. They were trying to complete the work of Christ in their flesh. In Galations we find this verse: "The flesh wars against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh so that you do not do as you will." You see my brothers, it is not we who will, but it is God who works in you to both will and to do of His Good Pleasure. Season of sin were abundantly talked about in the older Creeds, and are found in and throughout the Scripture. And, we have in Corinthians a dire warning, also, that if we persist in sin that He will destroy our flesh. Which is interesting, because that is what He is doing anyway. In Corinthians, however, it is clear that it means that the man who was committing incest was to be killed so that his soul would be saved in the day of judgement.

This is perhaps the greatest mystery: How is God working all things for the good of those who love God, who walk not after thier own will, but according to His purpose so that we work our our salvation with fear and templing knowing that their is now therefore no condemnation.

Surely, the mystery of iniquity works in the sons of disobedience to their distruction, but in the believer the mystery of Godliness works mightily in us admonishing us not to forget the comfort of the Lord that addresses us as sons, that when we are disobedient we will be chastened and scourged. And, if we are not then we are bastards. If we say we have not sin, then we are bastards, and the truth is not in us, but if we are His we will sin and perhaps for quite an extended time. What God will do with any of us is according to His foreordination in conforming us to the image of His dear Son. Some are healed, some are not, but in the end when He appears we will all be like Him, glorified.

Now, I do not want you to take this wrongly. We are neither anomian, nor antinomian. The perfect Law of God still binds us for we are His slaves, so we are not without law. And we do not seek evil, for we are not against the law. Yet, we are free from the condemnation of law, aht is why we are called sons of the Most High.

Luther was here, so was Calvin and Augustine, and Paul and Peter. Paul said that his conscience was clear, but he was not without guild and that if we would judge ourselves we would not be judged. His discussion of himself in Romans as a man grieved by the sin that beset him, his plea to be released and realizing that he could only serve God truly in his mind. His three fold plea for deliverance, only to be comforted by the Lords words: "My power is made perfect in your weakness." Peter had to be rebuked by Paul for again denying the Lord when he separated himself from the gentiles, and he was sent by James. Evidently James could not walk the talk, either. Of course, the Arminianist thinker believes that James is talking about doing good deeds, when in reality he is talking about proclaiming the gospel, for that is what Abraham did that was his justification. If you look the men that James was talking to had "good works."

There are two ways to approach the Christian life. One is from the perspective of the "older brother," who looks with distain upon the prodigal, or as with James' legalist who looked upon the poor brethren, then there is the Pharisee who thanks God he is not like us poor miserable sinners. Then there is the right way, to call upon God for mercy, taking the back seat, and offering ourselves as unworthy servants. There is yet a better way, to have compassion upon the elder brother, the rich, and the priest, for they also are blind and miserable and do not know what they are doing.

What we must never do is act with presumption. To call upon the name of the Lord is not and intellectual feat. It is being known as we are known. Faith is the substance (hupostasis) of things hoped for. It is the very thing of our Hope, Christ Himself is our Faith. To be known by Him is to know Him, and we have been known by Him from before the founding of creation.

Christ is our salvation, our justification and sanctification. To understand that, "Whom the Son sets free is free indeed(Truth). No one call tell you you are, and nothing that you can convince yourself of will establish it, it is not measured by your faithfulness to His commandments. It is simply in knowing that you have been set free.