Thanks Pil, I get so lost in the mechanics.

When Jesus told Peter that Satan had demanded permission to sift you like wheat, the Lord's comfort was not that the tree would produce the fruit, but the root, "but I have prayed for you that you faith many not fail; and you when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. You see, it is as Paul described: Jesus is our salvation, both our justification and sanctification. Fruit is not an indicator of the tree, but its root. "You can do nothing of your own." So, that "you are already clean," is not just our justification, it is also our sanctification. The word believe as you have said correctly is a now, and not yet, but it is also since the beginning of the world, works that have been predestined by the Father that we will walk in them now, and it is an already accomplished thing from eternity past to future. This is the perserverance of the saints, their sanctification. It is not an if, but a that you will, no matter the circumstance which is what is demonstrated in Peter.

The fruit of the tree is not determined by the tree. Unfruitful branches are taken away by the Father, he is the puner, not we by our own will or power. Fruit will not appear by the will of the tree. It is conditioned by the root, the supply of water, nutrients of the soil, the rain, sun, seasons and stresses in the environment. The tree is just the vessel that the nature that is in it is bringing its will into being in concert with He who rules all things after the council of his own will. He works all these things which is why perserverance is the only possibility for the believer. The believer will perservere because Christ did it for him, he will be sanctified, because Christ sanctified himself on his behalf. This is our freedom.

Paul makes two claims. First that we do not have the freedom to chose sin. The second that we do not have the freedom to will the good even if we wish. There is a direct correlation between what a man thinks and what he is, the problem is that we have two natures, one that thinks like the devil and one that thinks like the Son of God. You may not agree with that, and all that I can say is that it is the love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts, that is the love of the Son. Now, if I am not mistaken the Son never contemplates evil such that he can choose to do one or the other. In our new nature it is impossible that we who have been crafted, though not yet perfected, in his image should sin, 1 John. It is not I, Paul said, but sin that does the evil, and though our conscience is clear we are not without sin.

Perhaps this can best be seen in Peter's responses to Jesus. Out of one heart, the new heart, he proclaims the Fathers revelation. Out of the other, the heart of Satan, he proclaims rebellion. James says it should not be this way. But, it is. He goes on to say that if a man can control his tongue he is a perfect man. He obviously was talking about Christ, not us. Another look at the OT reveals that David, whom you quote, had continual evil in his heart and it was abundantly evident in his life. What he cried out for was a new one. For only out of a new heart (the root of the tree) proceeds the fruit of everlasting life. I know it is a mystery but when you look into the mirror, you do not see Christ, you see the flesh. We are not to go away thinking that we are not a bad tree. The fact is we, in ourselves can produce nothing but evil. Paul said, I am convinced that nothing that lives in my flesh is good. Out of the heart of the flesh, which the Scripture describes as stone, proceeds no good. It is only the heart of Christ, described in Scripture as the heart of flesh, that produces good fruit. It is he we see when we look into the perfect law of liberty, not ourselves. Confusing? As I often tell my family, the word of God is so complicated that a child can understand it.

There is no doubt that we are commanded to put off the old man, and that we are renewed day by day and are being conformed to the image of Christ. I would have you look at Christ in the incarnation, though. Was he always what he would become? While it is true that he grew as a man being fully man, he was still the Son of God from all eternity. Likewise we are becoming what we have always been in the forordination of God, and will always be in His presence if indeed we have been born from above. Abraham offered his only son whom he loved. Scripture teaches us also, that his favorite son was Ishmael. It is what God declares us to be not what we are in and of ourselves, that we truly are. We are in him because he says we are and we remain in him because he says we will and we bear fruit as he has declared we will, each according to its kind, sanctified by his word. As it is written, each man has his gift, and every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights. Also, we have been made full heirs with Christ, sanctified, justified and seated with him in the heavenlies.

Matthew 12.33 is not about the believer. I am suprised though that you did not quote 7.24. It would certainly appear there, that it is up to us to do the work. But again, other Scriptures tell us that it is he who builds the house. What I like about Matthew 7 is that it is a rebuke about judging by outward fruits, as in good/bad deeds or righteous/unrighteos behavior. If we judge rightly we see. We see that we have sinned and having sinned we are guilty of the whold law. If you measure it in a scale, Christian bad fruit will far out weigh the good. Matthew 7, far from being a review of behaviors firstly, is a warning about those who circumcise the flesh. The subject is false teaching, the fruit of the lips, doctrine, not the production of deeds.

The fig tree in Luke is not a bad tree, it is an non-producing tree. The trees in Matthew are producing both kinds. What kind of tree the fig was is not known. Whether it would have produced good figs or bad figs, No one knows. I do not think that is the idea of the parable, anyway, but that the owner of the orchard has the right to do what he wills with what belongs to him. It is linked together with repentence, but repentence is a gift from God, it is done by Him in us so that we will repent.

Galatians 5.22-24, ah yes, but what about 17. What Paul is doing here is not setting up a dicotomy of action that you may or may not want to do. Verse 17 makes it clear, (See Romans' companion text on this verse), that it is not our choice. The lists are the obvious. In verse 24 we have the definitive answer, compare it to what Paul says in Romans 7, (I serve God in my mind). Then 25, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit," (literally follow the Spirit). This hearkens back to the beginning of the epistle, where it is not just our justification only, but our sanctification that Paul is addressing. He does not divide them in two. They are one salvation. Then finally 26, "Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another." If it were a matter of outward signs, works, then we would have something to boast about. And, when we take the pietist road we will eventually find ourselves dividing along the lines of the Circumcision.

Thanks again so much for you guidance. I'll try to follow the instructions that you gave for using the Helps, but man am I slow of mind. If I blow up the world, just know that I did not mean to.