I have virus protection on this computer. It checks to see if anything I download or open will consume the hard drive or make the computer act in an abnormal way. I, personally, wouldn't know how to recognize a virus. I have had them on other computers. I need this virus protection program which regularly updates virus recognition software to keep me from getting another virus.
People generally invite viruses onto their computers. They open emails are agree to a download or receive it from someone else's thumbdrive. Sometimes they even ignore the warnings or their own virus protection software. It isn't long before the virus makes them realize that what they have will radically affect the performance of their computers.
Sin is like this. It is either invited in or it comes attached with other things. For example, it may come because a man spends time talking of his marital problems with his secretary. It was attached to something that seemed benign.
Sometimes people invite sin. They simply ignore the things they know in order to do what they think will be best for the moment. Sin will always consume a person't spiritual life.
The virus protection software that we must update daily is found in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit speaks God's word to us so that we can walk in righteousness. The Spirit speaks through the words of the Bible and other spiritual people.
We will not recognize sin as sin on our own. We may think what we are doing is "not the best" but we will not call it sin apart from the Holy Spirit. Sin is falling short of God's glory.
Trying to recognize sin by reasoning is like trying to recognize a computer virus by the way it looks. You might actually be right once in a while but the danger of being wrong when virus protection is available doesn't make the "guess" worth it.
We have come into a world which wants to define sin by what appears as normal. Thus, we change the definition of sin and allow it to consume the spiritual lives of people. We fail to recognize gossip, hatred, gluttony and all other manners of sins. We act indignant when what we call the greater sins are made righteous. We cry out against homosexuality, abortion and euthanazia. We are quite cleaver in pointing out sins we don't have.
We fail to recognize sin because we are not walking with the Lord. We are not receiving regular updates to our spiritual software. We are inviting sin into our lives and/or receiving it as it is attached to other things.
The most important thing you can do is update your contact with the Holy Spirit today. Take out your Bible and ask Him to read it to you. Ask Him to reveal any unknown sin. See what happens.
We don't recognize sin on our own. Even King David, a man after God's own heart, had trouble with this.
John 16:7-14 (NIV)
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But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
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When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
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in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;
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in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;
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and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
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"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.
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But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
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He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
3 comments:
I really like how you tied a computer virus and sin together.
You have taken an example that people today can easily relate to.
Blessings,
Evert
Well, what you said here is the "old school" teaching from which I also come from and belong to; and may I add, it is the right school.
Nicely metaphored!
Yet, just to alert others of an increasingly prevalent line of teaching (false teaching) around the world now, I want to say that the anti-virus could be metaphored by such teaching (NOT my teaching) along this line:
Yes, indeed through Christ Jesus we have gotten the ultimate anti-virus or anti-sin software. And yes, the update comes from the Holy Spirit located in the heart of us. This is how it works: First, you give your life over to Jesus. In doing so, you confess your sins, and God downloads this anti-sin software into you, complete with the master sin-definition signature, called the HS (stands for the Holy Spirit). Once you finished with your one-time confession and asking of forgiveness (note: you only do this one time), you are set for life.
In what way are you set for life? All your sins, past, current (at the time of entry into salvation) and the future, yes, FUTURE SINS, are forgiven you, at that moment of entry into salvation; this piece of software is that powerful you know; don't you belittle it!
How does it accomplish that? All existing sins, past and current, on contact with the anti-sin, they are wiped off permanently. The FUTURE sins portion works like this - the master sin-definition has signatures of all past and current sins, and will have those yet to be committed by anyone, and that include you. You don't have to manually update the sin definitions, as they come into being, they are updated; in other word, updated, as they are incurred; it is all AUTOMATIC! The moment you commit a sin (which previously was propertied as "future", but now as "current", it (sin signature) automatically appears in the master definition file, and it is automatically updated into the anti-sin software, called J's anti-sin plan, Ultimate version. A sin does NOT stand a chance, the moment it happens, it is wiped off, your condition is as good as new, as like the day you have entered into salvation. Nothing, absolutely nothing escapes the eye of the J's anti-sin system.
The slogan of promoters of this anti-virus or anti-sin: You were dirty before, but now you are perfectly cleaned, and you stay perfect. Not a single sin, ever can dirty you.
Whenever you sin, just tell the devil off, saying, “I am clean; I am righteous, and I am perfect!” Remember now, don’t go to the Source, and try to manually download the anti-sin software or the sin definitions again; you already have the Ultimate Version, no more improvement; and the master sin-definition signatures, they are all there, in the file called HS (standing for the Holy Spirit).
All sin definitions “crystallize” by themselves, and get updated into the J’s anti-sin, you don’t even have to wait for it, it is all AUTOMATIC; in other words, it happens, when it happens. Cool right, everything stays perfectly clean, and you can go with your life – no adjustments needed! You don’t even know it; it is all happening in the background, and if you do feel something in your conscience or heart, some uneasiness, don’t sweat over it; just ignore it; what we are giving you is a highly sophisticated piece of software with built-in self-adjusting intelligence that would take care of those little uneasiness. Trust us, over time, you will NOT get them anymore; guaranteed!
Cont...
COnt. from above
No joke, the above is metaphorical, but the essence was and is being held up by preachers. Of course, I hope, over time, this (purported) Ultimate Version of a J’s anti-sin would crash out.
WARNING: Before anyone misunderstand that I am promoting such a theology of core tenet of the Christian faith, I hereby state my stand on this: “I do NOT believe in the purported truth that at the time of entry into salvation, we are forgiven of all our FUTURE sins. We are forgiven of all our past sins (there is, in reality, no such thing as a current sin, on the ground of either you have sinned or you have not sinned, and if you have sinned, it is past). Forgiveness is always for a past wrong/sin, NEVER for what has NOT happened. The efficacy of Jesus’ work on the Cross is good for the future, meaning it is as effective then, 2,000 years ago, and it is equally effective today, but it is NOT a matter of an actual act of forgiveness of God covers a sin that has NOT happened, despite God could look into the future at any moment and know, relative to that moment, if a sin will happen or NOT. What will happen in your future, at this very moment God looks into your future may NOT happen when the time comes, unless God specifically fixes it, which He does NOT do, as a matter of norm, for everybody. Our future changes over time, in other words, one month later when God looks into your future again, He may see different things, and the sin He saw you do, in His previous viewing a month ago, may NOT happen anymore. Banish from your mind that your future is all fixed, that is NOT Christianity, that is fatalism; that is “Whatever will be, will be”; that is assuming your life is a completed movie; that is assuming you will NOT grow in faith; that is pointing to pointlessness of life endeavors, including growing in the faith; that is WRONG.
Is auto-clean possible? All things are possible with God, but to me, if God prescribes a way, I use it, I don’t do it my own way. Jesus, in the Lord’s Prayer teaches us, believers, to ask for God’s forgiveness. And in Matt 6:15, it is stated there that Father God will forgive us only when we have forgiven those who have wronged us. So, it is NOT automatic. 1 John 1:9 also exhorts us to confess our sins (referring to believers), and God will be faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 is the prescribed way of God; all believers should just practise that; I have considered all the arguments against 1 John 1:9, and found that they are non-issue. Those who have issue with 1 John 1:9 could hop over to my blog-site (http://high-expressions.blogspot.com/) and get my email to email me; I would be glad to answer all reasonable seeking of understanding.
Anthony Chia, high.expressions
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