The Sin of Sinless Perfectionism (3/3)

Recently, our christian brother Jeff Durbin of Apologia Radio, was interviewed twice for project that he is doing called End Abortion Now - (Interview 1, 2).

During the interviews, the host of the show that he was on, was pushing false/heretical doctrine known commonly as Sinless Perfection.

In the last post, I looked at what would happen the the scriptures if their position was true.

This time, we'll tackle the elephant in the room. If the previous posts weren't bad enough, lets look at the most glaring and obvious issue.

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3. Sinless perfectionism, hold the perfection.

The last point that i think is necessary to be made is the sheer self-deception and gall one would have to have to consider themselves sinless.

Not only does it elevate oneself way too much, but it greatly lowers God and robs Him of His due glory.

Why? Because God alone is perfect.

The sinless perfectionist of any stripe, to actually claim sinlessness, has to say that they've reached perfection.

Why? Because that is the command of God.

Matthew 5:48 (ESV)  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

To be perfect and sinless, one would have to love their neighbor perfectly and love God perfectly, as those are the commands that every other command rests on.

Matthew 22:36-40 (ESV)  “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 

This is the great and first commandment. 

And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 

On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

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Jesse as well as Joyce state that they are becoming more like Christ.

That's not possible if you're sinless.

If there are areas in your life that needs to conform to Christ, that means there is sin in your life.

Why?  Because Christ was indeed sinless.

Meaning He loved God and man perfectly.

So if the sinless perfectionist truly believes what they are saying, then they have already reached the end goal of every christian.

They are the real life standard that a christian can look to and imitate.

This means that God's perfection, His standard of holiness, is absolute moral standard is displayed at all time in the lives, hearts, and minds of the sinless perfectionist.

Never mind that the Apostle Paul says this...

Philippians 3:12 (ESV)  Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

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The sinless perfectionist elevates themselves and at the same time brings God to their level.

After all, if one is truly sinless then they become a reflection of God.

Why? Because you must remember that to be sinless is to be perfect like God is perfect.

So although one wouldn't necessarily be able to say raise people from the dead because of their being perfect, all of their actions and motives would be perfect due to their being no sin present.

The level of their love for God and man could not be surpassed. Even Jesus would be on their level.

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We've now taken a look at sinless perfectionism and 3 aspects of how this doctrine is false and heretical.

It is not possible for a believer to ever reach a state of sinlessness in this life.

However, once the second coming of Christ takes place, and we receive our glorified bodies, then, and only then, will we be sinless and perfect.

As we will be like Christ from that moment and forever more.

Until then, the old man of sin will always be present, warring against our spiritual man.

And it's our responsibility to crucify our flesh daily, sowing to the spirit and not to the flesh. Walking in the good works that God has prepared for us.

Like Paul, let us continue to strive for the prize that is before us. Let us continue to set aside every weight of sin so that our race be not hindered and we can endure until the end.

Maranatha

The Sin of Sinless Perfectionism (2/3)

Recently, our christian brother Jeff Durbin of Apologia Radio, was interviewed twice for project that he is doing called End Abortion Now - (Interview 1, 2).

During the interviews, the host of the show that he was on, was pushing false/heretical doctrine known commonly as Sinless Perfection.

In the last post, I looked at some verses that are use for the position and against the position.

This time, we'll see what would happen to the scriptures if their position was true.

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2. Contradiction and Consequences

Those who hold to sinless perfectionism will usually dismiss the  context and continue to force their position.

This, of course, means that the scriptures are contradictory, and therefore cant be considered the word of God... at least those books that present the contradiction.

For example, if their position was true, we'd have to get rid of romans, and anything that is from Paul before that point in his life.

Why? Because Paul contradicts this position, which in turn contradicts 1 John 3.

Romans 7:17-25 (ESV)  So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 

Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 

For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

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Here, we see the Apostle Paul describe the life of a believer. But he does so by pointing to himself and what he struggles with and sees within his own life.

According to Jesse Lee Peterson's take on sinless perfectionism, Paul couldn't be an apostle because he still sins. Therefore is of the devil because one born of God can't sin.

It actually gets worse.

In the letter to the Galatians, we see the Apostle Peter sinning as well.

Galatians 2:11-14 (ESV)  But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 

For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 

And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 

But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

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So according to Jesse's doctrine, Peter wasn't an apostle either, nor was he saved for that matter.

This means we need to disregard anything Peter said to the church authoritatively. As he wasn't speaking the word of God.

If you notice, the new testament is starting to get smaller.

However, that's not even the worse part.

You see, for Jesse's doctrine to be true, God would have to be wrong.

You see, Peter was one of those who were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of pentecost.

He is one of those who spoke in tongues and was one of the people God used to draw to the Jews attention that God was also saving gentiles via the incident at Cornelius' house.

Barnabas, whom the Holy Spirit commanded the church to set aside for the work He called him to, was said to be a Holy Spirit filled believer in Acts.

Acts 11:22-24 (ESV)  The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 

When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

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The reason I'm pointing this out is because only believers are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:9 (ESV)  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

Christ Jesus even tells us that those who are not saved, meaning they're of the world, can't receive the Holy Spirit.

John 14:16-17 (ESV)  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

If Jesus is correct, then Jesse is wrong.

If Jesse is correct, then Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not God because they do the opposite of what Jesse says can happen.

So the Holy Spirit shouldn't have filled Peter and Barnabas as they weren't saved as evidenced by their sin later on.

Only those who are saved cant sin.

Also, Jesus shouldn't have said the world can't receive the Holy Spirit when they surely can.

The Sin of Sinless Perfectionism (1/3)

Sinless perfectionism is the belief that a believer cannot commit sin once they are saved.

If a professing believer was to sin, it is actually evidence that they are not actually saved.

The first time i came across this false doctrine was years ago when i was reading an article at carm about the heretic Joyce Meyer.

She holds to this belief. She even goes as far as to say that believing otherwise is a lie from hell.

This is the first time i'd heard something so ludicrous.

The second time i heard this false doctrine was when i reconnected with an acquaintance that i used to go to church with.

Both of us left that church and hadn't seen each other in years.

He started his own church and after a number of anti-calvinist tirades, i found out that he also held to this false doctrine.

That was not too long ago.

More recently, i came across this false doctrine a third time.

This time, it was in a radio program featuring brother Jeff Durbin from Apologia Radio.

Brother Jeff was on a radio program twice, being interviewed because of the work he is doing with the End Abortion Now project. (Interview 1, 2).

The host of the program is also a professing christian, a reverend apparently, and one who holds to the false doctrine of sinless perfectionism.

The hosts name is Jesse Lee Peterson.

Joyce as well as Jesse have the ears of an incredibly large amount of people.

Sinless perfectionism isn't simply a false doctrine, but is actually heresy (maybe a damning heresy, depending how far one goes with it).

The majority of the time, the discussion will revolve around one point in scripture.

1 John 3:6-10 (KJV)  Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

These verses are usually what the sinless perfectionist clings to.

They will point and say that someone who is saved will not and can not sin.

How can they be wrong when the scriptures clearly affirm what they are saying?

Well, thats what we're going to be looking at.

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1. Context, Context, Context

The first issue we should deal with is the context of these verses.

If you notice, I used the KJV.

Translations that are more up to date will have the word practice inserted.

1 John 3:9 (ESV)  No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

Sinless perfectionists usually don't accept this.

The reason practice, and keep on sinning, has been included is because the greek word used here emphasises a continuous, habitual, lifestyle.

This is why modern translations translate it differently than the older translations do.

For more details on the greek, I recommend reading about it on carm.

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The second issue relating to the context is that these verses appear 3 chapters into the letter.

In the first chapter, we are told the following:

1 John 1:8 (ESV)  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

And...

1 John 1:10 (ESV)  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

This letter is being written to believers from a believer.

The author includes himself as one who would be deceived and not have God's word in him if he doesn't confess that he has sin.

Even if one wants to say that that wasn't addressed to believers, the author still includes himself by saying "we".

But that makes no sense if he is now sinless.

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The second chapter shows the same thing.

1 John 2:1-2 (ESV)  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

If sinless perfectionism was true, his reason for writing would be a waste of time because they CAN NOT sin.

But not only does he say they can, if they do, Christ is their advocate. Christ is also their propitiation.

So not only does the author make it crystal clear that he is speaking to believers, but he also includes himself as having sin.

Y.A.C. Ep 5 - News