Grace Bible Church
Pastor-Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Friday, May 12, 2017
Ecc 7:20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who {continually} does good and who never sins.
ROM 3:10-12; “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one. “
For some believers their lifestyle is “fallen short of the glory of God.” Sporadic = when it comes to fallen short of the glory of God. Occasional = they are very much under the control of the Spirit but still fail.
The Doctrine of Flaws, we all have.
Point 1. Definition. Distinction must be made between genetic and environmental handicaps and flaws.
Genetic flaws are the weaknesses with which we are born with because of the old sin nature in the cell structure of the body, Psa 51:5; 58:3.
Environmental flaws are those which we acquire because of where we live and the surroundings that we face.
In genetic handicaps and flaws, human volition is not necessarily involved. We are just born with a sin nature which has weaknesses and strengths.
In environmental handicaps or flaws, human volition is involved. We allow the environment to dictate to us and to control us and begin to make decisions based on that environment.
Genetic or inherent flaws often manifest themselves through impulsive actions whereby the person may be caught off guard and the suddenness of a pressure situation brings out a weakness that you may have never seen in that person before.
JOH 2:24-25, But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man for He Himself knew what was in man.
Never — ever— be shocked what you find in man. Even our Lord had to deal with this as we saw with His own family, Mat 10:34-39; 12:46-50.
a. Flaws inherent in a dormant state and acquired under some circumstance or pressure, called impulsive flaws.
The Jews were going along just fine when all of a sudden the Lord would bring a tremendous test and pressure into their lives and their inactive flaws would become very active.
When God gave the Law to the children of Israel, it was to remind them how helpless and hopeless they are without the mercy and grace of God.
a. Flaws inherent in a dormant state and revealed by some circumstance or pressure, called impulsive flaws.
b. Flaws which are inherent or acquired. For example, bitterness can be inherent, acquired by the volition in some circumstance, or both.
c. Flaws which are acquired as a direct result of volition responding to the temptation of the soul. These are called environmental or acquired flaws.
They include homosexuality, drug addiction, first degree murder, stealing, and some forms of lying, like pathological lying.
Lying can be inherent, environmental, or volitional.
Some people are born angry, and so their anger is impulsive.
Others acquire anger through resentment of their environment; hence theirs is a deliberate acquired anger.
Some people are born angry, and some acquire it through frustration and arrogance, so that first it is impulsive, then it is developed.
While genetics is the source of inherent flaws, temptation is the source of all acquired or environmental flaws.
1. Inherent flaws are there without your consent.– We all have certain weaknesses and they are in our lives without us doing a thing to earn them or even deserve them.
2. Environmental flaws are there with your consent. While human volition can restrain inherent flaws, volition is not the original source of these flaws (with the exception Adam’s volition); spiritual death is the source.
We don’t sin and then become sinners, we are born in sin, with an OSN and therefore we sin.
Point 2. Biblical distinctions between inherent and environmental flaws. Inherent flaws are taught in Rom 7:15‑25.
This is the confusion caused from inherent weaknesses, because they manifest themselves in impulsive behavior. Whereas acquired weaknesses come through deliberate behavior involving volition.
This is a sign of inherent weaknesses, possibly combined with environmental weaknesses.
Mat 6:1 Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your father who is in heaven
These good intentions are hindered by the overtime work of the OSN with its trends toward evil and good.
“If I keep on doing what I do not want to do then I realize that the law is good because it does reveal my helplessness.”
The old sin nature is the source of temptation, but also the source of inherent flaws from birth.
Since it takes volition to convert temptation into sin, this verse must refer to inherent sin and flaws.
He is saying that because he has received TLJC, that he is no longer the one alive but Christ is living in him.
1JO 3:9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
1PE 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.
Because the nature of God cannot sin, and Christ is in him, Paul has learned to separate the two natures.
How can understanding Rom 7:18 actually be a benefit and blessing to the believer?
Before any believer can appreciate the divine solutions to the indwelling problems of the OSN and the magnificent grace of God, The believer must be brought to the end of himself.
Not only has sin been forgiven but the effects of our sin as well.
Psa 32:5 You have forgiven the guilt of my sin;
Psa 65:3 Iniquities prevail against me; but as for our transgressions You do forgive them.
Psa 85:2 You did forgive the iniquity of Your people; You did cover “all” their sin.
Psa 103:10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Any pressure that frustrates you or causes you to react with bitterness, hatred, implacability, revenge, or self‑pity brings out your inherent flaws.
As you grow in the knowledge of doctrine, there can arise a tremendous conflict in the soul, not from the temptation of the old sin nature, but from the evil, inherent weakness which is there.
The old sin nature is not only the source of temptation, but it is the source of the genetic flaws with which we are born.
Jam 2:13 For judgment {will be} merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.
2Jo 1:3 Grace, mercy {and} peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. Amen.