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After the Spirit of Christ indwells us we should not again ask for forgiveness of sin for we are already forgiven all our sins if He truly is in us. If we sin it grieves the Spirit and because of our union with Him we will feel that grief, He is the Persuader that died for us and turns us from sin. Eph 4:26  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:  Eph 4:27  Neither give place to the devil.  Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Hi @revvel I would see the church as a revealed mystery (Ephesians), the church and Israel being distinct (1 Corinthians 10.32.

Hi, If it is literal only then is there any reason for discussion whatsoever? Instead  just produce the Bible in it's entirety, perhaps with the apocrypha.  Do not discuss  context, nor application. Do not discuss great tribulation, do not discuss rapture, in fact do not discuss Trinity. Especially do not discuss freewill, nor God's will, covenants and  dispensations. I do suggest that to have discussion, to ask questions, to test the word of the Bible  even, is not to have false teaching.  It is to have real learning and real growth  in relationship with our Lord and savior Jesus.

As I was reading through this thread, the verse above kept popping in my mind, as it to me really defines faith as to the biblical narrative.   We are dealing with something that is not evidently manifest as to a physical entity, so that everyone can concur with, and yet have utmost confidence in belief as to their spiritual state.   When I first came across this verse, it really stunned me as to its truths.  Is it not really what our entire foundation as believers is built upon as to our continuation of our lives as believers. A question though.  Are there other things that comes before faith brought into our mindset as defined by scripture, e.g Grace.     Just a thought for the conversation and not taking away from the OP question.    Hebrews 11 :1   King James Version Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Colossians 1:15 (KJV) 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: God exists beyond our ability to detect him with our five senses or our mechanical devices. Atheists claim that this is proof God does not exist. But there is evidence in life, circumstances, and for the existence of all things which prove God exists. Granting the Big Bang model, those who believe in only physics are hard pressed to answer "What caused the Big Bang?" By their own admission, the laws of physics (law of cause and effect specifically) demand that you cannot have an effect without a cause. This is the point where atheists expose their [faith] in atheism by refusing to face the facts that in a universe that cannot be eternal (according to the 2nd LAW of thermodynamics) and nothing in it can come into existence from nothing (according to the 1st LAW of thermodynamics) only something or someone that transcends physics who is eternal could supernaturally create all things from nothing at will. They refuse to believe the truth and put their faith in theories and when need be just bury their heads in the sand. So faith in God is not without evidence. It also has to do with an element of the human psyche. God placed in the hearts of man an awareness of God... a need for God... the Christ shaped hole in the soul as some refer to it. Many try to fill that void with sex, drugs, self interests, or the pursuit of other religious beliefs than what God revealed about himself to the world through the Judeo-Christian Bible. Man is prone to rebel against God and goodness because man fell into evil. That which plagues us until death. You want to gain the most from God's Word about God and his will for us, then seek his side of the story in scripture... let him tell you what he means using this formula as key to unlocking the scriptures: 2 Peter 1:20-21 (the Holy Spirit alone interprets the scriptures he wrote) 1 John 4:1 / 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (test the spirits to be certain the Holy Spirit is the one instructing you as we are gullible to deception by false spirits) Acts 17:11 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (the scriptures themselves are what you test all things by) Proverbs 25:2 / Deuteronomy 29:29 (then you will gain access to the intent of scriptures and any underlying super text / overall context most have missed) Isaiah 28:9-13 (the method of God's revelation and teaching) And you will not only have faith in a God that exists, but a true faith in the true God in the way that he requires for us to have a saving faith in namely Christ Jesus God's Son who is himself God incarnate according to the scriptures (which are truth John 17:17) and the Holy Spirit (who is the one who leads us to all truth John 16:13).