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SEVEN MINUTE SEMINARY

Moving Beyond Spiritual Defeat and into God’s Gift of Holiness

Must Christians live in constant spiritual defeat, accepting the reality of repeated sin and fallenness? In today’s Seven Minute Seminary video, Dr. John Oswalt encourages us to believe and receive the biblical promise that the Holy Spirit enables Christians to live for and please God, day by day, without limit, and without rival.

Consider the promise of holiness witnessed to in the Old Testament:

“I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. (Jeremiah 32:39, NIV)

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 11:19, NIV)

See more Scripture on sanctification: Leviticus 11:44–45; Matthew 5:48; John 17:13–19; Acts 20:32; Romans 8:7-10 1 Thessalonians 5:24.

[READ] An article by Timothy Tennent introducing the concept of sanctification, both as God’s demand and as God’s gift for his people; [WATCH] A Seven Minute Seminary video by Ben Witherington refuting the idea that Romans 7 teaches that Christians have a divided heart and must repeatedly sin; [WATCH] A Seven Minute Seminary video by Matt O’Reilly calling into question the idea that sin is essential to the human experience; [READ] An article by Timothy Tennent making the case for entire sanctification, which is a heart made alive and redirected toward God; [READ] Some quotes on holiness and sanctification penned by saints from across the ages; [BUY] The Call to Holiness by Timothy Tennent from our store.

View our growing playlist of Seven Minute Seminary.

Download the audio for this Seven Minute Seminary & subscribe via iTunes.

Comments

2 Responses

  1. Very good Dr. Oswalt. I can relate to the marriage illustration because it is an easy way to understand perfect love. If you love your spouse, you might fight with them and dislike them during the fight, but it has no impact on your love for them. Thus you can repent of the fight and renew your commitment to them. In the same way, holiness is possible for fallen people when their sin doesn’t impede their perfect love for God. If they do sin, their perfect love will cause them to repent and renew their commitment to God.

  2. Hi I’d like to share with you Mr. Oswalt.

    You said that we should act according to YAHS ways and desires. Well in Genesis 1:29 his way is that we and his animals are to stay Herbivores. And he says that he does NOT change. But in fact it was mankind who changed and decided to lead themselves by their evil inclination.
    When the israelites were in the desert with Moshe. They said that the Manna wasn’t good enough for them. And they lusted for animal flesh. Then YAH warned them as he usually does. Then he put them to death for their lusts.
    Rabbis will teach that both the animals and man have a Nephesh the lower soul. But only man has a Neshamah the upper soul. How to comprehend and rationalize. But this is not true. Because when YAH spoke to his Ravens to bring bread to Eliyahu for breakfast. Those Ravens proved that they have a Neshamah because they comprehended and were able to hear the voice of YAH speaking to them and then they obeyed. Also when Elisha was mocked YAH spoke to his two female bears and they comprehended his voice and obeyed by mauling the 42 to death.
    Just as YAH spoke to Lions in the den not to harm Dani’el.
    Also when THE MASHIACH (HaMelech HaMashiach) arrives will not the curse that mankind placed upon YAHS animals be lifted and the Lion (Ari) will eat straw like the Ox. And so on. And there wil be no more hunting or destroying on all of Mt Zion and from sea to sea. And mankind will finally know what true joy and peace is all about. And their will be no more innocent blood spilled both human or animals.
    This is how we act according to the will and desires of the Eternal One YAH

    For when one puts the dead flesh of a once living creature into their body. They have made their body a grave yard for the dead.
    So eat the food from Gan Eden. The living food that grows from the “light” and you will live long in the land and you wil know true peace and joy. Otherwise you wil pay the penalty for disobediance.
    For the Eternal One YAH loves all of his creatures (man and animals)
    For when one ingests death they will truly never know what true Compassion and Empathy and Love is. For the kindness of the wicked is cruel!
    So be a good shepherd and care not only for humans but for HIS animals that he loves.

    Job 12:7 But ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky and they wil tell you, or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of YAH has done this? In YAHS hand is the life of every “creature” and the breath of all mankind.

    Shalom

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