From a forum post
{{___ Good question. }}
Not sure what question you are referring to.
{{___ Because we are not perfect we fall.}}
Adam did not fall from imperfection but from a deliberate disobedience of an explicit command or law that God had placed him under.
Christians today are not under law as was Adam in Eden and Israel under the law of Moses.
The born again are completely forgiven of all imperfections, past, present, and future.
Although the heart may say that one has failed, God is greater than our hearts. His Word and His Spirit testify that foregiveness is complete.
{{___ This is why I believe Jesus says to deny ourself daily.}}
I have always taken the daily to apply only to taking up one's cross. Leedy's diagram of the verse agrees. And this instruction took place before the crucifixion. It does not have precise application today.
In the process of conversion, we deny or disown ourselves. Jesus is accepted as Lord. He now "owns" us, particularly as to all we are and have in this world. Our new possessions are spiritual and eternal and are not to be disowned or denied.
{{___ From this I think Jesus means for us to stay in denial of ourself all the time.}}
The memories of the old man and his ways must be pushed aside explicitly at times and the focus placed once again on Jesus and the putting on of the new man, the putting on of the armor of light, the putting on of the Lord Jesus Christ.
{{___ Then we keep open the door for the Holy Spirit to indewll us.}}
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit does not cease. The door only has to be opened at conversion. The internal witness of the new personal spirit of the born again supported by the witness of the indwelling Holy Spirit that one is a child of God is always there when it is sought.
{{___ It may be Jesus knew we may rely on when we were born again for denial but Jesus wants us to stay in denial of ourself all the time.}}
There is no sense in repeating the denial of self when the Word and the inner spiritual witness tell us that denial followed by the gift of saving faith is evelastingly sufficient. A better way of stating what I think you are getting at is that we should always remember that we belong to Jesus now, as members of His Body in fact, and that we no longer belong to ourselves. Our commitment at conversion is accepted and superceded by God's eternal and irrevocable commitment to us as His sons.
