7. Affirmations

We affirm that through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, God has revealed the true nature of reality and the potential for human beings to live in consistent righteousness which is love. Christ, being fully God and fully man, demonstrates that human nature can be brought into perfect harmony with the divine nature without diminishing either, in this present age. This truth forms the foundation of our understanding of Christian living.

We are forgiven of our sin, counted righteous and reconciled to the Father through turning from our sin and trusting in Jesus' atoning death on the cross and subsequent resurrection. We who are reconciled to God receive the promised Holy Spirit who resides within our person by whom we partake in the Divine nature whereby we are freed from sin to walk in Divine love. (Romans 3-6)

We hold that believers, through their union with Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, can attain a state similar to Christ's pre-resurrection condition in this present life. We can live as Christ lived. This means that while sin remains a possibility, it is not an inevitability. Love, which is the essence of God's law, becomes the natural outflow of a life abiding in Christ originating from the Spirit through communing with God in prayer and meditating on Gods first love for us. "We love, because He first loved us" - 1 John 4:19. In effect it is God who loves through us if we willingly surrender our lives to Him daily. This is an affirmation of the potential for complete Christian maturity, where believers can consistently and perpetually walk in the Spirit, characterized by a life of love (goodwill) to God and mankind, resisting temptation to the contrary like Jesus.

Colossians 1:28 ESV
[28] Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

1 John 4:17 ESV
[17] By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.

1 John 2:5-6 ESV
[5] but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: [6] whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

We affirm that the Christian life should be characterized by consistent obedience, maintaining a clear conscience before God, enjoying unbroken fellowship with Him. While we acknowledge the reality of the fight against temptation which will persist as long as we live in this life, we assert that through Christ, believers have the power to overcome and live in consistent victory. We look to Christ as our example and source of power, confident that as we abide in Him, we can walk in the light as He is in the light, growing into the full measure of the stature of Christ.

1 John 3:19-24 ESV
[19] By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; [20] for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. [21] Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; [22] and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. [23] And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. [24] Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Those that stumble can find mercy in the risen Lord, but stumbling is not inevitable, nor essential to human nature once united to God through the Holy Spirit. Salvation is through addition of God to man, not subtraction of our human nature. For the only begotten son of God, the pre-incarnate Son - the Logos/Word who is God, took on our human nature, adding Man to God in His person, being made identical to us yet did not commit any sin. Its a redemption or renovation of humanity to its original purpose, to be image bearers of God. This is achieved in us by actually bearing God about in our being by His indwelling Spirit and cooperatively yielding to His direction. To desire what He desires and undergo theosis (becoming actual children of God, identical to Jesus in how we live) through perichoresis (mutual indwelling) with God. This is the purpose of all genuine Christians and Gods intent behind the creation of the human race.

Romans 8:28-29 ESV
[28] And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. [29] For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

We affirm that while growth in Christ is a lifelong journey, the attainment of consistent righteous living is not necessarily a gradual process over many years. Rather, it is primarily dependent on the believer's heart attitude and complete surrender to Christ. As John writes, 'My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin' (1 John 2:1), indicating the immediate possibility of living without sin. This aligns with John's later statement: 'But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked' (1 John 2:5-6). These verses underscore both the possibility and the expectation of walking as Jesus walked, God's love perfected in us. The speed of transformation into Christ-likeness is more a factor of wholehearted surrender to God, time spent in His presence in prayer and obedience to His Spirit, Christs teachings and faithful endurance of affliction rather than simply of time passed as a professed Christian. While provision for forgiveness exists if one does sin, as the latter part of 1 John 2:1 indicates, this should be the exception rather than the expected norm for those professing Christ.

1 John 2:1 ESV
[1] 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.

Note John doesn't say "when" you sin as if sin is inevitable but "if" you sin. For the only way to sin is to cease abiding in Christ and love. For as 1 John 3:6 asserts:

1 John 3:6 ESV
[6] No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

John goes on to warn his readers of the gnostic deception that is so prevalent today, that those who practice good are actually evil and not like Jesus (eg. those who call righteous acts Christians do, filthy rags before God) and those doing evil yet professing to be following Christ are actually righteous and Gods children by a mere profession of faith with their mouths. John cuts this Gnosticism down with very plain language very few can take honestly at face value, yet he meant what he wrote:

1 John 3:7-10 ESV
[7] Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. [8] Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. [9] 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. [10] By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

With John, we affirm those who consistently practice evil and sin are not children of God even if they profess to be, but rather are children of Satan. Also those that love (which is righteousness) by Gods Spirit are righteous like Jesus is righteous and are children of God. To those who profess faith yet sin, we love them and pray for them offering patience and mercy but expect reformation and a forsaking (ceasing) of their sin. The goal always being that we may help others grow into the full stature of Christian maturity which is persistent love, abiding in Christ, walking as Christ walked.

1 John 4:11-13 ESV
[11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12] No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. [13] By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

All that said, those who persistently refuse to forsake their sin yet profess to be Christians should be formally excommunicated and not associated with as Paul instructed. That is, those who justify or make excuses for their sin. Lest our patience be seen as an endorsement of their sinful lives and the Lord require it of us. This is the standard if one professes to follow Jesus.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 ESV
[9] I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— [10] not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. [11] But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. [12] For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? [13] God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

While these affirmations may jar modern sensibilities, this position is not novel or new. It is a return to the earliest understanding of the Christian faith and practice which has been buried under centuries of man made tradition and poor interpretation. These traditions and interpretations deny the power of God to make men actually loving and righteous in this life. Similar man-made traditions existed in Christs day which he rebuked, and Paul warned these traditions would return again in church history:

Mark 7:6-9 ESV
[6] And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; [7] in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ [8] You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” [9] And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!

2 Timothy 3:1-9 ESV
[1] But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. [2] For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, [4] treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, [5] having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. [6] For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, [7] always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. [8] Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. [9] But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.

Please go to the Appendix C and read the selected excerpts from "A Demonstration of the Apostolic Teaching" by Irenaeus, disciple of Polycarp and martyr who was a direct disciple of the apostle John (appointed as a bishop by him) which proves my position. The excerpts are comprehensively quoted so you can see his broad affirmations are identical to those that I bring here.