 Okay, welcome back. I see a couple of comments here in the chat. Lysha says, the presence of an unrepentant sinner in the church is dangerous to the saints. Very true. Thank you for sharing. Hope says, in Christian counseling course thought how to help people like him. I think it's a mental problem. Yes, hope. It could be a mental problem, but it's also a problem where a person see the Bible teaches us that, you know, God gives us the ability or the strength to overcome every temptation that comes our way, right? There's no temptation that we cannot overcome because of what Jesus did. So, yes, it could be a mental problem, but it could also be a place of not willing or not taking the stance of authority that God has given us and just letting life go by, you know, just so that we can enjoy the pleasures of the world. So, yeah, that's that combination. We will have to see that. Now, if it's a mental problem, what we can do is we know that if he or she is willing to go for counseling, then they can continue in the church because we know that they are trying to change and they're making an effort, but if they are unwilling, again, there's nothing much that we can do, right? So, let's continue. We're almost at the end of this chapter. So, we were at grace. Grace must be given with truth, right? So, this is very important, right? That is the truth. That is grace. And can we tolerate sin in the name of love, grace, and being open-minded? No. Can we say, okay, you know, it's okay to be gay. It's okay to be a lesbian. It's okay to watch pornography. It's all right because God loves you. God's grace is upon you and everything will be all right. Now, we can't tolerate sin just by, you know, just because of grace and love. The Apostle Paul clearly shows us that sin has to be addressed, has to be dealt with, and the local church must not turn a blind eye towards it, right? We must not. We must address it. We must make sure that things are all right and the person is either getting help or there's something that is done to protect the believers in the church, right? Finally, James 2.13, for judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy, but mercy triumphs over judgment. So, there's a question here. If a person is living in sexual sin, right, adultery, homosexuality, how would the local church work with such an individual, right? Now, one thing that we can do is say, for example, we know somebody who's living in sexual sin, a believer, but somewhere he or she is falling away. We love the individual, but the sin is a sin, right? Now, if the individual desires to be part of the local church, then he must abide with the Word of God, be willing to change, be willing to remove sin out of their lives, right? So, that could involve counseling, that could involve being part of small groups and going to, you know, learning from God's Word continually, asking, you know, God to change your life and eventually, as we keep, you know, praying and seeking God, God will help us to overcome that sin. And as leaders, we can see it in people's lives. You will be able to also see it in people's lives, right? But if they desire to be part of a local church and fellowship with the believers, but unwilling to submit to God's work, unwilling to change, unwilling to remove the sins from their life, we cannot have them in ongoing fellowship. It's stern. It sounds very, it sounds like the Apostle Paul is, you know, going overboard, but he's not, right? Two reasons, protect the church, to iron sharpens iron, it'll rub off on everyone. If you have one person who is jealous in the church and not willing to change or proud, the entire church next thing we know will be full of proud and jealous people, must be willing to submit to God's Word, right? Mercy triumphs over judgment, right? God's a merciful God, yet we have to understand the dynamics of this, right? When we look at the Old Testament, we see God was merciful, but he also called sin a sin, and there was judgment on the sin. The best example is Israel as a nation, right? This is, I think, the best example. Israel, they sinned, they went into bondage, they were an agent, oppression. God, in his mercy, brought them out of Egypt. What did they do? Continued in sin, continued in adultery, continued in sexual morality, continued in idol worship and all of this. What did God do? Okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's all right. But eventually, God had to deal with it, and he said, okay, now I'm going to bring destruction upon you, and then came all the prophets. Babylonians came, destroyed the Jews. Assyrians came, they were always under oppression. Now whose fault is that? The Israelites. Do you think if the Israelites were people who would say, go back to God and say, God, please forgive, we will turn from our ways, we will do the right things. God said, hey, I will bless you. But the more you turn away from me, the more you know, you are rebellious, the more I will, I'll have to turn my face against you. But even through that, in the book of Jeremiah, I love that, Jeremiah is a time when, you know, he's prophesying before, during and after the fall. So Jeremiah 29 is during the fall, meaning during the time when the Assyrians are coming and attacking the Israelites, the Jews. And he's saying, okay, Jews, you don't be worried. I have a plan for you. I have a plan to prosper you to give you a good hope or a good future. You know, we very easily say these verses. We can just declare it. It's nice. But what is the context? They are in judgment. Yet in that judgment we see God's mercy. There's a reason why God says that. He says, for that, later on after 29, he says, for this to come upon you, turn from your ways. Turn from your evil ways. Return to the Lord and you see what I can do for you. Right? So there is mercy, but there is also judgment. Right? And so I hope we are clear on this. There will be seasons. There will be times. There will be people in our lives as leaders. We will have to make stern decisions. Do it in the right way. Do it with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Right? Okay. So let's move on to Chapter 6. Now, Chapter 5, he's addressed sexual sin. Now, in this chapter, the Apostle Paul is bringing his attention to two matters. Right? One is disputes between believers in the local church. There's already division. Now, disputes, that means arguments and fights and believers living free from sexual sin. Right? So two matters he's talking about. First one is a problem. Second one is good. Right? He's talking about how some of the believers are already living free from sexual sin and how God can help us live free from every sin. Right? So let's look at that. Resolving disputes between believers. There's this whole thing about the judgment seat. Now, it's, yeah, first one, let's read that portion. There any of you having a matter against another go to the law before unrighteous and not before the saints. Do you not know that the saints will judge the world and if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life? Right? I say, sorry, if then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. It is so that there is not a wise man among you, not even one who will be able to judge between his brethren. But brother goes to law against brother and that too before unbelievers. Now, therefore it is already an utter failure for you to go to the law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourself be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat and you do these things to your brethren. Again, you know, you can see Paul here, he's so burdened by what's happening here, right? It's riddled with so many problems in the church. Divisions, sexual sin, now there's people among the believers itself, right? Now they're fighting, there's cheating, there's wrong doing. Now believers, what they're doing is they're taking matters to the civil court. Now in Greece, especially in Asia Minor in Greece, they had something called as the Bima, which is the judgment seat, right? And I think there's a picture here. Yeah, right. So if you see this picture, this is, it's all in the open, right? So this is a, it's like a court of law. And of course, this is not the, this is many, many centuries later. So you see here is a podium, right? And this podium here was where the main judge would stand or he would sit in this portion here, right? And then you've got this whole structure here. So people will be seated everywhere. And you see this here, they will have one person stand here on a raised podium here. And then there will be another one either this side or the, mostly it's this side, right? Towards this end of the picture. So, so what will happen is the main judge would be here and the court seating is one here, the other person somewhere this side. And the issue will be resolved out in the open. And it was a time where people would, it was a kind of an entertainment for people, right? Because legal matters are, you know, looked after here. So people would come, they will, okay, nothing to do. Okay, let's go and see here the court. Two people are fighting against each other. It's a good entertainment. And I think it happens also even now, right? Have you seen, you know, two neighbors fighting and then everyone come and watch, stand and watch. And they're happy to see them two fighting. It becomes entertainment, right? Now imagine this. Apostle Paul is saying, you have problems within the church. A believer is feeling wronged or cheated by another believer. Now, what I am upset about is you are going to the court, which is this place, right? You're going here to solve your problems. Front of all these unbelievers sitting here, all mocking you, ridiculing you and you all are fighting. And who are you? You're a Christian. What is the other person? Christian. What are you all fighting about? Something wrong that you have done. So Paul is very upset. That's why he says, verse 5, see, I say this to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you, not even one who will be able to judge between the brethren? Why do you want to take matters to the court as believers, but you can solve matter within the church? Is there not one wise person to solve the problem in the church? And then you go out and you go stand in front of these unbelievers. What kind of a testimony are you portraying there? Now, why is Paul emphasizing this? Because Paul himself, in Athens, he stood in front of the Aeropagus in Mars Hill and he preached. He has been in front of many, many courts, right? So he knows what happens. He has forstand experience. He knows what it is to stand there and everyone mocking, making fun, ridiculing. He has forstand experience. So he's got that picture in his mind and he's saying, imagine this, two believers standing in front of unbelievers, mocking, ridiculing and as a place of entertainment and these two believers are fighting for something. What kind of testimony are we proving to be in the city of Corinth? So he's upset. The apostle Paul, he's pointing out to the fact that we will judge the world and even angels when the time has come. So should we not then, with the wisdom and revelation God has given to us, be able to judge and resolve matters within ourselves? So Paul is saying, see, God is calling us to judge angels and judge people in the world and when the time will come, we will judge even angels and people. And what is this we're saying? Can we not ask the Holy Spirit and not leaders in the church who can resolve this matter? Is it necessary to take it to the court? Why is Paul so upset? Again, first of all, all the problems that were happening within the church. He was upset with that but he says, okay, since it's within the church, we can resolve it. Let's find out a way and now another problem. You're not taking it outside the church. You're supposed to be a testimony to the people outside. Now, what are you showing them? Hey, these Christians are fighting with each other. Just a side note on saints and angels. As believers, we are saints and we have a much more privileged position than angels. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. God has set us as an example for angels, two angels. Can you believe that? Can you picture this? God has set us as an example to angels and angels desire to look into and discover the plan of God for us who are the redeemed. We will reign with Jesus during the millennium and the Bible does not disclose in what way we will judge angels but we know that we have a better place than the angels we are created in his image and that there will come a time we will judge them. Now, how we will judge them, on what we will judge them, that has not been mentioned. But the point is, we are more superior than the angels. God has given us, made us in his own image. We are his children. To none of his angels, he said, you know, the book of Hebrews talks about it, right? To none of his angels, he said, come and sit at my right hand and see I will give you the nations. And to none of his angels, he has said, I will give you my Holy Spirit rule. You know, we are in a higher position than the angels. So Paul is saying, it's okay. It's okay to, you know, about civil courts and legal authority. It's all there, right? But as far as possible, get things resolved within the church between believers. Now, Paul himself has stood in many courts, right? He was wronged. What did he say when they were beating him up in Acts 22? He says, how can you hit a Roman citizen? How can you beat me up and put me in a prison knowing that I'm a Roman citizen? And he says, I appeal to Caesar, right? So Caesar was the highest level. Now, the real issue was here, it's not an issue because they are Gentiles, troubling Paul, doing something that is right. He's not doing something unlawful, right? As a Roman citizen, as a Jew, he is sharing the Gospel. And it's not something unlawful. He's just sharing what he believes. If they don't like it, they can just walk away. But for Paul, they're saying, why are you, you know, torturing? Why are you beating us up? Why are you putting us into prison? They're just preaching something. You want to believe, believe it. And so that's why he says, we are wronged and I appeal to Caesar. But here in Corinth is the dispute between two believers. Both are believing in Jesus and they're fighting against each other. So that Paul is saying, no, we must learn to settle things on our own, right? Now, let's look at what's happening around us, right? In a season that we are in right now. Are there believers who have wronged other believers and they're fighting cases in the court? Yes. Is it right? No. Why? Because if there are, if they are truly believers, they will be able to settle those matters outside of the court. But if they are so-called Christians or just Christians by name, just because we have a name Peter Paul doesn't mean we are believers, right? Peter may be fighting against Paul in the court just because they have two Christian names doesn't mean they're believers, right? So we may have a thought may come, hey, but Peter and Paul are filed a case against each other in the court for some land dispute. What about that? Their names are Peter and Paul, but they are not believers. They're just Christian names. They're not truly accepted by the message or the gospel of Jesus. They've not truly become believers because if they were, they will settle this matter in the right way. They will not drag the person to the court, right? So it could also be that one person is right, the other person is wrong, the other person feels cheated. So we must, even if things are gone to the court, we do it in a more decent way, right? Or in a way that is making peace, right? And so when we as believers in Jesus Christ are called to be peacemakers, let's do it among ourselves. Let's try and resolve matters among ourselves. But it's sad to see when two believers fight, especially in court, and there are people around and we are being a bad testimony, right? Now I'm not saying it's not going to happen. We will see that happening, but we can avoid it. We can definitely avoid it. Let's go down, right? Verse eight, no, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Now he goes on with a list. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, no homosexuals, no sordomites, no thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, no revilers, no extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus. Look at this list, right? Paul, he's reminding that, he's reminding the believers what kind of life you are lived, right? Now this is not completely like a complete list, but he's just whatever's come to his mind, he's saying these things, and he's saying these people will not inherit the kingdom of God, right? So what does he say there? Fornicators, that is prostitutes. Did Corinth have prostitutes? Plenty, thousands of them. Idolaters, worshipers of false God. Was it false God? Yes, Aphrodite, and other gods of their own understandings. Adulterers, adultery, yes, it was there. Homosexuals, yes, definitely, you know, male and male, female and female, male prostitutes, yes. And sodomites, which is a generic term for homosexual practice, right? And then thieves, greedy drunkards, revilers, that is abusers and people who slander and curse people, and then extortioners, people who cheat and swindle in, are thieves. Now this list is a strong list, but Paul is saying here, you were in all of this, right? That means what? When I came to you a couple of years back and when I preached the Gospel to you, you had all these things inside you, right? But the moment you heard the Gospel and you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, what has happened? You have been washed, you have been, this has happened. You have been washed, you have been sanctified, you have been justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So he's reminding them. You see how beautifully Paul is trying to bring this across? He's not saying, you know, you were fornicators, adulterers, you know, covetous drunkards, revilers, and now you are going back to that. Paul is not saying that, no? He's saying you were that, but now you are washed, redeemed and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, right? But were they idolatrous? Were they adulterous? There was, but Paul is bringing them to their real identity, right? He's trying to tell them, hey, you were in all of this, now there are some of it still there, but he's not thinking of that. He's saying, now you are washed, you are sanctified, you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus. So behave that way, right? This is a wonderful news that, you know, washed, sanctified and justified by the Spirit of God. What a powerful, you know, what a powerful thing as leaders, right? He reminds them of their past, but he also reminds them that even though you're in sin now, but in God's presence you're sanctified, you're justified, you're redeemed. So behave that way, right? Behave in a manner that is pleasing to God, right? And if the Lord did it then to those people, he still does it today. When we may have sin in our life, one of the things we can do is we can say, God, redeem me, save me from this. And the prayer that we make, he's able to wash us, he's able to sanctify us just like he did for them, right? And this is a wonderful example for us as leaders. Don't, you know, we may think when we are ministering to people, we may have this habit of thinking, oh, hey, you know, you are like this, you are like this, are you like this even now? No, we must come out of that, we must say, even though you were like this, now you're washed, you're redeemed, you're sanctified, right? And so Paul is reminding the believers, I'm sure as a reader they would have thought, oh yes, we were all of this, even now sometimes we are, you know, proud or covetousness or greedy or angry and, you know, living in a morality. But Paul is saying we are sanctified, justified, redeemed, we are washed, we are cleansed. I'm sure it would have touched their lives. And he goes on to say, how we can stay away from sexual sin? Now he's giving them a background, right? The Corinthian church had come out from all of this and he presents some powerful truth on how we can stay away from sexual sin, right? So this portion here verse 12 to 20, let's read that. All things are lawful for me but not all things are helpful, all things are lawful for me but I will not be brought under the power of any. Foods for the stomach and stomach for foods but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. And God raised up the Lord and will raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not. Or do you not know that he who's joined to a harlot is one body with her for the two he says shall become one flesh but he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you whom you have from God and you are not your own or you are bought to the prize therefore glorify your body with with which therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are gods. So Paul is giving us some practical keys here. First he's brought his attention to them saying that you're already justified, already washed. Now he's saying here all things are lawful for me but all things are not helpful. Which means all things are not profitable. Paul is addressing sexual sin and he's using this word especially the use of a prostitute right now. For example right there's a believer in Corinth and somewhere he or she has you know allowed the enemy to bring temptation into their mind and he goes or she goes and he or she they can go hire a prostitute for one night and then come back. Now in Corinth it's acceptable well because it was a business and it's acceptable right nobody will come and say oh you see no using the services of a prostitute was culturally acceptable in Corinth. The city was known for it but Paul is calling believers not to be controlled by cultural practices right. Now for example now right now in a world that we are in it may be socially or culturally okay or acceptable for a man you know for a boy and a girl to live with each other live in relationships before marriage acceptable right. Oh pastor we are in 2022 please behave like a modern pastor and don't be like these it's not 1960s it's to 2022 and grow up it's what's happening around us. Now if there are two believers living that way first thing I would say is it's wrong in the eyes of God right why because it's not what God wants but is it culturally acceptable yes you go look for a house they say okay you know me and my boyfriend or my girlfriend we are living together they'll give you nobody's gonna stop you right they're acceptable nobody's going to pass judgment also even if they pass nobody cares but what about God is it right in the sight of God right so Paul is trying to tell the believers now hiring a prostitute for one night may be alright acceptable in Corinth but you see what is acceptable in the eyes of God right sometimes we you know in the west there are there's this whole thing of people you know partners having children they're not even married they have children they have a family without marriage it's normal in the west now it's normal it's completely normal right or even some malpractices in business it's normal now Paul is saying not everything is beneficial so we will not be brought under the control of anything that is displeasing to God so here's the thing you and I as believers must not see what is happening around us hey he's doing it so and I can do it no is it in line with the word of God you know is it is it pleasing God is it honorable to God right and when it comes to church and even outside church in the workplace is it honorable to God if I is it honorable the way I speak you know in office it's okay to backstab and to to ridicule to mock people and that's a lifestyle right but nobody may judge us in the workplace but is it honorable to God so we are called to to do what is pleasing in God's eyes and not as what is popular opinion and that popular opinion will keep changing right and now with this whole you know digital world that we are living in social media I don't believe you know some of the things that I see one of my friends shared this with me you know they put up I don't know what is this thing about the WhatsApp status it's good I don't know I don't have I don't use all that but you know my friends one of a couple of friends of mine is saying I just happened to see that and he's written you know there are there are times when they say just bought a new pant you know just just going for a bike ride I think to myself they don't have any other work is it or is it is it normal like to do these things I don't know so I keep telling I keep telling some of my friends is it normal say yes normal so I just sneezed I just finished my lunch they put no there's nothing wrong in it but what I'm trying to bring across is that is it is it something that is beneficial like no it is if there's something important I want to convey then all right but okay if you're doing it on your WhatsApp status please go ahead and do nothing wrong in it it's not a sin but it's not I mean for me is it beneficial is it something that is going to help me right verse 13 and 14 okay mangy I think you have a we've raised your hand let's go ahead mangy thank you sir um I have a question we the world we live in is a it's a totally different place and we have many cultures and many practices some of them are wrong some some of some of them are good and as believers here we are presented with the Corinthians example of how they did last and how they live and today here in a for example here in Cape Town our culture it's different from culture in India where things like gay marriage here is accepted with super she has a woman marrying a woman or a man marrying another man so how do we balance that for example if someone comes from India to use the text here and they see people on the road holding hands how do you balance that because you cannot go to them and say oh stop that that is bad you get stopped thank you yes that's that's a wonderful question yes mangy so yes in culturally right like you were saying they're now for example in India very rarely you'll find you know partners getting you you know having children and raising a family even before marriage very rare it's not a culture here it's not yet here but we do see the live-in relationship starting so mangy's thing you know point was in in Cape Town they you know lesbian or homosexuality is common so you can find a man in a man holding hands and walking so how do we respond to that right now firstly is if they are not believers mangy we share if we get an opportunity we share with them the gospel right just a simple gospel and we and then we share with them what does god what is god's design right now i'm not saying that immediately they will believe right you share with them and then you see whether they they're able to receive it it may takes time now if they are unbelievers and they're not willing to listen we have to move on right we cannot you know say you know if they're not willing to accept it we have to move on right but if they are believers and you see that they are living this continual you know the sinful life and they are open about it because the culture is that way then we can you know if we are in a position we can tell them hey this is wrong what does god's word say god's word says this that you know i made man and woman and that is god's design and and i think that we have you know diverted from what god has you know really wanted for his children and so we bring correction to them now again when we do that we do it in love but we also do it with a sternness we are bringing truth the truth of god's word with the grace of god right now there are few times people will listen remember that we we are talking to people about god's word it's the word that can touch them right so it may take time sometimes it can just happen immediately right and you know uh i remember mangy many many years back i think 2018 we came to me and as a family we visited Johannesburg and we also came to Cape Town and i did i did remember you know there was this very very good gentleman who took us from the airport the hotel and when we were talking he was saying you know he goes to a certain church they're close by and he asked us what do you do and we told them you know we serve in a church you just come here to visit a few friends and and then he began to ask a lot of questions and he said that you know he was not married but he had a child and he and his partner are living together and they had i think a six-year-old child or something you know and so he said i have to go back home quickly and then drop my child and then he said to me no we're not married right and now it gave me an opportunity right so i just shared with him i said see we know about god you know what god's word is so i just began to share like just common things and uh he was really touched right now i'm not saying it happened i also shared to other people it didn't they were not touched but this one this one person he was really touched he began to tear up as he's driving the car dropping us to the hotel and i thank god that i met you i want to make some changes in my life i feel that emptiness i want to and i still keep in touch with him and he he i think it was a couple of years later a year or so he said i will save up money and i will get married to this person and i will do it the right way and i'll ask god for forgiveness for him he just it just happened that way right so the holy spirit is and god is above our culture or things that people have set social social things that we see he's above all that right so this man has been in you know uh johannesburg all his life the culture he knows it it's fine he can be that way nobody's judging him but the holy spirit brought conviction to him that day right and now he's married he got married and uh and he did send me these photos of his marriage so so god is above the cultures he's above the you know norms that are happening around us the holy spirit can bring conviction and and so mangy i hope that answers your question right uh we may not see it always but we can see it at times we will be able to see it god is able to bring currency his holy spirit is a spirit of conviction right he will bring conviction the holy spirit reveals the truth of god's word into a person's heart so as believers we can just share it and be there for them if they are willing to change help them out right so uh so yeah thank you mangy yes yes christopher go ahead all right yes thank you pastor so i just wanted to you know ask this question with regards to a person who sins and um gets asked for dependence um so god will will will wash him even maybe he will be washed he'll be justified and he'll be sanctified um is that correct so in that sense um he's um he's forgiven completely so what happens when he commences sin again um you know because he's really challenged with that sin again he falls into this this uh the state of sin um i guess my question is um um how often does this this is sort of um this has happened you know this this particular process of asking for dependence genuinely asking for our dependence then getting watched getting justified getting sanctified and then uh falling at the end okay yeah so christopher here's the thing once we are you know once we have asked god to come into our life we have first thing is we are our spirit is changed our inner man second Corinthians 5 17 happens right we pray okay god come into my heart make me a new person i believe that you have washed me from all my sins and i receive you as my personal lord and savior second Corinthians 5 17 therefore if anyone is in christ he's a new creation so this person has become a new creation right his spirit the holy spirit comes inside him he's a new creation he's no longer uh uh uh in the devils in the kingdom of the devil but he's brought into the kingdom of life right he's god's child now as god's children there are certain things we must do right one romans 12 romans 12 says be be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind right so what he must do he knows okay hey the lord jesus has cleansed me from all unrighteousness i'm forgiven i'm saved i'm a child of god but the mind is still natural the spirit is you know a new person but the mind the thinking is natural i mean look at a person and you know still get angry i mean look at you know wrong things and think of sexual things it's still natural the thinking is natural i may still want to back answer or i may still walk in pride right so what is happening here my spirit is changed i've received salvation i've received forgiveness of sins but my mind is not yet transformed now we know that the devil attacks the mind right he brings to the mind he says okay why don't you do this why don't you get you know go and tell this person this why don't you you know he brings pride into the mind he so the devil attacks the mind right so this person has to go through the process of renewing the mind and it's something that he has to do it's a step that he or she has to take and when they take that step the holy spirit is there to help them out right now for example if i'm just giving an example if there's an alcoholic he likes a drink but he has given his life to christ there's a change in him but in his mind he keeps thinking oh i want to have a drink he has to renew his mind he has to say no now i'm a child of god so i can avoid this i can lord give me the strength that i will not overcome to this temptation i will not fall into this temptation i will overcome it right so there's a there's a thing that that person has to take right now if i don't take the authority i will fall into sin and then again i'll ask for forgiveness again i'll fall into sin you know and then what's happening here is one john chapter i just looked up that was one john chapter three was six says no one who lives in him keeps on sinning okay no one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him look at this verse one john three verse six no one who believes in him keeps on sinning no one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him then there's another verse i forget the the chapter and verse but it says that if one is continuing to sin you know there is no more sacrifice left for him there's nothing more that can be done for him because the sacrifice already done right and then i think it's in the book of Colossians yes just give you this verse and then we can close Colossians yeah Colossians chapter three paul is writing to the Colossians and he says here from verse eight to verse 14 maybe when you have time you can read that he's telling the believers you have to put on or put off certain things what malice rage anger slander filthy language put it off for a view and then he goes on to say put on clothe yourself with compassion kindness gentleness patience forgive one another not a bit so he's he's giving a command here he's saying you have to put off and you have to put on and so if we are continuing to sin then we're not making an effort it says there's a saying right a fool falls into the same pit twice or digs into digs a hole and falls into the same pit so Christopher to answer your question yes salvation happens it's happened once but if we are not doing these things putting off and putting on if we are not making an effort to overcome the things of the flesh if we are not renewing our mind then it's only going to be a whole process you know it's just going to be a cycle ask for forgiveness and then sin ask for forgiveness and sin eventually it's not going to do any good for us we're not going to grow into what God wants us to do and i wish i could remember that other worse i think it's yeah i got a chair it's Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 26 it says if we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of truth no sacrifice for sins is left but only a fearful expectation of judgment and a raging fire that will consume the enemies of God right so if we deliberately continue sinning there's no sacrifice left so right so uh i hope that answers a bit of your question Christopher yes all right okay let's close in prayer we've crossed our time we'll continue with this chapter next week and then we'll move on to the next chapter let's close in prayer right father we thank you for your word thank you for teaching us and thank you for all that we have learned to God in all that we do Lord we pray that we will walk in your grace walk in your nointing and live lives that is pleasing and holy and acceptable in your sight of God we pray for each and every student even as they continue to learn throughout all the courses that you will bless them fill them with your spirit of wisdom knowledge and understanding we thank you father in Jesus name we pray amen amen thank you everyone have a great week I'll see you next Monday God bless