Hi George. Thank you for your added reply and my apology for the late response. I’m terrible about rolling things around too long.
No, it doesn’t appear you’re missing anything. Apparently I am.
Yes I can agree, with some reservation, that by God’s grace we are given over to a state of continued repentance.
In retrospect, however, I suppose what I’m attempting to blend into this view of repentance is really a matter of personality and upbringing, and perhaps that is a failure point that should best be overlooked. For some that may be an easy accomplishment. For others, perhaps, it isn’t as easy. That is apparently my case.
While looking at others and calling out their character flaws it’s easy to then feel fortunate and say to oneself, “I’m not like them”.
But aren’t we supposed to remove our own beam of the eye to really understand the specks in the eyes of others? And is that a simple thing to accomplish? Not according to what Ray has derived and is teaching.
“Because when it comes to cast out the beam in your on eye, your thinking yea, well whatever this character flaw or sin is, get rid of that. But it doesn’t work that way. You don’t get rid of a beam by just pulling it out and throwing it away, no. It’s going to take a long time to get that beam out, because it’s big. This represents big sins, big character flaws, huge shortcomings. It’s not like you can pull it out of your eye and it’s gone. It’s going to take time.”
and:
“You know it only appears that you see a beam in your brother eye, but if you could see clearly instead of that speck or mote, you would see that he too has a beam in his own eye. But you can’t judge him with a beam in your eye, you can’t even see what his faults are, for crying out loud, you have so many yourself.”
So, it’s one thing to stand and say “I don’t do those things”. If that’s true, then God has truly blessed one for not having gone that “route” in life, and then, in it’s truest form, “there but for the grace of God go I”.
But in reality, however, saint and sinner alike go by the grace of god, no?
Mark 7:21 For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
If I’m reading Ray’s teachings and scripture correctly, I am ALL of those things. We ALL are. None of us are any different.
So repentance must be thorough. It must be deep. And it is imperative.
And there’s the crux of what I’m attempting to say.
For me, at least, it’s more than just asking the Lord to forgive my daily sins. I want to recognize, I want to see, I want to KNOW the depravity of the beast that I am. I must SEE the horrendous person I am. Only then will I understand true repentance and turn and never turn back, and then, with *true north* confidence could/can/will I say and believe, BY THE GRACE OF GOD GO I.
This is so much more, at least to me, than overcoming a sinning pattern.
I apologize for the wall of words. I know of no shorter convenience to convey what I’m attempting to discover.
Once again, I’m more than likely blending personality where personality doesn’t belong.
But.
Proverbs 20:5 The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.
Best.
A.