Sin plagues the Christian as long as he is in the flesh. “In my flesh dwelleth no good thing” (Romans 7). Do not be alarmed that your flesh and the mind of the flesh unceasingly pushes you to sin. But be alarmed if you have no conscience of sin. In other words, can you sin without it bothering you? I think sin bothers you as your words reveal. You have a desire for holiness that you find difficulty in achieving. In fact, you find it impossible. Guess what?…SO DO I! And so do all other Christians. We love our Lord, but find ourselves struggling to please Him due to the weakness of our flesh.

ALL Christians experience this struggle – even the ones that you call “men of faith”. I would recommend that you get and read the book “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners” by John Bunyan and see for yourself the great struggle of faith of one of the great Christians in history.

God has a purpose for you – he did not call you into the faith for nothing! But his will can be secret and slow to be revealed to you. Your mission may be “small”, it may be large – you don’t know what’s ahead, but you should anticipate the day that you – your life and/or testimony – will be the means by which God may call another of His elect into His Kingdom.

In due time God will give you some measure of victory over your besetting sins, but keep in mind that it will take longer than you would like, and it may not be as complete as you would like. In the end, He will have the glory and His purposes will be fulfilled.

As for your critical approach to the Bible, this could be because of some exposure to Bible critics which are prevalent in our world today – even in the Church. You may find the grammer difficult if you are reading the old King James Version – I appreciate the struggle it can be but I believe that that is the Bible you should read if you can. Another version may help you understand the text better but other versions should be regarded as lower in realiability in my opinion.

You concern about being sick after your conversion could come from exposure to certain christian sects that teach that bodily healing accompanies salvation. Let me tell you that this simply is not true. The people that teach such things are just as sick and dying as any other group of people in the world. They like to quote the verse that says “By His stripes we are healed”. But that verse is clearly talking about healing the broken realtionship between God and man.

And finally, the Lord forbade the first couple access to the Tree of Life as a judement on their sins. God made salvation impossible EXCEPT through Christ’s redemptive work.

I hope this helps and you will have the peace of God in your heart and mind.

I don’t think the Bible teaches us that Church is “for” sinners. It is FOR believers and their children that have been called out of the world and gathered into God’s family by His grace. It is the duty of everyone that bears Christ’s name to “depart from iniquity” (II Timothy 2:19). While it is well established that all have sinned and are therefore sinners, yet the Bible does not ever refer to God’s people as “sinners”, but rather “saints”.

Although those of us that have been born again often fall to sinful temptations, nevertheless we have, by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit, a sincere desire to achieve perfect holiness in worship to the Savior we love.

Those whose Christian lives are absent of this holy desire should not boast of a conversion they have not experienced.

On the issue of judging, I admit that I make judgments every day. So do you.

The Bible tells us that there are Christians among us that are able to “discern both good and evil” and that we are to “judge rightly” (John 7:24). I don’t know how anyone can obey the command to “judge”, which appears many times in the New Testament, without actually committing an act of “judgment”. See I Cor 6:3-5, “Know ye not that WE SHALL JUDGE angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, SET THEM TO JUDGE who are least esteemed in the church. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be ABLE TO JUDGE between his brethren?”; and I Cor 10:15, “I speak as to wise men; JUDGE YE what I say”; and I Cor 11:13, “JUDGE in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?”; and I Cor 14:29, “Let the prophets speak two or three, and LET THE OTHER JUDGE.”

As for “old man”, I have a few grey hairs but I’m not sure if I am actually “old”. But I am curious – where did you learn to speak to people in such a familiar way? Your “church”?

Thank you
Linda