Part 2 - Sin, Karma, Santification, Laws & Grace

This is a Continuation of the Previous Post. The First was about the Definition of a Few Salvation Words and how the Focus of Christianity is not on Works, but on the Condition of the Heart.  This Post will Explain Sanctification, as well as the Natural Reap What you Sow Law, Contrasted with the Law of Grace.  Here is the Comment from Satyavati again that I have been Responding to.  This Time, I will Quote it in it's Entirety.  The Bold Emphasis was Added by me.

Satyavati devi dasi said...
"That would imply that the process is such:

"1. Admit or confess
"2. Get cleansed from sin (karma is a different thing and for me it is more accurate to use the original words)
"3. Everything's hunky dory.

"Now, this would imply that you can go on and do whatever you like now and it'll all be just washed under the bridge, no problem.

"Of course this isn't true.  In fact, according to the Bible, it's basically impossible NOT to sin, if you're human, so at this point, I have to ask what happens to all those post-salvation sins?  Do you just keep claiming Jesus over and over?  Does he come back endlessly and wash it all up?   Personally, I'd think eventually he'd get pretty tired of that; salvation is not cheap and not to be used as an excuse to go on and do whatever awful things you want to do.

"The way we view karma is as a law, independent of other things.  Consider the law 'every action has an equal and opposite reaction'.  The thing with laws is that they operate regardless of belief so that part doesn't really come into it.

"There's different kinds of karma, and they all carry their own baggage.  That's too involved for here.

"There are instances in the Bible that point to a belief in reincarnation. People asked John the Baptist whether he was Elijah. Of course, Elijah was dead and gone, so that would mean that they believed that he could be reborn again in a different body. Also, the man who was born blind: they asked who had sinned, he or his parents, that caused him to be born blind. Asking whether the man had sinned would presumably imply a previous lifetime, unless you'd like to posit that he sinned whilst still in utero."

July 21, 2011 3:28 PM 

To Pick Up where I Left Off, I will now be Responding to this Quote...

"so at this point, I have to ask what happens to all those post-salvation sins?"

The Process that Occurs after Salvation is Called Sanctification and is a Process in which we are Gradually Being Cleansed and Washed of our Sins.  This is Illustrated in Romans “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are PUTTING TO DEATH the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:13, NASB)

In this Verse, Deeds or Actions are Mentioned, yet the Phrase, “Putting to Death”, is from the Greek Root, “Thanatoo”, which Means to Mortify, Kill or Put to Death, yet in this Verse, the Tense Used Contains an Implication of a Process.   The New American Standard Bible is the One that the Most Got this One Right, by Using the Correct Tense of the Word, “Putting to Death”, rather then "Put to Death" (NRSV & NIV) or “Mortify” (KJV)

Quoting Satyavati again... 
“Do you just keep claiming Jesus over and over?  Does he come back endlessly and wash it all up?  Personally, I'd think eventually he'd get pretty tired of that.”

My Response:
In a Sense, Yes.  He does Keep Cleaning it up, but He doesn’t get Tired of it, because He Loves us and if we are Willing to Submit to the Sanctification Process, then Over Time, there will be Improvement.

Satyavati: 
"Salvation is not cheap and not to be used as an excuse to go on and do whatever awful things you want to do.”

Me:
That is Absolutely Correct and also Biblically Accurate, just as I Explained in the Previous Post.

Satyavati:
“The way we view karma is as a law, independent of other things.  Consider the law 'every action has an equal and opposite reaction'.  The thing with laws is that they operate regardless of belief so that part doesn't really come into it.”

Me:
There is such a Law that is Described in the Bible...

“Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.” (Galations 6:7, NRSV)

As to the Second Part of your Words, though, Satyavati, Laws do not Actually "Operate Regardless of Belief".  For Example, Once when we were Shoveling Snow off of the Roof of my In-Laws, I Slipped and Feel off a Ladder.  According to the Laws of Slippery Ice and Gravity, I should be Dead Right now, or at the Very Least, Seriously Injured, yet somehow, Miraculously, the Ladder was Caught on the Step.  To Better Picture this, the Ladder Slipped Off the Deck and was Caught on a Step.  That is, One of the Legs of the Ladder was Caught on the Step and the Other was Still Suspended in the Air.  With Ice that Slippery, there is no Way that the Ladder should have Remained Up Right and yet it did.  I Ended Up Up Side Down with one of my Legs Caught in One of the Rungs of the Ladder.  The Ladder Remained Up Right, I did not Hit the Ground, aside from Shock and Fear, I was Unharmed.

This Experience Defied the Laws of Gravity and Slippery Ice and most Spiritual People would Consider this an Act of a God or some sort of Guardian Angel.  For some Reason God Decided to Spare me.

There is another Law at Play here, which is the Law of Grace, yet Grace is not for Everyone, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5:5b, NRSV).  For some Reason, God Extended Grace to me and Spared me from the Natural Laws of Gravity and Ice, so you see, Satyavati, it is not True that Things such as Belief and also Grace do not “Come into Play”.  The Law of Reaping and Sowing is Similar, for Sometimes God Steps in and Offers Grace.  Does this Always Happen?  No.  Sometimes God Allows us to Experience the Natural Consequences for Our Actions.

Here is another Example from my Own Life.  Earlier in my Life, I was Caught up in a Certain Sin.  In my Sin, I was Taking Considerable Risks that should have come with Far Greater Consequences then they did, yet Somehow I was Spared and my Consequences were Minimal.  Why?  I Think it was because God Knew some of the Insinuating Circumstances, as well as my Own Level of Maturity at the Time.  In Time, through the Process of Growth and Sanctification, I Improved in my Ability to not Sin.  There was a Time, though, in which I “Back Slid” and Regressed into some of my Old Ways.  This Time, though, God decided not to Protect me from some of the Consequences that are more Serious.  Why?  Because I should have Known better.  This was an Old Lesson that I should have Left in the Past and I was a Fool to Return to this Old Pattern of Sin.

I’ll Deal with the Reincarnation Issue Later.  I’ve Said Quite a Bit for now.