Look at where I was...look at where I am now,” that is famous among many groups that are meeting today and they have to have a testimony by a person showing the other people there where they were and how far they have progressed. The capacity of the human race to earn the measure of righteousness that belongs to God is “Zilch.” “O wretched man that I am” do you suppose Paul would want us to believe that we can produce through our fleshly efforts what Israel was totally incapable of producing through their fleshly efforts or for that matter what Paul knew that he could never produce through his fleshly efforts even after his conversion. Paul never used the word fruit in connection with any believer as being the product of that believer. You can set yourselves apart all you like behaviorally. You can start any number of things and cease doing any number of things in order to gain holiness before God, but you will do no better at reaching that goal then the foolish Galatians who were themselves flirting with the idea of progressive sanctification.
Titus 2:14 is not talking about God making unbelievers zealous of good works, religion attempts to do that through the concept of Christianizing the flesh. There are a lot of religious people out there who are zealous of good works because they suppose those good works will keep them in good standing with God. Worthless! It’s only when we render the capacity of the flesh to the dung heap of righteousness producing futility that God is able to do his work through the Word in and through the believer’s life. It’s not about what a believer does or can do for God; it’s what God can and will accomplish in and through the believer who renders the flesh worthless when it comes to producing righteousness and trusts the Word of God to do the work of God in their life. But, that transformation is a MIGHT, it’s not a certainty. God can only transform the minds of believers to the extent those believers are willing to take in, contemplate, and digest the Word of God so that the Word of God can accomplish the work of God. The Word of God can accomplish its effectual work in and through that believer.
Titus 2:14 is not talking about God making unbelievers zealous of good works, religion attempts to do that through the concept of Christianizing the flesh. There are a lot of religious people out there who are zealous of good works because they suppose those good works will keep them in good standing with God. Worthless! It’s only when we render the capacity of the flesh to the dung heap of righteousness producing futility that God is able to do his work through the Word in and through the believer’s life. It’s not about what a believer does or can do for God; it’s what God can and will accomplish in and through the believer who renders the flesh worthless when it comes to producing righteousness and trusts the Word of God to do the work of God in their life. But, that transformation is a MIGHT, it’s not a certainty. God can only transform the minds of believers to the extent those believers are willing to take in, contemplate, and digest the Word of God so that the Word of God can accomplish the work of God. The Word of God can accomplish its effectual work in and through that believer.