Referring to the following passages:

1. When the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another. Rom 2.

2. Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh . . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Gal 5.

Does the first passage describe Gentiles succeeding? And, does the second one describe believers failing?

Yes. No.

Does the second one describe believers succeeding? If so, which passages describe believers (people abiding in Jesus and partaking of the divine nature) failing?

Yes.

What sense of failure are you looking for? Failure to walk in all the light they have? Failure to be as holy as God is holy?

Okay, so, the verses in Gal 5 describe believers succeeding, that is, growing in grace and maturing in the fruits of Spirit - not sinning and repenting (failing). Right?

Yes, given that definition of success, it seems so.


That depends on your definition of sinning. If you're talking about willful sinning, I would agree that they are not sinning.


Not repenting? It depends. They're not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, so they don't need to repent that.

However, it doesn't say they don't have the lusts of the flesh. Yes, they may have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts, but that doesn't mean those lusts are gone. They could still be there, but crucified and unfulfilled.

Must we repent for having fleshly lusts that war against the soul? Do we need to have sorrow for them and turn away from them? Yes, we do. And so, the true believer has not ceased to repent. He may not need to repent for walking in the flesh, since he does not do that, but he may still need to repent for the fleshly lusts that are still there but are repressed. In that case, he will need to be in a constant attitude of repentance.

Would that mean he is a spiritual failure? Not necessarily.

Excellent explanation, Arnold. "He may not need to repent for walking in the flesh, since he does not do that, but he may still need to repent for the fleshly lusts that are still there but are repressed." Tempted from within to sin but not guilty of sinning.

Yes, you could say it that way.

What does someone repent of, when he has not sinned? Rather, we should ever walk in the spirit of humility, ever ready to forgive others who sin against us; since we ourselves are acquainted with temptation, and know well the fierceness of its call. Let us all therefore have compassion one for another, pray for one another, help each other, thereby walking in the footsteps of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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