In his sermon, Philip Long explores Chapter 6, Paragraph 5 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, which discusses the enduring corruption of human nature even after regeneration through Christ. Long argues against the doctrine of sinless perfection, which some figures like Pelagius and Charles Finney have propagated, by interpreting Matthew 5:48 and other scriptures to demonstrate the inherent sinfulness of humans due to their fallen nature. He emphasizes that both the initial impulses and actions stemming from this nature are considered sinful, contrary to the belief that only actions constitute sin. The sermon highlights the difference between believers and non-believers, focusing on the believer’s desire to repent and seek forgiveness, whereas non-believers may overlook repentance. Long uses various scriptures from Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and New Testament passages to reinforce the idea that humans are inherently sinful and cannot achieve perfection in their earthly bodies. The sermon concludes with the affirmation that true sinless perfection will only be attainable in heavenly bodies, as humans await the return of Jesus Christ.

We will be looking at the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, Chapter 6 of the Fallen Man of Sin and of the Punishment Thereof, Paragraph 5. This life doth remain in those that are regenerated and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified yet both itself and the first motions thereof are truly and properly sin. Some of you might be familiar with the Founders Organization. They have a, I guess, modern English translation of the London Baptist Confession. I'm going to read it because to me, hearing it in a little more words that we use a little more regularly it makes more sense to me and I guess concentrate on the last verse there.

I think it's The key portion of this paragraph What they have as far as paragraph five is during this life this corruption of nature remains in those who are regenerated even though it is pardoned and put to death through Christ yet both this corruption of nature and all the actions arising from it are truly and actually sin. I guess first off, just remember that this is a guideline or outline. It is not scripture, so we're going to look at scripture for what they were talking about. But this paragraph, when I first read it, I didn't think, that's pretty simple. But once you start taking it apart, where you land on this subject will affect all of your Christian belief.

So it's important that you land on the right side of interpreting scripture, and I hope after we get done looking at this, it'll make more sense. So first thing I guess you ask when we're looking at this is why did they feel it necessary to put this in the London Baptist Confession to begin with? What are they trying to disprove? And what I could see is they're challenging or proving false sinless perfection And a lot of you might have heard of it. It's actually pretty popular.

First person that really embraced it was Pelagius. A little bit newer people would have been Charles Finney, and then really fairly recent, all of us probably pretty familiar with Mike Pearl. Very, very, I guess, outspoken in that. What do they do with this? They believe that after you're saved, that you can be sinless.

And there's scripture that proves otherwise and we're gonna look at that. But they take Matthew 5 48 it says be perfect even as your father which is in heaven is perfect. They'll also use John 5 14 and it says after Jesus finding him in the temple and saith unto him behold thou art made whole sin no more lest a worse thing come upon thee." The point of like Matthew, let's go back to Matthew 5 and verse 48, it's the point of the text is it sinless perfection? No it's not. It actually proves that we are in a fallen state and a fallen nature.

Jesus points out the way we should live in Matthew chapter 5 and he also points out our inability to do so in our fallen nature. He goes into, if you look at a woman and lust in your mind, you sin. And that's what they're talking about in that last sentence there in paragraph five. It says, yet both this corruption of nature and all actions arising from it are truly and actually sin. Meaning that your sin nature, which you still have, we still have the sin nature until we get in heavenly body.

When you think upon, when you have a sinful thought that is sin before God. One of the, and I've been taught this even in Baptist churches, so this is why it I guess rang true with me is they said, Well, everybody has those thoughts. It's when you put action to the thoughts that it's sin. And the stance, which we'll look at the verses here, is even the thought is sin before God. Because of your fallen nature, It is an offense just that you had that thought whether you act on it or not Now if you ask forgiveness, which will look at it that's what a regenerate person would do is repent confess repent and then you're a cleanse from that sin.

So let's look at a couple things here. First verses we'll look at is Matthew 5, 27 and 28. You have heard that it is said by them of old time thou shall not commit adultery, but I say unto you, whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery already with her in his heart." Like I was saying, the thought comes from our fallen nature, the working of which the Baptists refer to in that, in chapter five as first motions. We have a sin nature due to Adam, inherited from Adam. The difference between a believer and a non-believer, we have a desire, Once you're a believer, you have a desire to please God and you have the ability to do good.

Does it happen all the time? No, it doesn't happen all the time. But a believer will confess his sin. Good example, I think, in the Bible is Judas was sorrowful, but his sorrow did not lead him to repentance. It led him to earthly sorrow and eventually killing himself over that sorrow.

When he repented, he did not ask for forgiveness. Fleshly or earthly man will always just skip over that part of repentance and asking for forgiveness for his sin. So we'll look at that sin nature that we all have inherited from Adam. We did read some verses. We'll turn to the Psalms.

Let's start off in Psalms 130 and verse 3. If thou, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who would stand? Go over a few more pages to Psalms 143 and verse 2. And enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified." Let's turn to Proverbs chapter 20 and verse 9. Who can say I have made my heart clean?

I am pure from sin. Let's turn over one page there to Proverbs 21 in verse 4. It says, a high look and a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked is sin. And we'll wrap that thought up there with Ecclesiastes 7 verse 20. For there is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sineth not.

So we see from scripture that men sin. And that is the whole reason why Christ had to come and live a sinless life was because we could not. Let's also turn to Psalms 51 and verse 4 and 5 on that same thought there. Psalms 51. Against thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." Let's go ahead and look at, there is so many verses on this. I think there's, We won't look at it. You can go in addition to Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 2. But we will turn to 1 John chapter 1 verses 8 through 10. Most of us could quote this.

But if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and the truth is not in us. And going along with the thoughts of our sin nature, what goes on with the believer, we read the verses from Romans chapter 7. We'll also look along that lines in Romans chapter 8 dealing with the same thing, same thought.

We'll start reading in verse 3 and Go down to verse 13 there. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God, but ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh.

For if you live after the flesh you shall die, but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body you shall live. And if you want to look again, there's another, we're not going to turn to it, Galatians 5, 17 through 24 talks about that same battle that we have between that sin nature we inherited from Adam and the difference between the fruits that Christians should have. So to wrap it up, there is no sinless perfection on earth. We will sin because we are sinners. Jesus Christ was the only one who came to this earth and lived sinlessly.

That's why he took on flesh, because we could not in our flesh have pleased God and fulfill all his commandments because of our fallen nature that we inherited from Adam. Another point to look at lastly, if we were able to attain sinless perfection in this body, we would not need to have celestial or heavenly bodies. But in 2nd Timothy it says, but we have the blessed hope of the glorious appearing of our great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. And we'll close with Philippians 3 verses 20 through 21, for our conversation is in heaven. From whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.