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Willful Sin

Who Turned "Change Your Mind" Into "Do Penance"?

Pastor Trevor Meier asked who turned “change your mind” into “do penance.” This post traces the answer through Jerome’s Latin Vulgate, then shows why neither remorse, penance nor a man-made resolve is enough to stop willful sin. It argues that real repentance means agreeing with God, and that it is His work in us.

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Is Free Will the Foundation of Pride?

A viral Facebook post says free will is an illusion and the root of pride. It gets one thing right about people who try to run their own lives. This reply looks at foreknowledge, Joseph, the cross, and what Wesley taught, and shows why the question matters for willful sin.

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If the Church Is the Bride, What Counts as Unfaithful?

A viral graphic says “Bride of Christ” isn’t in the Bible. The exact phrase isn’t in the King James Version, but the idea is all through Scripture, and the passages that use it keep returning to one question: faithfulness. This post looks at what the marriage pictures say about willful sin, the way back, and the One who makes the bride holy.

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If Grace Covers Me, Why Does 1 John 3:9 Matter?

Grace covers me anyway, so what’s the point?” is the sharpest question people ask about the book. This post answers it by showing that grace has two meanings, forgiveness and enabling power, then gives six reasons 1 John 3:9 still matters, using Scripture, Wesley, and the evidence around us.

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Is Arminianism Unbiblical? Answering a Viral Infographic

A viral infographic gives six reasons “Arminianism is unbiblical.” This post agrees with what it gets right (salvation is of the Lord) and answers each of its six claims from Scripture and Wesley. The answers cover election, depravity, Romans 9, resistible grace, perseverance and who gets the glory.

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Why the Debate Over "Once Saved, Always Saved" Is the Wrong Question

The "Once Saved, Always Saved" debate argues about whether willful sin can cost you your salvation, but it skips the real question. Once willful sin is defined (Hebrews 10:26), why would a believer who knows better, is equipped with the Holy Spirit, and understands the consequences choose to disobey God at all? The post answers the "too tempting" excuse with 1 Corinthians 10:13 and other promises. It argues that zero tolerance for willful sin shuts the debate down at the point where it belongs.

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Can You Get Closer to God? Why Abiding Isn't a Sliding Scale

A reel made the case that "getting closer to God" is a fallacy. It pictures a sliding scale, while John 15 describes a binary: you abide in the vine or you don't. This post agrees, answers James 4:8's "draw near to God," and separates what can grow (fruit, fellowship) from what can't (attachment). It argues that willful sin is the dividing line.

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Does "A Child of God Does Not Sin" Literally Mean Zero Sin?

No, the book doesn't claim literal, never-a-mistake sinlessness — it's specifically about willful sin. As for the Greek behind 1 John 3:9: does "does not sin" describe a habit, or a nature? Only one of those actually fits what John wrote — and it's not the one most translations assume.

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