I "trust my gut" when I can't find NT scripture to lead me, but there are sooo many that can and do.

There is one scripture that is pretty good: Philippians 4:8 "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

And then I ask myself sometimes if what I want to do, is something I would do if Jesus were joining me.  After all....he always IS there.

Finally, I don't think it's wrong to ask.  Accountability is part of what helps us learn from others.  Both by keeping ourselves accountable and by helping others be accountable.  When I had asked one woman to be MY accountability partner, she told me that it ended up teaching her way more than she thought she'd even teach me.  She was a Missionary wife, in her 60's too!

I feel as though you do often. Like, for instance, with my son and the constant grief he brings on me and the trouble he gets into, seems all I do is yell and fuss at him anymore, :( I told someone the other day even that living a Christian life in this situation is impossible, although I REALLY know it's not, but is sure is hard at least. But in that situation, it's become so routine for me to yell and fuss that I don't feel the conviction like I do in other rare situations that are not repetitive in nature. But in some situations, like for instance when someone offended me the other day. I was telling a friend in a chat room that sometimes I feel like I come across as arrogant, even though I truly do not seem to (FYI: This was a friend that when I had made a statement about cheating partners a week or so ago and how I really felt they never changed, but rather were only sorry because they got caught) did not like my opinion and ignored me for a few days after that. Well, the other day when I mentioned the arrogance issue, she was quick to agree with me, which totally threw me off, so I told her that I could see the conversation between her and I was about to head south and so we should end it. We did and I told everyone bye. I did this because I knew to stay would end up in big-time sin via my mouth, but I left because the nudge was there that told me if I stayed, I'd stumble. And if you knew how outspoken I am, you would know how hard I am tempted to speak my mind, lol, but as I said I left.

But, I, too, I find it amazing that in a rare situation as the latter above, I hear Him, but when in the repetitive situation, as with my son above, I don't. Maybe it's because there is never a break to hear His voice admist the constant drama. That would be my guess...that or because it's become such a natural part of my day, it seems normal to me, lol.

Cheryl

generally, feeling guilty means i need to examine what i'm doing. my conscience has always been in hyper-drive, so usually that's all i need.

We didn't "trade in the old covenant."

The comment that refers to "if I can't find an NT scripture ..." well, why not go back to the OT?

Too many Christians act now as if the Old Testament is irrelevant, but Christ did not come to abolish or "trade in" the "old covenant," or to establish a "new" one. He came to fulfill the old one.

It seems to me that Christ came and revealed the true purpose of some of the "law," which included tearing down some of the old "rules."

But that doesn't nullify the law, or the Old Testament. I just get sick of Christians only taking half the counsel of God.

@naphtali_deer@xanga - well said, well said.

@Theophilus166@xanga - I'll also point out that I think conversation about issues like these are good, and I think the Spirit uses those conversations to convict us.  I'm just hesitant to set absolute rules in place when scripture doesn't clearly justify those rules.

@Theophilus166@xanga - When I spoke of not discarding the OT, I did not mean to imply that we go back to the law and put ourselves under the law, which now I see some may have thought. I was speaking of our not neglecting the teaching of the OT, there are plenty of examples for us to follow, as well as examples to avoid, as well as to say God's great plan of salvation by faith running through the entire Word of God. You see all kinds of references all over the NT from the OT and the symbolism and types in the OT pointing to the person and work of Christ in the NT. We really limit ourselves if we stick with the NT or "Jesus only." You can't really do that. That's what I meant by not discarding the OT. We can't understand Jesus apart from the whole Word of God.

It is true we are no longer under law but under grace. The sinless Christ became sin for us, became a curse for us, so we might be saved through faith in Him. He kept the law perfectly and His perfect righteousness is imputed to us, counted to us, by faith.

You wrote: The law of Christ, "be perfect, as your father in heaven is perfect" is much higher, and much more difficult to follow...We don't abandon the Old Covenant for nothing, we abandon it for the example of Jesus.

The law of Christ is impossible apart from Christ's Spirit being imparted to us so we might live a righteous life. (Gal. 3:14: so we might receive the promised Spirit by faith).

Not only is Christ's righteousness imputed to us by faith so we might be counted righteous but Christ's nature is imparted to us by faith to regenerate us into new creations with not only a desire but an ability to live a holy live, to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. Redemption involves both our justification (being counted righteous) and our sanctification (being made righteous).

I'm wondering what you meant when you said "we abandon it [the Old Covenant] for the example of Jesus." I guess I'd like you to clarify what you mean by that.

If you mean by the example of Jesus being this: that Jesus lived a holy and perfect life through the Spirit of God indwelling Him, then I agree with you, i.e.-we can live that same holy and perfect life only as Christ's Spirit dwells in us.

But if you say: Jesus was our example and we strive to follow Him as a good moral example, I disagree because in ourselves we have no power to live a holy and perfect life apart from the Spirit of God who dwells in us.

You also wrote "the promise has been fulfilled in Christ," which is true, but it is still being worked out in time as we live each day by the power of the Holy Spirit, in that way the promise is still being worked out in our lives. "The life we live in the flesh we live by faith in the Son of God." Galatians 2:20b. Philippians 2:12-13. We work out the salvation that God has worked in us. It is not a one-time event, but a process, although in God's eyes already complete (see Romans 8:30).