MOUSETHIEF,

God's plan for our redemption does not change the fact that we are sinners... we are simply "sinners saved by grace." What I meant by "getting above one's raising" is that if they are saved, they are now being raised in spirit by The Lord Jesus Christ. Someone who continues in his sin of stealing or lying is not going to lose his salvation; he is, however, falling back into his old way, which by definition is his former way of having been "raised". When our lives are totally within God's will as He directs, we do not do those things. We simply have been raised better. The Bible says that the things of the world are to be rejected by those whose lives are filled with God's Spirit. Therefore, if someone finds it in him- or herself to commit these sins openly, there may be a chance that they have accepted the idea of God's plan for them but not God as Lord and Savior...

Anyway, this is stuff for another thread... please feel free to send me a message or email me at ReverendHarp@cs.com if you want to continue.