Slaves to Righteousness? Why do we still sin? by Rav Sha'ul   I was asked by a child of God the following questions: God desires that all men be saved?  If this is His Will then shouldn't all men be saved? the Messiah will not come again until all men have had a chance to hear the gospel. If I am a "slave to righteousness" once I become a believer, how am I still capable of sin? (don't I have a choice to sin or not to sin? - free will?) Answer to Question 1: God's Perfect Will and God's Ordained Will.  They are different.  The answer can be found in God's Perfect Will and His Ordained Will.  The Bible lays out God's Perfect Will and then we live out His Ordained Will.  In His Ordained Will, nothing ever created can live up to His righteous Perfect Will (not the angels, not Israel, not the sons of God, and not the dammed)  The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of His Perfect Will... eliminating the ability to BOAST and creating a need for a savior... His Son.  All of which is known as God's Ordained Will. It was God's Perfect Will that the angels live in harmony with Him, yet His Ordained Will that they rebel in order to establish a system of Good vs. Evil by which to train His elect. It was God's Perfect Will that mankind (Adam) not sin, yet His Ordained Will that Adam fall to remove any form of boasting that mankind "deserves" mercy. It was God's Perfect Will that Israel bless all nations.  But God's Ordained Will that Israel fail and the Messiah fulfilled Israel's destiny. It was God's Perfect Will that mankind accept Yahusha the Messiah and submit, yet it was His Ordained Will that the eyes of the Jews would be blinded and Yahusha would have to die. It is God's Perfect Will that none should perish but God's Ordained Will that most men do perish. How can God's Perfect Will not be done?  Easy He is God.  He states His Perfect Will to man, setting a bar of righteousness.  Then He predestined the course of history.  That predestined course is known as His Ordained Will.  He is God.  He has every right to set a standard and then put mankind through a life of failing this standard in order to develop disciplined children which is exactly what He did.  So God declares His Perfect Will and we know exactly what that is.  The we "live out" His Ordained Will and come to know over time what that is. God's Perfect Will is the bar of perfection.  He "ordained" that we fall short of it.  God states His Perfect Will in the Bible (namely the LAW) in order to illustrate that we are not righteous (because His Ordained Will is that we all fall short).  You could ask me... How can a righteous God, create evil?  Is 45:7.  Again, evil is part of God's Ordained Will.  God communicates His Perfect Will to man to establish His attributes, character, righteousness, justice, etc. Then executes a predestined plan and within that Ordained Plan or "Will" He clearly states that He created damned and saved.  And He even told us why in Romans 9.  You cannot stear clear of this concept. There are mysteries, God's ways are higher.  And this is one of them. The Bible addresses both God's Perfect Will and His Ordained Will.  We understand that in God' Perfect Will that none should perish and we obey the Great Commission to preach the gospel to all nations.  Yet we know that only the Elect are saved through faith. But we understand the God's Ordained Will is that we take the gospel to all nations so that He may recall the lost sheep of the House of Israel. So to make your search for the truth a little easier and your understanding of what seems to be conflicting doctrine,  you have to come to an understanding that God has a declared Perfect Will and that is very different from His predestined Ordained Will. Answer to question #2: The Great Commission must be fulfilled in God's Ordained Will in order to reclaim the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel Yahusha came to fulfill the House of Judah's promise that all nations be blessed through them because in God's Ordained Will the Nation of Israel would experience a "breech" and be split.  Creating a need for re-unification of the Nation of Israel in the end times... both houses (Israel and Judah).  The House of Israel was dispersed throughout all nations creating a need for the Gospel to be preached to all nations to call them back.  Yahusha said He did not come (the first time) for the Jews, but to reclaim the lost sheep of the House of Israel.  Yahusha commanded that we accomplish this task by proclaiming Him to all nations.  At which point Yahusha said He knows His sheep and they know Him.  They will hear His voice and respond.  But ONLY the sheep given to Him by His Father. Answer to question #3: Righteousness in based on faith and freely attributed to us outside of our works through Yahusha the Messiah. Concerning our enslaved wills, yes we are either slaved to sin or righteousness.  Once we are Born Again, our dead spirit is revived by the Holy Spirit and we begin a predestined walk with God whereby we are slowly transformed to the image of His Son through a life long process called "sanctification".  This is our training.  We fall, repent, learn, and grow.  All predestined by God to teach us who He is, how much we are in need of a savior, and to discipline us as sons of God.  And once Born Again we are SLAVES to this process of sanctification because it is required due to the righteousness He has freely given to us.... SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUSNESS. Keep in mind... RIGHTEOUSNESS is NOT based on your works.  FAITH alone.  So once you are Born Again you ARE completely righteous before God and a slave to "sanctification".  So don't confuse your sinful deeds with righteousness. You will continue to fall from the Perfect Will of God (it is His Ordained Will that you do) as you are sanctified by God in preparation for Glory.  But that has nothing to do with your "free" will and everything to do with God's Ordained Will in training you for service.

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