(January 4, 2013 at 8:56 am)RichardP Wrote:

(January 4, 2013 at 3:13 am)ronedee Wrote: -------------------------

It is written: "When Jesus returns, many of the unbelievers (YOU) will die of fright!"

So think scary ride!

---------------

He will come riding on a white horse leading the Christians in a war -- killing, and mutilating the non-believers!

So what else is new?? Islamic jihad progress @ 11:00

(January 4, 2013 at 9:25 am)KichigaiNeko Wrote:

(January 4, 2013 at 8:56 am)RichardP Wrote: He will come riding on a white horse leading the Christians in a war -- killing, and mutilating the non-believers!

So what else is new?? Islamic jihad progress @ 11:00

We'll be right back after this message from the Cosmic WWE.

(Obnoxious loud TV announcer voice)SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY, From the Superstitious Arena, it is the Death cage match between Jesus and the non believers. ( Video of :Jesus talks into WWE mike fake reff(God/Jesus) is holding)

"I WARNED YOU. I DIED FOR YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME" (Takes chair and slams it over the head of a non believer. A Muslim tries to rush him and he bounces off the ropes and does a close line to the Muslim's neck. Jew in audience eats popcorn almost having the Muslim land in his lap. Spilling their popcorn)

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY, ALSO ON PAY PER VIEW!

(Returns to news report)

(Blond crew hair cut perfect quaff fake laugh suit anchor)High, I'm Saul Damascus, on a lighter note in entertainment, Honey Boo Boo continues to rot the brains of reality TV fans, just where former mass murders who were "saved" want you.

Also in entertainment news God has sent out a press release that he is going to lightening bolt the hosts of "Myth Busters" (Voice over tape) "Those assholes are pissing me off making people think and value science".

(Back to anchor) "We'll be right back after this message from Tampex"

(Tampex spot, womans voice) "Men, do you enjoy listing to commercials about menstrual blood while you have a mouth full of food when watching the big game? Yea, we know, but we don't give a fuck, we need them".

(Back to Anchor)

"That does it for the HD666 Cable News, please stay tuned as Jay Leno Interviews God about his pranks with Job, that God, such a kidder".

(January 4, 2013 at 2:48 am)Undeceived Wrote:

(January 3, 2013 at 9:35 pm)RichardP Wrote: Just about everything Jesus taught had to do with the Ten Commandments and obeying them.

"Everything"? Jesus is affirming that the law still exists, that adultery is still a sin. He just finished telling the pharisees their actions did not matter and that "God knows your hearts" (Luke 16:15). Jesus' audience clearly understands his shift in focus from other Jewish rabbis, which is why he must go back and explain the law.

(January 3, 2013 at 9:35 pm)RichardP Wrote: So are you arguing that Jesus would forgive that "sin" and therefore he would be eligible to go to heaven? He is not sincerely repentant.. If he had it to do over again he would still divorce her. Why should God forgive him?

Yes, why should He? Isn't it amazing how much God loves us! We need not repent of each sin individually (impossible). We need merely to believe He died for our sins and reform our hearts daily in grateful response.

(January 3, 2013 at 9:35 pm)RichardP Wrote: Maybe you could argue that not all marriages are going to work and we have to be realistic about it and Jesus will forgive. But that sure as hell wasn't what he told the Pharisees. He didn't tell them that you could get divorced as long as you asked for forgiveness and then the sin of adultery would be forgiven -- and then you would be eligible for eternal life!!!

Jesus wants people who follow him to change, not to use forgiveness as a licence to sin. It sounds like this is an important topic to you. Have you experienced a difficult marriage? God can mend all wounds. And I believe that if both marriage partners love with an Godly agape (self-sacrificial) love, there will never be a divorce.

(January 3, 2013 at 9:35 pm)RichardP Wrote: The truth is that the Christians never teach the Ten Commandments. They don't teach that salvation is dependent upon keeping the Ten Commandments.

Here's the thing. Salvation can be obtained by keeping God's law, meaning being one-hundred-percent righteous and sinless. But it is self-evident that no one has ever been fully righteous or even close. One selfish thought or white lie and the law is broken. That's why Jesus frequently says things like "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." You posted Matthew 19:17b-19. Well in Matthew 19:17a, Jesus replies, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good." He is questioning why the man is asking about being good by the law when there is "only One" who can be--God. He then proceeds to test the man's faith. Instead of telling him to refrain from doing evil (which is what the Ten Commandments calls for) he asks the man to selflessly sell everything and trust in God to provide. The man's true heart shows through as he leaves without doing what his Lord asked. Jesus sums up the narrative in verse 26 saying, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." According to him God is the one working, not us.

(January 3, 2013 at 9:35 pm)RichardP Wrote: Jesus taught salvation by obeying the Ten Commandments. And when asked about salvation he always answered that they needed to follow the Ten Commandments.

In the collection of verses I posted, Jesus continually connects faith or belief in himself to life and forgiveness. Please explain why you see it differently, or tell me just where in the Bible you're referring to.

(January 3, 2013 at 9:35 pm)RichardP Wrote: It sure wasn't his "faith" in the Jews God that made him help the man.

Jesus was again emphasizing that if someone were as loving as the Samaritan all the time, they would have to be righteous and worthy of heaven. Coincidentally, the only way to be so selfless is to possess the boundless love of God within. No one can be fully righteous unless they are so close to God as to practically be God, because all love comes from God. You can try to do all the necessary things to reach heaven, but it is impossible to know what all those necessary things are without actually seeing through loving eyes. The Jews passed the man on the road because they did not perceive helping him as part of the law. The line between good and evil is so fuzzy to humanity that we cannot completely know it without being connected to the moral Lawgiver—the One who created good and knows it from evil.

(January 3, 2013 at 9:35 pm)RichardP Wrote: I think that the notion of "faith" is an extremely vague one. Maybe it is just me but I don't know what the hell "faith" means. Do you have a definition?

http://www.acts17-11.com/faith.html
A Christian’s faith, more specifically, is in who Jesus is (God) and what he has done (died for forgiveness of sins), is doing and will do in the future. It is similar to the faith a child has that his/her parent will come home and feed them--a trust based on one's knowledge/experience of that person.

We have such different perspectives.

You have to remember that I am an atheist. I will try to explain my perspective, but this will be different than anything you've probably ever read in a religious forum.

I will start by saying that I really like the philosophy that the Jesus Christ of the Bible taught. And for the sake of argument I will assume that he actually lived at one time. I can believe that part.

What I don't believe is that Jesus was born of a virgin. I don't believe that he ever healed anybody supernaturally. I don't believe that he walked on water. I don't believe that he performed any miracles. I don't believe that he "forgave" anybody their sins. I don't believe that he rose from the dead after being crucified, saw his disciples briefly, and then flew off to heaven on a chariot.

But none of those things really matter to me. What mattered to me was the philosophy that he taught. It was different, very different, from anything in the Old Testament. His approach and philosophy was a much more loving and forgiving one.

When people would ask him what they should do to receive eternal life he would tell them that they should obey the Ten Commandments. And I don't think that you can go too far wrong in trying to keep the Ten Commandments. But being an atheist I am not concerned about the Commandments that have to do with God.

1. I am the Lord your God, you shall have no gods before me.
(I am not concerned about this one)

2. Do no worship idols.
(I couldn't care less)

3. Keep holy the Sabbath.
(I couldn't care less)

4. Honor your father and mother.
[i](This one I like. Especially as I get older I am amazed by how much my parents have it all together.)[/i]

5. You shall not murder
(Definitely a healthy commandment to keep)

6. You shall not commit adultery
(Yeah don't cheat on your wife. If you have problems in the marriage try to work them out. Try to keep the marriage together. It makes for well adjusted kids and a stable society)

7. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor
(Spreading damning rumors about your neighbor that are either lies or something that you don't know for sure is true definitely makes things harder for your neighbor, and really isn't socially or mentally all that healthy.)

8. Do not steal
(Definitely a good commandment to keep)

9. Do not lie.
(Definitely a good idea. People will like you better if they find that you are somebody that they can really trust.)

10. Do not covet the neighbors wife or possessions.
(You will be happier if you don't waste time being jealous of other people)

------------------------

So now let's look at Matthew 19: 16-18

16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

18 “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’[a] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

So in this case Jesus actually narrows the Commandments down to the ones that he considers the most important. Notice he doesn't worry about the ones having to do with God. And while lying and being jealous are not good habits to form they aren't the most important.

The commandments that he emphasizes are the ones that have to do with other people -- and how you treat them. He doesn't mention "Loving God". He focuses on the ones that have to do with "Loving thy neighbor as thy self".

The type of people who try to live by these rules are the type of people that I would like to have as neighbors. They are the type of people that I would like to have as friends. I don't care if they try to live by these values through Gods power or by their own power. It doesn't matter to me.

However I find the idea that you can break these rules as long as you ask your make believe friend for forgiveness absurd.

It seems to me that point of having your imaginary friend forgive you is so you can have an imaginary life after death. It is not out of sympathy for the person that you murdered, or the person that you robbed, or the person that you smeared. It is more like, "I did these bad things but I don't want them to jeopardize my chances at life after death so "God" will you please forgive me?"

Jesus seemed to be looking outward and focusing on other people. His preaching cost him his own life. He argued that we need to be generous, charitable, helpful, loving and supportive of one another.

Paul, who came after him, never mentioned the Ten Commandments. He never mentioned which were more important. He argued that we were saved by "belief". His belief and philosophy seems to be much more internal and self-centered to me.

It seems that modern Christianity has become very vague. Nobody knows the Ten Commandments any more. If fact the atheists on this board, like me, probably know them better than most Christians. Especially those of us who were Christians. Because we looked at everything in a much more critical fashion.

I have never had a Christian tell me that Jesus Christ taught that you should keep the Ten Commandments if you want to have eternal life. They focused almost solely on what Paul taught. They focused on their own salvation and their "personal relationship with Jesus Christ".

As an atheist I don't agree with everything in the New Testament. I don't believe that Jesus said or did all of the things that are claimed in the Bible. But I do like the philosophy that Jesus Christ taught. It seems to be a rational healthy caring focus on other people -- rather than ourselves.

While I don't believe that there is a God and I don't think that I can make it true because I want so badly to continue to live in some form after I die -- I do believe that we can live this life well. And I think that certain philosophies lead to a more stable, happy, gratifying life.

Anyway hopefully that was understandable. I try to write clearly but good writing is not easy. I will reread your reply to see if I misunderstood and our philosophies are really more similar, but I don't that they really are.

(January 4, 2013 at 11:29 pm)RichardP Wrote: When people would ask him what they should do to receive eternal life he would tell them that they should obey the Ten Commandments.

Below are instances where Jesus preaches salvation by belief. How do you reconcile them with your claim that Jesus taught salvation by obeying commandments?
Luke 5:20 "When Jesus saw their faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.'"
Luke 7:50: "Your faith has saved you."
John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 11:25: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."
John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
I asked for you to give me more examples where Jesus told people to obey the law to receive life. You reposted your one example. What do you think of my explanation of Matthew 19:16-26?

Quote:In Matthew 19:17 Jesus replies, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good." He is questioning why the man is asking about being good by the law when there is "only One" who can be--God. He then tests the man's faith. Instead of telling him to refrain from doing evil (which is what the Ten Commandments calls for) he asks the man to selflessly sell everything and trust in God to provide. The man's true heart shows through as he leaves without doing what his Lord asked. Jesus sums up the narrative in verse 26 saying, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

On the surface it can appear as if Jesus is telling the man to obtain salvation by works. But in the second half Jesus contradicts himself. He says that it is impossible for man to obtain salvation on his own. Jesus used what we call a teaching strategy. He told the man to keep the commandments, knowing full well the answer would be "I have kept them." Then he watched the man walk away, having obeyed the commandments, yet fallen short of eternal life. The man "lacked one thing" even though he kept the law.

(January 4, 2013 at 11:29 pm)RichardP Wrote: Paul, who came after him, never mentioned the Ten Commandments.

The words “commandments” and “law” are usually interchangeable. There are 103 occurrences of “law” (NIV) in Paul’s letters:
http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?sea...spanend=64

(January 5, 2013 at 4:59 am)Undeceived Wrote:

(January 4, 2013 at 11:29 pm)RichardP Wrote: When people would ask him what they should do to receive eternal life he would tell them that they should obey the Ten Commandments.

Below are instances where Jesus preaches salvation by belief. How do you reconcile them with your claim that Jesus taught salvation by obeying commandments?
Luke 5:20 "When Jesus saw their faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.'"
Luke 7:50: "Your faith has saved you."
John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 11:25: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."
John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
I asked for you to give me more examples where Jesus told people to obey the law to receive life. You reposted your one example. What do you think of my explanation of Matthew 19:16-26?

I don't reconcile them. I don't believe that Jesus could magically "forgive" anybody of their sins. I find the whole idea of forgiveness by in imaginary friend absurd.

You know if I do something bad to a friend -- and then later apologize -- my friend can forgive me. They can let it go and rationalize away why I did something bad to them. "He was taking out his frustrations from a bad day at work." etc..

But let's say that instead I prayed to my imaginary friend to forgive me for what I had done to my friend. And I argued that my imaginary friend always forgives. SO I GOT FORGIVEN!!!!! Except my friend is still angry at me...... And I am not going to say that I'm sorry to that jerk! I can at least have a clear conscience because my imaginary friend forgive my "sin" so that I can go on to an imaginary life after death.

I suppose that you could argue that the "sins" that Jesus had forgiven were "spiritual sins" (Not going to church on Sunday, using "God" as a cuss word, etc.).

I've even had a "Christian" friend tell me "I can feel in my heart that Jesus has forgiven me for what I did -- why can't you forgive me too?" Her imaginary friend forgave her... I didn't know whether to be annoyed or to feel sorry for her.

I see a real inconsistency between what Jesus preached and the supernatural miracles attributed to him. It is like a plot hole in a movie, or a story that you have written.

(January 5, 2013 at 4:59 am)Undeceived Wrote:

Quote:In Matthew 19:17 Jesus replies, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good." He is questioning why the man is asking about being good by the law when there is "only One" who can be--God. He then tests the man's faith. Instead of telling him to refrain from doing evil (which is what the Ten Commandments calls for) he asks the man to selflessly sell everything and trust in God to provide. The man's true heart shows through as he leaves without doing what his Lord asked. Jesus sums up the narrative in verse 26 saying, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

On the surface it can appear as if Jesus is telling the man to obtain salvation by works. But in the second half Jesus contradicts himself. He says that it is impossible for man to obtain salvation on his own. Jesus used what we call a teaching strategy. He told the man to keep the commandments, knowing full well the answer would be "I have kept them." Then he watched the man walk away, having obeyed the commandments, yet fallen short of eternal life. The man "lacked one thing" even though he kept the law.

Again there is an inconsistency between the first part of what Jesus preached and the second part when he started talking about supernatural stuff. I can believe that somebody added the second part in later.

(January 5, 2013 at 9:05 am)RichardP Wrote:

(January 5, 2013 at 4:59 am)Undeceived Wrote: Below are instances where Jesus preaches salvation by belief. How do you reconcile them with your claim that Jesus taught salvation by obeying commandments?
Luke 5:20 "When Jesus saw their faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.'"
Luke 7:50: "Your faith has saved you."
John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 11:25: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."
John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
I asked for you to give me more examples where Jesus told people to obey the law to receive life. You reposted your one example. What do you think of my explanation of Matthew 19:16-26?

I don't reconcile them. I don't believe that Jesus could magically "forgive" anybody of their sins.

So you accept the part(s) where Jesus seems to teach the commandments and reject the countless more times where he teaches belief because they seem "absurd" to you? Your Jesus is a theoretical one. Mine is the biblical one. It's no wonder we don't see eye to eye. Tell me, what makes God's moral judgment absurd in your eyes? You confessed the virtues of not stealing, not committing adultery, honoring parents and so on. God decreed a law that anyone breaking a commandment (doing evil) would deserve death. If you were in a position where you deserved death, would you accept God's forgiveness?

(January 5, 2013 at 2:12 pm)Undeceived Wrote:

(January 5, 2013 at 9:05 am)RichardP Wrote: I don't reconcile them. I don't believe that Jesus could magically "forgive" anybody of their sins.

So you accept the part(s) where Jesus seems to teach the commandments and reject the countless more times where he teaches belief because they seem "absurd" to you? Your Jesus is a theoretical one. Mine is the biblical one. It's no wonder we don't see eye to eye. Tell me, what makes God's moral judgment absurd in your eyes? You confessed the virtues of not stealing, not committing adultery, honoring parents and so on. God decreed a law that anyone breaking a commandment (doing evil) would deserve death. If you were in a position where you deserved death, would you accept God's forgiveness?

As an asside, a little advice. If you want your discription under your avatar where it reads "religious views" to be accurate, it should read " Convinced of Christ through bad reasons".

(January 5, 2013 at 2:12 pm)Undeceived Wrote:

(January 5, 2013 at 9:05 am)RichardP Wrote: I don't reconcile them. I don't believe that Jesus could magically "forgive" anybody of their sins.

So you accept the part(s) where Jesus seems to teach the commandments and reject the countless more times where he teaches belief because they seem "absurd" to you? Your Jesus is a theoretical one. Mine is the biblical one. It's no wonder we don't see eye to eye. Tell me, what makes God's moral judgment absurd in your eyes? You confessed the virtues of not stealing, not committing adultery, honoring parents and so on. God decreed a law that anyone breaking a commandment (doing evil) would deserve death. If you were in a position where you deserved death, would you accept God's forgiveness?

Would I play make believe that an imaginary God was going to forgive me? I don't know. I am quite sure that it wouldn't make any difference. I don't think that God could judge me any more than Thor, or Zeus, or Joseph Smith. Now if you define God abstractly as goodness, happiness, joy, pleasure, love -- then I might have to agree that "God" exists.

Incidentally the Bible being the "Bible" there are a number of places in the Old Testament where they say there is no life after death. I am sure that you can counter that with others that argue that there is life after death however -- for what it is worth -- here they are:

(This is from a Jehovah's Witness pamphlet. Surprisingly they don't believe in life after death. But they do believe in resurrection of the elect..."

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES: At death, humans cease to exist. "The dead are conscious of nothing at all." states Ecclesiastes 9:5. "Since the dead cannot know, feel, or experience anything, they cannot harm -- or help -- the living.." -- Psalm 146: 3-4

See also Genesis 3:19 and Ecclesiastes 9:6-10

(January 5, 2013 at 4:59 am)Undeceived Wrote:

Quote:In Matthew 19:17 Jesus replies, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good." He is questioning why the man is asking about being good by the law when there is "only One" who can be--God. He then tests the man's faith. Instead of telling him to refrain from doing evil (which is what the Ten Commandments calls for) he asks the man to selflessly sell everything and trust in God to provide. The man's true heart shows through as he leaves without doing what his Lord asked. Jesus sums up the narrative in verse 26 saying, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

On the surface it can appear as if Jesus is telling the man to obtain salvation by works. But in the second half Jesus contradicts himself. He says that it is impossible for man to obtain salvation on his own. Jesus used what we call a teaching strategy. He told the man to keep the commandments, knowing full well the answer would be "I have kept them." Then he watched the man walk away, having obeyed the commandments, yet fallen short of eternal life. The man "lacked one thing" even though he kept the law.

It sounds to me like Jesus was trying to get the guy to join him and become a follower. If he got rid of all of his stuff he would be totally committing himself to joining Jesus -- since he would have nothing to go back to.

(January 4, 2013 at 11:29 pm)RichardP Wrote: Paul, who came after him, never mentioned the Ten Commandments.

The words “commandments” and “law” are usually interchangeable. There are 103 occurrences of “law” (NIV) in Paul’s letters:
http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?sea...spanend=64
[/quote]

Yes but where did he ever spell them out? Paul seemed to view the Ten Commandments with contempt:

Galatians 3:10-14

10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” 13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”[d] 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.


Ever try asking the average Christian or Catholic what the Ten Commandments are? They don't even know all Ten Commandments. But try asking them about some passage in the New Testament and they can tell you everything about it.

Try asking a Jew, even a little kid, what the Ten Commandments are, and he will rattle them off in 2 seconds.

I would have thought that the Christians would teach that Christians should learn the Ten Commandments and try to obey them, and if they break one of them they should pray to God for forgiveness and pray that they might not commit that sin again.

It was not Jesus who taught that you did not have to try and keep the Ten Commandments. That was all Paul! Remember Jesus even narrowed the list down to the more important ones: Don't kill, don't steal, don't cheat on your wife, don't malign anyone, and try to show a little compassion for your neighbor.

I would say that there is a huge difference between what Jesus taught and what Paul taught. And I would say that there is a HUGE difference between what Jesus Christ taught and what the modern day Christians teach. They teach some sort of schizophrenic "relationship" with an imaginary friend who talks to them inside their head and gives them guidance. Have you ever heard of psychopathic killers who argue that they got a message from Jesus to kill the people? Hmmm... I wonder where that line of thinking came from? Now was killing those people a violation of the Ten Commandments? Hmmm... even though the guy was crazy doesn't modern Christianity support that sort of insanity?

How the hell can the modern Christians follow the Ten Commandments if they don't even know what the hell they are?

(January 6, 2013 at 8:10 pm)RichardP Wrote: Ever try asking the average Christian or Catholic what the Ten Commandments are? They don't even know all Ten Commandments.

You make a very general statement that is not altogether accurate or fair. In my experience, people know what's right and what's wrong. That is all the Ten Commandments are. They aren't some magical code that, if people follow them, they will be upright citizens. Jesus upheld the "spirit of the law," telling people to love God and love their neighbor. He hit the root of human behavior. If you don't love, you won't do good for long. Goodness has to come from the inside out. That's why "any average Christian" will be able to tell you about a NT verse on love--because love is more important than knowing rules. Rules are mere knowledge. Love is the driving force for good. And the ultimate model for love is Jesus' sacrifice--a righteous, perfect God dying for his destructive, disobedient creation.

(January 6, 2013 at 8:10 pm)RichardP Wrote: It was not Jesus who taught that you did not have to try and keep the Ten Commandments. That was all Paul!

Neither said you did not have to try. Paul writes in Romans 3:28-31:
"For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law."
Romans 6:1-4:
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
Trying is a wonderful pursuit. That is why God makes us a "new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17) through his death, so we have the inner desire to do good deeds.