Is it that all we ever do is sin continously?

If all we ever do is sin continuously and so therefore we can do no good work, then faith in Christ is a sin. Beholding the satisfaction of the Father is a sin. Resting in the cross of Christ alone for our righteousness is sin. Offering the same kind of gifts of praise and thanks as Abel did is sin.
These guys who claim the justified elect can do no good works cut their own knees out from under them. - David Bishop

Wether the governing rulers are good or evil we are to be submissive

"In considering the duties enjoined in the apostolic Epistles, it is constantly to be kept in view that, while written on particular occasions, and addressed to particular churches, they are equally adapted, in the wisdom of God, to all times and circumstances. They are intended for the instruction and guidance of Christians in every country and every age, just as the Decalogue, though delivered to only one nation, and that only once, is binding on every nation under heaven, in every period, till ths end of time. Christians learn from at present from this passage the will of God respecting their duty to civil government, just as those to whom this Epistle was addressed. It is true that there is an innumerable variety of differences in circumstances; but this is nothing to the purpose. The things taught in these Epistles are in all circumstances duty. The Roman Christians were under a despotism, and those who read this Epistle may live under a free government. But the dury of obedience is in both cases the same. The powers are under both equally to be obeyed." -Robert Haldane, Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans, pg. 576

God's chastisement for his children

"But, as for afflictions, we must reply, firstly: although all affliction and death entered into the world by sin, God does not always have regard to our sins when He afflicts us. We establish this from the whole history of Job and elsewhere (John 9:3; 1 Pet 2:19; 3:14; James 1:2). But He has several other ends in view which tend to His glory and our profit, as we shall explain further on.
On the other side, when God afflicts Hus own for their sins, even if He comes to make them feel the pains of death (Job 13:15), He is not provoked to anger against them as a judge, to condemn them, but as a Father who is chastising His children in order to prevent them from perishing (2 Cor 6:9; Heb 12:6; 2 Sam 7:14), or to give an example to others (2 Sam 12:13, 14)."  - Theodore Beza, The Christian Faith, pg. 19



"Nor do the hidings of God's face from them after conversion, prove any change in his love to them; for though he hides his face from them, and forsakes them for a moment, in a little seeming wrath, to shew his resentment at their sins, to bring them to a sense of them, to humble them before him, and to cause them to seek his face and favour; yet with great mercies he gathers them again to himself, in the most tender manner, and with loving-kindness, has mercy on them; and, for the strengthening of their faith in his love, swears he will not be wroth with them; and declares his loving-kindness to be more immoveable than hills and mountains, Isa. liv. 7-10. Afflictions are no evidence of a change of affections to them; though he may thoroughly chastise them, and, as they may think, severely, yet he deals with them but as children; and, like Ephraim, they are his dear sons and daughters, and pleasant children, in whom he takes the utmost complacency and delight; chastenings are rather proofs of sonship, than arguments against it." -John Gill, The Body of Divinity, Pg. 39

This reminds me of the Westminster Confessions of Faith - Chapter 17


They, whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.
2. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.
3. Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; and, for a time, continue therein: whereby they incur God's displeasure, and grieve his Holy Spirit, come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts, have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded; hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.

Of course all of this reminds me of the Book of Hebrews in the Bible.

Who can bring any charge against God's elect?

"Let us therefore learn to reply in a different manner to the aforesiad argument of Satan. You say, Satan, that God is perfectly righteous and the avenger of all iniquity. - I confess it; but I add another property of His righteousness which you have left aside: since He is righteous, He is satisfied with having been paid once. You say next that I have infinite iniquities which deserve eternal death. - I confess it; but I add what you have maliciously omitted: the iniquities which are in me have been very amply avenged and punished in Jesus Christ who has borne the judgement of God in my place (Rom 3:25; 1 Pet 2:24). That is why I come to a conclusion quite different from yours. Since God is righteous (Rom 3:26) and does not demand payment twice, since Jesus Christ, God and man (2 Cor 5:19), has satisfied by infinite obedience (Rom 5:19; Phil 2:8) the infinite majesty of God (Rom 8:33), it follows that my iniquities can no longer bring me to ruin (Col 2:14); they are already blotted out and washed out of my account by the blood of Jesus Christ who was made a curse for me (Gal 3:13), and who righteous, died for the unrighteous (1 Pet 2:24)." - Theodore Beza, The Christian Faith, Pg. 18


The Christian's assurance is not based on their works or worthiness of God's grace or acceptance. The Christian's assurance is based on the sole object of Faith alone which is Christ alone. By Christ alone we are justified and saved by His imputed righteousness alone.

To believe one must have knowledge what to believe

"The Kingdom of God is not a Kingdom of ignorance, but of faith and, consequently, of knowledge; for it is beyond the ability of anyone to believe that which he is ignorant of." - Theodore Beza, Preface of Theodore Beza in The Christian Faith, pg. iv

Faith produces works not the other way around

"If the Scripture point forth the freedom of Divine grace, to the setting aside of all human distinctions, in such language as this, If any man will come after me; - If any man will be my disciple; - Let him that heareth say, Come; - And let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely; our preachers immediately put an emphasis of their own, a very impertinent one too, on the expression will,* and, accordingly, go about to limit the Divine grace to the better disposed part of mankind. But it would be endless to trace them in all their glosses on the sacred Scripture. In a word, when they read the various effects of faith recorded in Scripture, they persuade their hearers to labour to attain some shadow of these in their hearts, and then to work out faith as a prop to them all. - building downward to the foundation. And, indeed, the more seriously we consider the popular doctrine, we shall find the more reason to conclude it to be a castle in the air." - Robert Sandeman, Letters on Theron and Aspasio




In the footnote: * The deceit and falsehood of all such glosses on the Scripture will readily appear to us, if we can only attend to the meaning of one plain passage, wherein Jesus addresses the woman of Samaria thus: If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink; thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The knowledge here spoken of is saving faith. And this knowledge, which was never yet acquired by human endeavours, never yet sought, or in the remotest manner wished for by any unbeliever, is the only spring of all willing, wishing, desiring, asking, of every motion of the heart that is agreeable to God, and attended with a sense of his favour. This knowledge influencing the mind, is, in Scripture, called the new heart, the right spirit, new man, &c.


Also read Archibald Alexander:


"Much has been written about the various acts of faith; some making a greater and some a less number of essential acts; but although what they ascribe to faith belongs to its various actings, yet if we examine the matter more accurately, we shall find that faith is one simple exercise of the mind, including, however, both the understanding and will; and that all its various acts arise from the various truths brought into view. A full persuasion of the truth revealed, is faith, in every case; but when the truth believed is a divine promise, this persuasion is of the nature of trust or confidence. Most of the phrases which speak of faith are figurative, and express the common actings of Faith in allusion to some analogous thing. Thus receiving, flying for refuge, looking, coming, hungering, and thirsting, &c. are used to convey to our minds in an intelligible and striking manner, the exercises of a soul when it believes in Christ, but cannot be considered so many distinct acts. Of these figurative expression, no one is more frequently used, or better suited to express the whole of a genuine faith, than that of 'receiving' Christ. - Archibald Alexander, A treatise on Justification by Faith, pg. 43-44