If we are to think biblically about sin, then we must recognize that sin is not only discrete acts of disobedience but also the pollution of our (fallen) human nature and how that pollution affects our lives. Sin is not only what I do that I should not have done or what I have not done that I ought to do, it is also failing to desire, think, and be what I ought as an image-bearer of God, son of the Father, servant of Christ, and temple of the Holy Spirit. I have sinned and do sin, in many ways, but even when I am not conscious of specific acts of sin, I am still falling short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). I am not what I ought to be, even if I am forgiven by grace and accounted righteous through the work of Christ. Insofar as my heart, mind, and life fail to be fully conformed to the truth, beauty, and goodness of the Lord Jesus, I am still a sinner.
One mark of spiritual maturity is a heartfelt longing to be delivered from our lingering corruption. A new believer may wish to go to heaven rather than hell, their primary comfort to be delivered from wrath, but as he grows in grace, he will more and more long to be delivered from the wretchedness of his sinful flesh (Rom. 7:24). Sanctification, though continuous in this life, inevitably must remain incomplete until we enter glory. Only then will we finally see and be all that we ought. In this life we are called to die more and more unto sin and live more and more unto righteousness, but there will continue to be a lot of dying and living that remains to be done until we finally take our last breath in this mortal body.
Believers are, at the same time, righteous in Christ and sinners in the flesh. The apostle Paul did not confess that he was or used to be the foremost sinner of all (1Tim. 1:15). While fully forgiven and confident of God’s grace, the apostle identified himself as the first and worst sinner he knew, and so must we. Simul iustus et peccator. By grace we are forgiven sinners, but while in this life, we are sinners still.
Praise God that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. But saving grace does more than just pardoning us so that we will never enter hell. The work of Christ not only delivers believers from the guilt and punishment of sin but also from its tyrannical control over our lives. We confess that we are still sinners, but we are no longer defined by our sin. Our true identity is in Christ. Human nature has been renewed, even if not yet entirely restored. We partake of Christ’s life and righteousness (Rom. 5:12-21). Christians are the firstfruits of the new creation, the new human race, the sons and daughters of God.
Sanctification can be summarized as knowing who you are in Christ and acting like it. You are still a sinner, yes, but that is no longer your true identity. Your heart and mind are still polluted in many ways, to be sure, but that pollution no longer has power over you. You and I will still yield to our weaknesses, but we no longer have any necessity which compels us to do so. In the state of grace, believers are posse non peccare, able not to sin. You are a son of God, heir of Christ, vessel of the Holy Spirit, citizen of Zion, destined for glory. Sin has no power over you which you do not concede to it. The Devil cannot make you do anything. You may yield to your flesh, but there is no external or internal compulsion to do so. Thus the preacher to the Hebrews can exhort the congregation: “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:1-2). Fix your eyes on Jesus. Having been born again, you are dead to sin. Live as one who is alive in Christ.
It used to be that a man worked in the same industry and for the same company for thirty or forty years, but those days are long gone. The vast majority of workers will change employers multiple times in their career, and many of them will change industries and career fields. People talk about reinventing themselves, taking on a new adventure or making dramatic changes to improve their lives rather than being content with the status quo. Some of this talk may be worldly and selfish, but there is a legitimate way to appropriate, baptize, and apply this concept in relation to Christian sanctification.
You do not have to be what you always have been. Maybe you have always been an angry person or discontent and complaining or depressed and easily discouraged or full of lust and in bondage to pornography. You remain under the power of sin, not because you have not been set free, but because you do not realize you have been. Slaves who think of themselves as slaves will continue to live as such even after their emancipation. You may not have experienced the power of Christ’s resurrection life in relation to your besetting sins, but you can and should. You think these things cannot change. This is simply who you are, how you are, and what you always will be. But you died with Christ and rose to a new life. Repent, cry out to God, fix your eyes on Jesus, and start living according to what is true and not according to what always has been. Stop thinking and acting like a slave of sin. You’re not. Stop negotiating with weakness. Stop being lazy in the battle against your flesh. Stop making excuses for your disobedience. Christ did not die to leave you in bondage. He died to deliver you, and he did. Reimagine who you are and what your life can be, and pursue it. --JME
