Disgrace To Grace is a series of articles written to debunk doctrines that I believe have hijacked the Good News of God’s outrageous grace. Here’s #4, enjoy!
Prone to Sin
I grew up believing that at the core of my existence, I was prone to sin. Therefore, I believed I would spend my entire life “dying daily” and fighting against my own evil desires. In Heaven—sure, I could be finally free from sin. But here on earth? No way. I was destined to fight against sin for my entire life.
My life radically changed when God helped me to see the truth—that I am not prone to sin.
God helped me see that through His Son I was not a sinner, but a saint; not evil, but good; not corrupt, but righteous.
This radically changed everything I thought I knew about Christianity. Actually, this revelation has been arguably the most life-changing revelation I have learned over the last five years. It changed my theology, my mindset, and my relationship with God.
The mindset that says “you will always struggle with sin” is a major disgrace to grace. Jesus died to set us free from sin, not just to get us into Heaven. So here are three powerful thoughts, along these lines, to help you see that you too are free from sin.
Free From Sin
Thought #1 – I am not what I do.
What you do does not define who you are. We like to label one another with titles based on actions, but scripturally it’s important to see that God does not operate like this.
God declares “those things that are not, as though they are.” 1 God’s declarations are creative in function, meaning they create the reality they declare. 2
Therefore, when the scriptures say we are righteous 3, holy 4, and new 5—God is not declaring a possibility, He is declaring the reality.
What God says you are, you are. You are defined by God, not by you. Your actions may look different than righteous, holy, and new but that does not change who you are. God defines you, period.
Thought #2 I am (already) dead.
We get the Pauline phrase “I die daily” horribly wrong in Christianity. What did Paul really mean when He wrote this?
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:31 that he “dies daily.” But don’t forget the context! Listen to what he writes just one verse prior. “Why are we also in danger every hour?” 6
Paul is not talking about spiritually beating himself up! He is literally saying that he is at risk of death every day for the sake of the Gospel! Elsewhere he boasts about how much he has suffered for the sake of the gospel 7.
We are not called to die daily. We are called to see that we have already died with Christ! 8
Thought #3 I am inherently good.
Our old sinful self is dead and gone. We do not have to fight an internal sin nature, because none exists. We are entirely free from the bondage of sin!
We are now inherently good!
We are good not because we have earned our own way into this goodness. We are good only because the work of Christ has made us good. No longer sinners prone to sin, we are saints prone to goodness!
Paul writes in Galatians 2:20 that “I have been co-crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The life I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God.”
Our old nature is dead with Christ—lost and gone forever. We are now sharing in the life of Christ Himself. Our nature is His nature! 9
The Successful Cross
The cross was a success. Jesus destroyed the sin nature, and removed it from us entirely. We are free from sin, no longer prone to sin. We are prone to righteousness, goodness, and holiness!
Stop trying to work your way into righteousness, and just trust in the righteousness of Christ. Trust in the success of the cross, and the finished work of Christ!
What do you think? Do you believe you are “prone to sin” or “prone to righteousness”? Leave me a comment below!
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Notes:
- Romans 4:17 ↩
- Genesis 1:3—God spoke, and it was. ↩
- Romans 3:22 ↩
- 1Peter 2:9 ↩
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 ↩
- vs. 30 NASB ↩
- 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 ↩
- The Scriptural evidence for our death, in the past tense, is overwhelming. To name a few verses see: Galatians 2:20, Romans 6 (11 times Paul mentions your death here!), 2 Corinthians 5:14, and Colossians 3. ↩
- Partakers of the divine nature, 2 Peter 1:4 ↩