Holiness
So is there no difference in the Christian and the unbeliever since we both sin except for the fact that we are now accepted by God? When we accept Christ as our Savior by faith, our souls are “born again.” We are “set free” from our bondage to sin. Sin no longer is our master.
Sin is the puppeteer of those who refuse to accept Christ. Unbelievers are deceived into falsely thinking that they are exerting their freedom or independence (doing what they want to do) when they are, sadly, being manipulated by their puppet master. Sin holds us in bondage; Christ sets us free…not the other way around (like many people think).
Although Christians are not yet “perfected” or “sinless (in practice),” we are hopefully moving in that direction! We should become a little more like Christ every day, every year. Any particular sins should increasingly take a subservient role in our daily lives. Hopefully many are entirely annihilated.
Also, our goal is to assume the attributes of Christ Himself. We should love deeper, care more intensely, find more peace in our souls, experience unspeakable joy, and so on as we grow in faith. The popular bumper sticker speaks truth, “Not perfect; just forgiven.”
Besides Rahab, the “faith list” in Hebrews contains another person of questionable character. His name is Jephthah. I do not have time to reveal his miscues, but they were definitely “major league.” Yet he is mentioned among the faithful because he believed that God would use him as Israel’s leader to gain victory over the oppressing Ammonites.
All of the others on the list had their faults, including the most famous among them like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and King David. However they are also listed here because of their faith in God and His promises even though they struggled with ungodly character traits or at times succumbed to the temptation of some sin.
CONCLUSION
It reminds me of someone who is newly converted to Christ. He or she may be exuberant and full of faith, sincerely believing that God can and will do great things. Their faith may be more accurately classified as an immature faith at this time, but it is still faith. Nevertheless, he or she most likely needs some major changes to his/her lifestyle, attitude, habits, plans, and so forth.
He or she needs to overcome habitual sins and become more like Christ. This will take time. All of us are flawed. We are all failures. The major difference to me is the fact that one person with true faith is constantly striving to overcome his/her sins while the other is accepting, nurturing and enjoying their sins with no plans to cease and desist. Which are you?
So is there no difference in the Christian and the unbeliever since we both sin except for the fact that we are now accepted by God? When we accept Christ as our Savior by faith, our souls are “born again.” We are “set free” from our bondage to sin. Sin no longer is our master.
Sin is the puppeteer of those who refuse to accept Christ. Unbelievers are deceived into falsely thinking that they are exerting their freedom or independence (doing what they want to do) when they are, sadly, being manipulated by their puppet master. Sin holds us in bondage; Christ sets us free…not the other way around (like many people think).
Although Christians are not yet “perfected” or “sinless (in practice),” we are hopefully moving in that direction! We should become a little more like Christ every day, every year. Any particular sins should increasingly take a subservient role in our daily lives. Hopefully many are entirely annihilated.
Also, our goal is to assume the attributes of Christ Himself. We should love deeper, care more intensely, find more peace in our souls, experience unspeakable joy, and so on as we grow in faith. The popular bumper sticker speaks truth, “Not perfect; just forgiven.”
Besides Rahab, the “faith list” in Hebrews contains another person of questionable character. His name is Jephthah. I do not have time to reveal his miscues, but they were definitely “major league.” Yet he is mentioned among the faithful because he believed that God would use him as Israel’s leader to gain victory over the oppressing Ammonites.
All of the others on the list had their faults, including the most famous among them like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and King David. However they are also listed here because of their faith in God and His promises even though they struggled with ungodly character traits or at times succumbed to the temptation of some sin.
CONCLUSION
It reminds me of someone who is newly converted to Christ. He or she may be exuberant and full of faith, sincerely believing that God can and will do great things. Their faith may be more accurately classified as an immature faith at this time, but it is still faith. Nevertheless, he or she most likely needs some major changes to his/her lifestyle, attitude, habits, plans, and so forth.
He or she needs to overcome habitual sins and become more like Christ. This will take time. All of us are flawed. We are all failures. The major difference to me is the fact that one person with true faith is constantly striving to overcome his/her sins while the other is accepting, nurturing and enjoying their sins with no plans to cease and desist. Which are you?
