Biblical Salvation 5

5. From Theory to Practice

It is fairly clear in theory that the New Testament teaches that Christians are supposed to be consistently victorious over the temptation to sin. But even if we did not look any more at the New Testament, we would all affirm that this theory doesn't always make it to our practice.

1 John 2:1-2 powerfully attest to this fact:

"My children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. And if someone should sin, we have an advocate with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous one. And he himself is an atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only our sins, but even for the sins of the whole world."

Similarly, in the middle of Paul's presentation of the powerful truth of victory over slavery to sin, Paul writes,

"Do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies so that you obey its desires" (Rom. 6:12).

Willful sin remains a possibility for believers, even if they have the Spirit. While we should be free from the power sin can have over our mortal bodies, in a sense, the power of sin is only as far away as our bodies, just as victory over sin is only as far away as the Holy Spirit.

The Corinthian church provides us with a helpful, although unfortunate example of the fact that Christians can be torn between "flesh" and "spirit." On the one hand, Paul refers to the members of this church as "sanctified" (1 Cor. 1:2)--they belong to God and are set apart by the Spirit as His. They are the "temple of God," and "the Spirit of God dwells in you" (1 Cor. 16).

Yet at the same time, they were fleshly:

"I was not able to speak to you as to spiritual people but as to people made of flesh, babies in Christ. I gave you milk to drink and not solid food, for you were not yet able. Even now you are not able [to stomach it]. For you are still fleshly" (1 Cor. 3:1-3).

While the Corinthians claimed to be spiritual, Paul makes it clear that they are not really.

What did their fleshliness look like? It looked like the deeds of the flesh Paul mentions in Galatians 5:19-21.

"You are still fleshly. For when there is jealousy and strife, are you not fleshly and walking on a human level?" (1 Cor. 3:3).

Here we have a sharp point of dissonance between where the Corinthians were and where they needed to be. Paul encourages them to "become what they are."

Again, we should not think of their fleshliness in terms of passing desires or of thoughts swirling around in their minds. 1 Corinthians is a testimony to the concrete ways in which jealousy and strife were showing themselves in the every day lives of the church.

Historically, various traditions have taken different approaches to the question of "becoming what you are" in Christ. Among those with an optimistic view of God's power over sin, some have still seen the Christian life as an endless struggle between a desire to sin and God's power over temptation (Keswick). John Wesley had some days of optimism, in which he taught a person could in God's timing deliver you even from an orientation toward sinning.<1> On his pessimistic days, he might see this moment just before death. Phoebe Palmer in the 1800's argued for a "shorter way." She saw God's removal of the bent toward sin as a matter of faith that a Christian might appropriate almost immediately after coming to Christ.

All these discussions go well beyond anything a New Testament author would recognize. Paul was dealing with someone who wanted to do good but couldn't, not with someone who could do good, but had a part that didn't want to. Nevertheless, these traditions bespeak a common truth: that God can make you consistently victorious over sin in this life and that He can even change a person's bent toward sin.

Some testify to an instantaneous moment when they experienced an empowerment over sin of immense proportions, a time when after long struggling with the desire for sin they were freed and empowered. Others would attest to a gradual empowerment over certain desires and struggles over time. Regardless of the path, the destination is clear--God can and wants to give us the power to defeat sin in our lives, whatever its form.

God will scarcely do this work for us unless we are a "fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ," to use a phrase made popular by Bill Hybels at Willow Creek Community Church. The first step in power over sin is to surrender our lives as best we know how to God. Sure, new things will enter our lives--we will need to surrender those as they arise. And from time to time we might struggle again with things over which we had previously seen victory--we must surrender them again. But God will only "fill" those parts of our lives that we have made available to Him.

But ultimately, power over sin and an orientation toward righteousness is not something we can do in our own power. Becoming a "fully empowered follower of Jesus Christ" is only something God can do for us through His Holy Spirit. This is a matter of faith and, as we will see, usually involves God's church.

"Therefore, in the light of God's mercy, I urge you, brothers, to be presenting your bodies as a living sacrifice, well pleasing to God, your appropriate service of worship. And stop being conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind so that you can demonstrate what the will of God is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will" (Rom. 12:1-2).

<1> I am indebted to Dr. Chris Bounds of Indiana Wesleyan University for this breakdown of movements in the Wesleyan tradition.