They Will Live In Glory With Christ

"For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing." Romans 7.19

My parents were raised in the Wesleyan holiness movement, the Nazarene Church. Aside from the fact I know I'd be a terrible Nazarene (I drink and smoke, but I don't chew. However, I might go with girls who do), I don't believe anyone would actually be good a Nazarene. I have a memory of conversation with my dad where he mentioned that if the second work of grace, where a believer attains freedom from all known sin, was true, he didn't expect to have it. He's certainly not alone. I think that the scriptures themselves militate against this idea. I hold Paul's experience in Romans 7 to be the experience of the post-conversion Paul, and then there's the testimony of John that would seem to call this idea into question. I believe that repentance is the posture of the believer. From conversion to death, the life of the believer is gospel-oriented. Repentance and the forgiveness of sin is a daily reality for the Christian.

Rosaria Butterfield discusses this in her new book, Openness Unhindered. You cannot read either of her books and come away thinking she believes the Christian life is anything other than messy. In chapter three of her new book, "Repentance", she discusses this idea at greater length. One passage in particular stood out.

"Because of our fallen natures, we expect that we will be repenting of sin until glory. But repentance is not simply proof of failure. It is, more importantly, a sign of God's hand upon us. It is conversion proof, as only a saved person can repent of sin." (pp. 63-64)

Her point here is a rather important one. While the remnant of sin in our lives can be discouraging to us as we long for freedom from sin, the simple fact that we hate our sin is a confirmation of regeneration. The unregenerate do not mourn sin for it's own sake. They might mourn the consequences of sin, but not the sin itself. The desire to not sin and the repentance that follows are signs of the Spirit's work in us. This is a great encouragement to a great sinner like me.

For years I was under the false impression that believers wouldn't struggle with certain sins, or that definitive progress in quitting certain sins was expected. This lie nearly destroyed my faith. If believers got better, and I didn't, obviously I didn't have faith. At least not strong enough faith. Growing up, summer camp after summer camp, I sought after some conversion experience that would change my life. I was "sold out for Jesus" every time, ready to seriously commit myself to him every camp, but it never lasted. Inevitably I would come home, slip right back into patterns of sin and be defeated. I didn't want to sin, but I kept sinning. Thankfully, I learned that the struggle with sin is a part of the believer's life. Victory over sin is found in the finished work Christ, not in our own obedience and good works. This is the gospel.

This gospel is not just how we get saved, it is how we live every day. Until we die and are with Christ in heaven, there will be sin in our lives. However, until we die, there will always be a longing to please Christ and a discontent when we fail to do so. We will always have sin in our lives, but we will never be able to sin with our whole hearts; believers cannot sin with their whole hearts. In regeneration, the law of God is removed from the tablets of stone and written on our very hearts, the very Spirit of God is put inside of us.

This is great news for the believer. It means that even though sin still rages in our lives, it is a defeated enemy. It is not defeated by our strength. Sin and death were defeated by Christ on the cross. In baptism we are united to Christ and his death on the cross. Christ also rose from the dead and all those who have been united to Christ in his death are also united to him in his resurrected life. We are resurrected now in regeneration, and we will be physically resurrected at the last day, in the consummation of all things. The desire to be freed from sin is a sign of our resurrection now, it a token of the life to come when we will walk in perfect holiness, when we will be with our God. So take encouragement when you mourn your sin. The struggle with sin is a sign of life. Blessed are those who mourn their sin, for they will live in glory with Christ.