Paul's Passing Thoughts

Yup, we’re all just filthy scum…Now go have a happy “cross-centered” day!

Originally published January 5, 2017

Focusing on sin is all the rage among “christians” today.  Is it any wonder?  The “cross-centered” orthodoxy teaches that the more one gains a deeper understanding of their sinfulness, the more they gain a greater understanding of God’s holiness and a realization of what a great price was paid for their salvation, making the cross bigger.

So are you bothered by the realization that you continue to screw up in life?  Well, you should be.  After all, you are just a dirty, rotten, totally depraved sinner.  But don’t worry, the Bible is full of dirty, rotten, totally depraved sinners, and it worked out for them just fine!

That should make us feel better right?  Yet the number of “christians” who lack assurance of their salvation is pandemic.  However, the problem is not that “christians” don’t focus enough on their sin.  The problem is not that they are not living “cross-centered” lives enough.  In fact, such behavior is only going to exacerbate the problem.  Constant introspection on sin only produces fear.  Most christians’ lives are characterized by a fear of whether or not they are living “cross-centered” at any given moment.  Rather than showing love to God and others by aggressivly pursuing obedience as the Bible commands, they are paralyzed in their continual self-enslavement to sin.

Protestants like to go around saying “Man has a sin problem”.  My counter to that is, no, the problem is not man’s sin, the problem is his realtionship to the law!

Careful study of scripture reveals that there are two perspectives on sin and the law instead of the single-perspective that has been propagated by protestant orthodoxy for over 500 years. For an unbeliever who is “under law” (the biblical definition of an unregenerate person), the law is used to judge a person to eternal condemnation.  Romans 8:2 calls this “the law of sin and death.”

But for the person who is born again, the law can no longer condemn (Romans 8:1) because the old man has been put death (you cannont condemn a dead man). In his place is a new creature who is the literal righteous offspring of the Father. The law has a new purpose.  Romans 8:2 calls this “the law of the spirit of life.”  The law is now used as the means by which the believer shows love to God and to others.

Yeah, I know, it’s that pesky cross chart again.

Dwelling on sin leads to fear of condemnation because sin uses the law for that purpose.  So when we dwell on sin, we are willingly empowering a Sin master from whom we were freed when we were born again.  But this is exactly what protestant orthodoxy does; it keeps a believer under law and under constant fear of condemnation.  Is it any wonder why “christians” constantly function like the unregenerate?

A born again believer does not sin.  Not only that, he CANNOT sin (1 John 3:9).  Sin has to do with condemnation, and the believer is not condemned because there is no law to condemn him.  Since there is no law to condemn, there is no sin!  To the extent that he obeys the law or not is irrelevant.  He is no longer condemned.  His motivation is not one of seeking to merit righteousness.  He already IS righteous.  His motivation is a desire to express his love for God and others.   At worst, he simply fails to show love as he should.  It does not affect the reality of his righteous state as God’s child!

~ Andy

Yup, we’re all just filthy scum…Now go have a happy “cross-centered” day!

Focusing on sin is all the rage among “christians” today.  Is it any wonder?  The “cross-centered” orthodoxy teaches that the more one gains a deeper understanding of their sinfulness, the more they gain a greater understanding of God’s holiness and a realization of what a great price was paid for their salvation, making the cross bigger.

So are you bothered by the realization that you continue to screw up in life?  Well, you should be.  After all, you are just dirty rotten totally depraved sinner.  But don’t worry, the Bible is full of dirty rotten totally depreaved sinners, and it worked out for them just fine!

That should make us feel better right?  Yet the number of “christians” who lack assurance of their salvation is pandemic.  However, the problem is not that “christians” don’t focus enough on their sin.  The problem is not that they are not living “cross-centered” lives enough.  In fact, such behavior is only going to exacerbate the problem.  Constant introspection on sin only produces fear.  Most christians’ lives are characterized by a fear of whether or not they are living “cross-centered” at any given moment.  Rather than showing love to God and others by aggressivly pursuing obedience as the Bible commands, they are paralyzed in their continual self-enslavement to sin.

Protestants like to go around saying “Man has a sin problem”.  My counter to that is, no, the problem is not man’s sin, the problem is his realtionship to the law!

Careful study of scripture reveals that there are two perspectives on sin and the law instead of the single-perspective that has been propagated by protestant orthodoxy for over 500 years. For an unbeliever who is “under law” (the biblical definition of an unregenerate person), the law is used to judge a person to eternal condemnation.  Romans 8:2 calls this “the law of sin and death.”

But for the person who is born again, the law can no longer condemn (Romans 8:1) because the old man has been put death (you cannont condemn a dead man). In his place is a new creature who is the literal righteous offspring of the Father. The law has a new purpose.  Romans 8:2 calls this “the law of the spirit of life.”  The law is now used as the means by which the believer shows love to God and to others.

Yeah, I know, it’s that pesky cross chart again.

Dwelling on sin leads to fear of condemnation because sin uses the law for that purpose.  So when we dwell on sin, we are willingly empowering a Sin master from whom we were freed when we were born again.  But this is exactly what protestant orthodoxy does; it keeps a believer under law and under constant fear of condemnation.  Is it any wonder why “christians” constantly function like the unregenerate?

A born again believer does not sin.  Not only that, he CANNOT sin (1 John 3:9).  Sin has to do with condemnation, and the believer is not condemned because there is no law to condemn him.  Since there is no law to condemn, there is no sin!  To the extent that he obeys the law or not is irrelevant.  He is no longer condemned.  His motivation is not one of seeking to merit righteousness.  He already IS righteous.  His motivation is a desire to express his love for God and others.   At worst, he simply fails to show love as he should.  It does not affect the reality of his righteous state as God’s child!

~ Andy