On one hand we have the religious legalism of
trying to keep the works of the Law, and on the other hand we have the
mistaken “license to go on sinning.”
Neither one is an appropriate response to the Sin problem.
So what is the
answer?
John, as an Apostle to “the circumcision,” writes
to Israel to addresses this
issue. “My little children, I write you these
things so that you may not violate God’s law and
sin…” (1John 2:1a (AMP). If we are honest we might reply as follows. “Wait a minute! Me, “not Sin”? That’s
impossible. I could never attain that standard!”
That’s right. Trying to attain that standard only
makes us realize our utter hopelessness and inability to reach perfection. “We”
are never and will never be good enough in and of ourselves.
Those who attempt this approach will only find themselves mired in a
miserable existence of Sin-consciousness ,with the guilt, shame, and the
insecurity that it brings. For these heart-aching, guilt-ridden, shame-covered
prodigal children of God, the elderly Apostle John continues by lighting a
candle of hope: “But if anyone should sin,
we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the
Father—[it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous [upright, just, Who
conforms to the Father’s will in every purpose, thought, and action]. 1
John 2:1 (AMP)
Picture this - the courtroom is packed for your
trial. The prosecutor has a water-tight case against you. Not only does he have
witnesses who saw you in the act, but he has your own confession of guilt. There
is no way on earth the Judge could justly hand down any other verdict but “Guilty as charged.” But this court is
not on earth; it is in heaven.
Enter the Defense for you. He has no volumes of
evidence to present on your behalf. He has no witnesses to affirm your
innocence. All He has is scars—in
His hands and in his feet—scars from a Roman cross where he took the blame
for your Sin, and paid your penalty in full. This is all the evidence
he needs to present to the Judge.
Because
of Christ’s substitutionary death for us, we
are pardoned. It is not because we are something or were something, but
that our God was gracious in sending His Son to die for us. It is not because we
were lovely, but that our God loved us and bestowed his grace upon us in the per
son of His Son. Grace does not boast in me and say, “What a good person I am.” Rather, it
glories in Christ, and declares, “What a great God I
have!”
Realizing all that He has done for us, then how
can we possibly then take a license to
sin; the cross stands between the believer and his sinning. It is our
co-death “in Christ” that has freed us from Sin’s former power and dominion over
us.
"What shall we say, then? Shall we continue
in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to
sin, live any longer therein? ... Our old man [nature] has been
crucified with Him... that henceforth we should not serve sin... For he that
is dead is freed from sin (Sin’s dominion)…let not sin therefore reign
in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof;
neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves to God,
as those who are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness unto God" (Rom. 6:1, 2, 6-7, 12, 13).