Sinless?? Perfect??
A lot of people have problems with grace when we discuss sinless-ness and perfection. Part of the finished work of the cross. The gospel is after all referred to as a stumbling block by Paul so this is only natural. It was hard for the Jews who were stuck in their own ways of ritual sacrifices and offerings to sanctify and cleanse themselves to get past the once and for all sacrifice that is the cross. The cross is opposed to all our modern day “self-help”, “clean up your own act”, “do it yourself”, “earn your holiness”, “climb your way into heaven” theology.
Under the old covenant the Jews lived lives under the law and had this constant struggle with sin where they would be doing great then they would mess up and have to ask for forgiveness offer some burnt offering or animal sacrifice to atone for it and make themselves clean again. Since in our days killing animals has been deemed inhumane this practice was forced to undergo s few changes in modern times. Christians in modern days are on spiritual high’s for a little while, but then they mess up and beat themselves up before the Lord, tell Him how much of a horrible sinner they are, and then plead and beg for his forgiveness under the condition they abstain from the act in the future. A process of sanctification before God which is widely accepted among most Christian believers. It is no different from the life that we once had in the old covenant.
The bible says that Jesus “took away the sin of the world” and “put away sin” (see john 1:29 and hebrews 9:26) both imply that for believers there is no longer any sin in their lives. Jesus did not come just to cover up your sin or dust it under the rug, He came to completely eradicate it out of the believers life, to set them free once and for all. Nothing but the blood of Jesus washes us clean (not your prayers or your legalism) and to try to sanctify ourselves continually would be to say that Jesus sacrifice wasn’t enough or He needed to die more than once. Jesus was in reality the once and for all sacrifice.
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” -Matthew 5:48
Jesus commands us to be perfect so if you have a problem with us being perfect then you probably are rebelling against who God has made you to be. You once were a broken sinner, but now you are the righteousness of God made whole by Jesus sacrifice. If you live your life with the mindset of a broken sinner then your actions will follow. Our old sinful nature was crucified and buried with Christ two thousand years ago and three days later a new creation arose that was righteous and perfect.
I grew up most of my life thinking that I had this sinful nature so I would always deal with sin (we are only human after all). A lie that I was force fed. There are two problems here. One the only reason this thinking exists is because in the past people have experienced sin after knowing Jesus so they built up a theology around failures. Not cool. The second problem is that it neglects the finished work of the cross and makes it an incomplete deal. Equal not cool. If we would just believe that we are who Jesus made us to be and it starts now and not on some second coming we would manifest the promise of righteousness. Faith manifests the promises of God so if you believe he took away your sin and made you the righteousness of God you will see it. On the contrary if you believe you’re a sinner and will always be until Jesus returns and slays some awful dragon while judging everyone you don’t like you will try your best to be a good little boy or girl but fail miserably in the process. Law increases sin ever time. That’s why Paul said the law was added that sin might abound. Will power can’t get you there. Just rest in the righteousness that you already have and don’t have to earn. Know that you are a holy new creation and that naughtiness isn’t who you are anymore. You have been made classy so don’t live trashy. Grace will not make you sin more. The law does a good enough job of that. The bible is clear grace does the opposite and teaches us to do good. ”For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” -Titus 2:11-12
More good news even if you act trashy it wont change who you are! You are still sinless. Not only did Jesus do what no man could do, but he also did what no man can undo. If a king acts in ways less than reputable and doesn’t fulfill his duties as a king it doesn’t change the fact he is a king. Someone just needs to remind the king who he is. Grace and peace. Love you all.
