Moment Zero

This is the final post on whether believers in Christ have a primary identity as a sinner. While there is much more to be said and an in-depth study of this topic would benefit all who do so, this is just a primer. My hope is that believers begin to see their relationship with God for what it is (objectively) not how it feels (subjectively). If for no other reason I did this for my church and myself. I want them to have a right view of themselves and grow in grace. Not a wrong view of themselves growing in morbid introspection.

At the end of the second post I mentioned that there were two other ways that God sees us. These are possibly the most important and should be seriously examined. They connect the dots to the relationship aspect that we have in Christ as well as the reward for those who persevere in the faith until the very end. We will also look at how we got to the place of having an identity primarily as sinners. In doing that we will also see why “sinners saved by grace” is true in one sense but is not necessarily a helpful category either.

Two of the most significant ways that God sees us are as sons and daughters and heirs with Christ. Let’s look at the scriptures to see this reality of who we are before God.

Sons and Daughters

This is called the doctrine of Adoption. It means that once you believe in Christ you are not just saved from God’s judgment of your sin, you are also in a loving relationship with him as a son or daughter. When people say, “Christianity is not a religion it’s a relationship,” this is the only way that could be true. This is, from God’s perspective, who we are.

Romans 8:15, 23

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

2 Corinthians 6:18

and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”

Galatians 4:5

5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Ephesians 1:5

5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Heirs

Deals with the reward that we receive for our faith in Jesus. Because he is the Son of God and he humbled himself to become and man and die in our place he receives a significant reward from the Father. We, by the grace of God get to share in that reward. Obviously not the fullness of it but we are co-heirs with Christ in receiving it.  

Romans 8:17

17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Galatians 3:29

29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Ephesians 3:6

6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Titus 3:7

7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Hebrews 6:17

17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,

James 2:5

5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

These are the primary ways that believers in Jesus (you and I) are seen by God. This is the whole point of the New Covenant (see post 1 http://curtisallen.net/post/14972173216/repost-new-covenant-people-old-covenant-thinking-pt-1)! We are children, sheep, saints, sons and daughters, and heirs with Christ. So how did we get to see ourselves primarily as sinners?

The identity of being a sinner over a saint

I think there are 3 things that contributed to this. The first is history. I will have the least to say about this but I think in the reformed tradition to understand salvation a person must have awareness that they are sinners in need of a savior. When John Calvin introduced total depravity, the knowledge of ones sinful state before God became evident. Since then many of the reformed theological bent have a view (biblical though) of themselves as sinners. But my concern is does scripture keep us in that state once we become believers?

The other thing that contributed to a view of being a sinner more than a saint is personal testimonies. We connect ourselves to how we became saved so often and we focus on our sin prior to Christ. We are aware of the sins we committed and we thank God that we are not going to receive the penalty for those sins. As well, our personal testimonies transfer over to our conversion. We still sin and we don’t necessarily feel like we are saints. Because of this, the fact that we are saints, heirs, and sons and daughters can be hard to come by. The reality is, though, that we are these things now. Like any other truth in scripture we have to fight to believe the ones that say who we are right now in Christ.

The last way (that I’m going to cover. There are plenty of other reasons that we have gotten to see ourselves are sinners more sons) that I think our sainthood got hijacked is other evangelical traditions. In the charismatic realm a lot of the sins that people do are blamed on the devil or demons. People often talk about a spirit of anger or lust or greed. Many charismatics believe repentance is casting out “those demons” etc. The problem with this thinking though is that outside of the gospels and Acts, we don’t see anything related to demons or the devil as the cause of our sin. In none of the other letters do we see Paul, Peter or James mentioning casting demons out of ourselves as a necessary responsibility of the Christian. The emphasis is always on motives, thoughts, words, and actions. We sin because we still have a sin nature within us. In response to this, many Christians didn’t want to blame Satan or demons for their sin. They wanted to take responsibility for their sin, if for no other reason, so that they could appreciate the grace of God more. Again much more could be said about this issue but that is not the NT identity of those who are current believers in Jesus Christ. 

Sinners saved by grace?

Yes and no. “Sinners saved by grace” is a description of your conversion. It is not the identity of the converted. In fact, sinner(s), when used in scripture is always connected to who people currently are because they reject Christ or who you formerly were before accepting Christ. It is not used as a current term to describe a person in Christ (I could get real logical here but I won’t. I was going to ask how could someone have union with Christ and still be seen by God as a sinner? But I’m not going to get into that.). Sinners saved by grace is true in one sense but not from an identity perspective. I would encourage you to look up when and where sinner(s) is used in the Epistles and see if you find the term used to speak of you in Christ. You’ll find one. James 4:8. And even that one has a context to it that may mean it is not that.

We are who we are because God did what he did. We have to live in the good of our new identity not in the bad of the old one.

Focusing on your sin as a new covenant believer is not an aspect of humility but futility. Some of the most well meaning believers I know have given their lives to pursuing humility and have thought to do so is equivalent to being aware of their sin constantly. It is in fact humble to think of yourself as the worse sinner, that is until it becomes the primary way you see yourself as a Christian. To see the fault in this emphasis on your own sin (thinking of yourself primary as a sinner) you have to understand what it means to be a Christian from God’s perspective.

A Christian From God’s Perspective

In order to have an appropriate view here we must begin where we ended in part one of this post. A Christian, from God’s perspective, is someone who is under a new covenantal relationship with him. A covenant is an agreement between two parties that each promises to fulfill. In terms more contemporary, a covenant is like a contract. In the ANE (Ancient Near East) it was essentially a bond made in blood. God made a Covenant with the nation of Israel after saving them from slavery in Egypt. For those who use covenantal language that covenant was called the Mosaic Covenant or the Law Covenant. The reason for this is the Ten Commandments were given to Israel under Moses’ leadership of Israel. He functioned as a mediator, meaning he was the person whom God spoke through to communicate to Israel. He is the one that speaks to God face to face on behalf of Israel. The Ten Commandments and the other aspects of civil, ceremonial, and moral law were conditions that the nation of Israel agreed to with God. They agreed to obey that law and God agreed to be their God, protecting them and providing for them.

Anyone remotely familiar with the OT knows that Israel did not and could not keep their end of the bargain. This resulted in the covenant being kept in the form of curses by God. If Israel disobeyed their contractual obligation to keep the whole law perfectly as they agreed to, God would judge them for being disobedient. Israel would come to their senses, seek to repent, and God would remove them from judgment only to have all of it happen all over again. That is until the New Covenant in Jesus Christ.

In Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36, God, through those prophets, predicts how people will be in the New Covenant. God guarantees that his people will keep the Law (Mosaic Covenant) fully. This means they will not sin. The confidence that God’s people will keep the law completely hinges on two things. The first is that God himself will fulfill man’s Mosaic covenantal obligation by obeying the law completely on our behalf. That is why Jesus came. Because of that, God will credit to all people—who believe in Jesus’ being able to satisfy the conditions of the law covenant—the reward for obeying the covenant perfectly. Since covenants are bonds made in blood, Jesus shed his blood for all of us who did not obey God perfectly and we are given the gift of salvation (saved) from the judgment for failing to obey God perfectly. This is essentially the gospel.

The second is God gives those who believe in Jesus the same Spirit (the Holy Spirit) that made it possible for Jesus to obey God perfectly. In each believer the Spirit of the living God is helping them to live more in imitation of Jesus as times goes on. Therefore, from God’s perspective those people are no longer sinners, in the sense that their primary identity is that. Instead God sees them as saints. Which brings us back to why an emphasis on sin is not the primary practice that New Covenant believers should have.

What the NT says about God’s people

Theologically, the term that has been used to described the relationship God has with his people in the NC (New Covenant) is union with Christ. Since we are given God’s Spirit and are credited with perfectly obeying the law, we are united in Christ in a real time-eternal loving-becoming like Jesus-relationship. Because we are united with Christ, God’s Son, God see us in almost every sense like he sees Jesus. There are obviously clear differences. That Father-Son relationship is totally different than our Father-sons and daughters relationship with God. But still, none of the NT language regarding people who believe in Jesus is anything close to being a sinner. Here are some of the ways God sees his people (you and I) in this new covenant.

Children

Romans 8:16-17

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Sheep

John 10:11-16 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold.

Hebrews 13:20 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,

Saints

Romans 1:7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Romans 8:27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Colossian 1:11-12 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

If these are the ways that God sees you, from his perspective in the new covenant, how is it possible that the primary identity we have is that we are sinners? In part three of this post I will show two more ways that God sees us in the new covenant in Jesus Christ. As well, answer how we got to this point and how we can get out of our primary identity as sinners. Also, we will look at why “sinners saved by grace” is true but not necessarily a helpful distinction.

From time to time I will read these Dear Abby columns and try to imagine that I am answering the person. I guess you could call this Dear Curty. I assume the people aren’t believers so I try to answer from a biblical perspective that could lead to the gospel. First is the real Dear Abby. Below would be how I think I would answer it.

DEAR ABBY: I dated a guy named “Jake” for two years. He was my first love and he meant everything to me. Well, things happened and he broke my heart. After a year of not really talking, Jake is now texting and calling to convince me to be his “friend with benefits.” He tries to sweet-talk me by calling me pet names. Of course, I say no over and over each time he asks on the phone. But the minute we come face-to-face or hang out, I just givein.

There will always be a soft spot for Jake in my heart, and I don’t know what to do. I want to stay friends because he’s important to me, but I don’t want to be his FWB. It brings back painful memories. How do I say no? Am I overreacting? Should I go with the flow because it’s not a big deal? I feel like I’m in a script for a bad movie. — WANTS TO MOVE ON

DEAR WANTS TO MOVE ON: Your ex-boyfriend appears to be a super salesman. The best way not to buy what he’s selling is not to listen to his pitch. The sooner you accept you can’t be “friends” because you lose control whenever you see him, the sooner you’ll be able to write a happy ending to this drama. As long as you sleep with Jake you will not be able to replace him with someone who can giveyou what you want and deserve, which is a real relationship.

Here is my answer

DEAR WANTS TO MOVE ON: Your ex-boyfriend appears to be super-selfish. And you appear to not care. Let me explain what I mean. Going only off of what you wrote here, there a few things wrong. The first is that this is the guy that broke your heart. You don’t indicate how but your language indicates that it was a painful for you. Then he just out of the blue calls you up and is trying to convince to you to be “friends with benefits.” Translation, “I want to have sex with you so I can feel good. I don’t really care how it affects you as long as I can get what I want from you. I will even use pet names to manipulate you so I can get what I want. As long as you’re willing to give in, I am going to keep manipulating you for my own gain.” This is the behind the scenes motive of what is going on here.  His sweet talk is really poison and you’re letting him do this to you. Do you see that?

You obviously have an emotional attachment for him and he is using that to his advantage. You have to be honest with yourself here. Do you want to be used by him until he is tired of you and breaks your heart again? You asked, “Should I go with the flow because it’s not a big deal?” This question is part of the self-deception that you have that you have to realize. It is definitely a “big deal” to you! You said it brings back painful memories for you. This, if for no other reason, is the answer to “how do I say no?” You say no because it hurts you when you say yes. This guy doesn’t care about you. I know that’s hard to hear because you’ll always have a soft spot in your heart for him but he doesn’t have one for you. You have to say no to him. If you lack the self-control when you’re around then don’t be around him. The fact that you give in to him says more about you then it does about him and his game. It’s obvious you’re hurting. What may not be obvious to you is who the right person is to help you stop hurting. And believe me it’s not Jake.

There is only one person I know that can relate to you better than anyone else. You have been rejected. Possibly betrayed. You have been used and you probably feel alone. Your heart has been broken and you want someone to be there for you. You need someone who has you’re best interest at heart not their own. You need someone who really does care about you and the benefits that are given because you are friends comes from him not from you. The only guy I know who can relate to you and help you is Jesus. That may sound weird but Jesus was also rejected, taken advantage of, betrayed and felt alone. When he hung on a cross, almost everyone whom he loved had left him, even his own Father. But that was only because of the very selfishness that all people do (like Jake, you, me and everybody that has ever lived).

There is one relationship that we are all supposed to have and that is a relationship with God. But we selfishly refuse that. We have, simply by doing things like FWB, said to God, “even though you created me and love me, I care more about people who want to hurt me (like Jake) then I do you who made me to know you and live for you.” You have hurt God more than Jake has hurt you, so God sent his own Jesus to live the way you and I were supposed to live. Because God loves you so much he even allowed Jesus to take the penalty for the selfishness (among many things) that Jake, you and I deserve. That’s what the cross is. All God asks is that we choose to have a real relationship with him by believing in Jesus. This means learning about him, listening to him, acting like him, and being around other people who are doing the same. This is the relationship you and Jake are supposed to have. Not a selfish sexual one with each other, but a loving faithful one to God through Jesus. I guarantee that being his friend has far better benefits. 

It hit me. I was just through TGC’s website and I came across a post by Kevin DeYoung essentially defending his and Greg Gilbert’s position in their book on the mission of the church. A couple of other influential guys had some questions about it and posted some things that they “disagreed with.” I was writing my first book at the time and the deadline was on me because the book was coming out in January (http://www.cruciformpress.com/our-books/education-or-imitation/). Shameless plug. Blank Stare. I’m gangsta. Where was I?

So I read Kevin’s post and then clicked on the links to read two other guys’ posts and then I thought,”Wow! Even if dudes are on the same team, for the most part, guys will just go at your material (friendly fire but fire nonetheless) just like that. I’ve always known this to be true but since that I was about to have my first book published I was more in tune to “book reviews.” Then I began to wonder why there is so much critique in our little reformed world about issues that are really just theological nuances. 

Fast Forward a couple weeks and I began hearing all these different reports, perspectives, and critiques on The Elephant Room. T.D. Jakes rubbing elbows with the reformers huh? I listened to all that was said and agreed with some disagreed with others blah, blah, blah. While the concerns for that elephant were helpful on many levels the whole idea and critique of it made me ask myself, “Is this what the church should be squabbling over?” Maybe that is not the right question. Maybe squabbling is not the right word, but why do some of these things matter to us? I feel like we, reformers, spend so much time focusing on our theological microcosm that we mostly forget there is a whole world, an entire culture, that could care less about the differences on the mission of the church, or if the gospel is really justification or Jesus as the true Israel. I say that not to say those things aren’t important but I feel like our reformed world is turning into the Areopagus. An esoteric world of theologically nuanced ideas. 

I began to think about the time I spent in India. I remembered thinking that the gospel was so real and so strong there, yet these people didn’t even have the categories of reform theology that I had. I watched God work supernaturally just because people trusted in the power of the gospel. They weren’t concerned with the intricacies of the Greek. They just loved Jesus so much that they were willing to die for him. Their relationship with the Lord was one that many of us wished that we had. I began to wonder what the differences were between believers here and believers there. With a huge list of things that came to my mind the one thing that rose above them all was persecution. The countries where believers are being persecuted is where they seem to know and love God the best. 

Then it hit me. Persecution was the primary way that the church was established. Persecution is a sure sign of the people of God in the NT. It is one of the mandates of Christianity. Persecution is one of the primary ways we share in Christ’s sufferings (Philippians 3:10). Persecution for righteousness’ sake, or better, for believing in Jesus is supposed to be the mark of the church. But where is the persecution that most of us face? Where is the world hating us because we believe in Jesus (John 15:18-27)? Persecution in scripture happened because people were believing in Jesus. But now, persecution will happen because we are trying to live like Jesus. Not just in resisting temptation but in standing up for righteousness sake. 

Then it hit me. I was preparing for the first of four Sunday Night Conversations on the topic of homosexuality. These are meetings that I lead where we literally discuss the topic I present. It is not listening to a monologue but participating in a dialogue that makes these times unique for us. Ever since my older brother died of Aids (he was gay) I have paid close attention to this issue. I truly believe that gay marriage and the issue of gay identity is knocking at the church’s door and we have no choice but to answer it. I also believe that it is this issue that is going to be the real beginning of the western church being persecuted like our brothers in other countries. Our churches are so weak because we are not persecuted by the world. We are irritants at best. But the day is coming when Christians in America are going to be persecuted for disagreeing with homosexuality. I think it’s going to be brutal. 

10 years from now, The Gospel Coalition and Together For the Gospel are not going to be dealing with theological nuances within the church. We are going to be at war for believing that being gay is a sin. When gay marriage laws are passed we are going to really look like idiots for still believing that it is wrong, and the animosity is going to move from homophobia to Christophobia. Biblical manhood and womanhood will be such a foreign concept that anyone who believes them will be a remnant of the church. The Gospel Coalition won’t be focusing on Modalism. T4G will become together for the gospel against the cultural backlash related to homosexuality. Christians are going to get worn out. Pastors will give in. We are going to wonder “what is going on?” Voice of the Martyrs is going to start featuring pastors in America real soon. The church has always grown and spread through persecution. God purifies his people through bloodshed. When churches don’t have that persecution they get like Laodicea. So get ready. What you believe will be tested real soon. We will be shocked at who is actually together for the gospel then. May the Lord keep us…

By now everyone knows that Whitney Houston is dead. And everyone assumes, albeit politically correct and won’t say it, that it was a drug addiction that killed her. It is a wild public spectacle that is probably going to be wilder in the next few weeks. Especially if the things that people “who are close to the family” say are true. My heart goes out to her daughter and those who will miss her but I’d be lying if I, like so many celebrities, said I was praying for her family. Having just wrote that, maybe I should be. She truly had one of the greatest voices I ever heard. Remembering her from the mid ‘80’s with songs like “Saving All My Love,” had me thinking that she really was vicious with the music. I actually like a lot of her songs. Music creates so many emotions and her songs did just that for me. What saddens me the most about her life, and now death, is what is about to happen and in fact is already happening. It is a cultural norm that I call “The Doctrine of the Funeral Gospel.” 

The Funeral Gospel is essentially no matter how a person lived they are in a better place the moment they die. The rite of passage is given at the moment of death. Especially when the person who died is famous. People will say the sweetest things about the person who died even if moments before their death they made public statements that would be contrary. We have all seen it happen and may have even done it. I’ve just given it a name, The Funeral Gospel. All of us are about to go to Whitney Houston’s funeral and bear witness to this sad reality. As a celebrity, Whitney Houston is receiving many “R.I.P.’s” and “praying for her and her family.” Which they probably are but the problem with all of the compliments that she is getting publicly, from those same people, even recently like the day before, were flunking her in the media. 

She had a long struggle with crack cocaine and other drugs and people simply did not enjoy being around her. Having sold that drug myself I know the affect it has on people and I can imagine not wanting be around that all of the time. I get it. All of us do. But now that she is dead, we will nothing hear but sainthood and gifting that will try to paint a picture that isn’t accurate. Most people, as many celebrities have already tweeted, have sent her off to the Pearly Gates. We are bound to hear nothing but “I Know she is looking down at us right now,” language for quite some time. The problem is, she could quite possibly be looking up. 

I definitely wasn’t close enough to her life to assess if she was a believer but I think that is actually the problem. Scripture is much more black and white as to who are the sons and daughters. Christians get confused because we don’t want to be judgmental and can adapt a Funeral Gospel theology too. While it is not our job to sit around and make judgments on whether somebody went to hell or not we are also not supposed to be dumb and pretend like the fruit of the Spirit in a person’s life can bear no discernible fruit and we can be confident that they are believers. I guess this really isn’t about Whitney Houston is it? The Funeral Gospel is no gospel at all. And as sad as it is that our favorite celebrities pass we must be sobered by what they presented themselves as. Whitney did not present herself as one that would be with the Lord now, but she could be. I just wish sometimes people were honest about people and did not make it seem like no matter how you lived you are in a better place when you die because that is not true. 

I think that is why Rob Bell’s controversial book “Love Wins Out” did so well. His book essentially said God’s love wins all people and that no one goes to the hell that we have come to believe as eternal torment for rejecting Jesus. Culturally this is what people instinctively believe anyway. All he did was write the Me-ology that people already believe about God, which gives them reason to sin like crazy and be forgiven when it’s all said and done. Biblically the only people that Rest In Peace are the people that made peace with God by believing in Jesus. You don’t make peace with God when you die. You get an even greater peace because you’re in the presence of the God of all peace. 

Having said all of that, it is a tragedy that she died. But the biggest tragedy is that she may have died an unbeliever. The media will make her Mother Theresa. Some celebrities will try to use her death for their benefit by stating that they were better friends with her than they were when she was alive. Most everyone will ignore her faults (sins), promote her strengths and communicate how affected they were at her death. What is probably the most telling is that she died on Saturday afternoon/early evening. Sunday evening (24 hours later) a majority of the Grammy after parties were held in the same hotel she was found dead in, with pictures of her grieving friends partying up. Go figure.