Transcript
Ben Fallon: Thanks for listening to another episode of the “Ask Paul Tripp Podcast.” Paul always says, “Ministry is never an individual endeavor; ministry is always a community project,” and truly we consider you a part of that Paul Tripp Ministries’ community. So, we would love for you to engage and interact with us by helping us to spread the word about this resource, sharing episodes of the “Ask Paul Tripp Podcast” with others in your life. Thank you so much for helping us “Connect the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life.”
So, here's today's question, Paul. “How do you deal with the ‘internal’ voices that remind you of how bad you are and how good you're not; is that the devil, or is that a good humble posture to have? I never want to be self-righteous or arrogant, but I feel like I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum now with self-loathing and self-hatred.”
Paul Tripp: I want to make a distinction. Conviction of the Holy Spirit is movement. The Holy Spirit makes us see our sin and abandon our unrighteousness, not to get us stuck there. That's not the work of the Holy Spirit; that's not how the Holy Spirit works. But to move us toward confession and the relief of forgiveness and the joy of fresh starts and new beginnings–that's how the Holy Spirit works. So, if I'm stuck in a self-loathing season, that's not the conviction of the Holy Spirit; that's the enemy taking the knowledge of sin and using it to destroy me.
It's just very clear in Scripture that those two are just very different things. The condemning ‘stuckness’ is such a clear indication that this is not the way God works. God doesn't leave us condemned. He uses conviction to restore us and to give us a freedom of fresh beginnings. There's a passage that I go to that's been very helpful for me in this regard. It’s Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ.” That's a statement of past redemptive reality applied to me, my identity. “Therefore, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Wow! Wow! Wow!
That's a statement of my present identity–I'm in Christ! God looks at me like he looks at his son. He loves me like he loves his son. I'm in Christ. “Crucified with Christ” means all the past has been covered. “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me;” that means I'm now not animated first by my sinfulness, I'm animated first by the presence of Christ living in me.
And then, statement of potential, “…the life I now live…I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” I believe that I'm new and I have new identity and new potential. I can tell you when I'm wallowing in my sin, let's say I've blown it again with Luella, I've said something unkind, or I've been impatient, and it just haunts me. That passage has been my friend; I run to it again and again.
And remember, my past is taken care of; the present is a new identity, and it makes for me new potential. That's where you have to live. And so, I would say a couple of things. Resist reliving your history. If there are things that are undealt with, the need to confess, confess them, and then move on. You don't have to live the repeated legacy of every bad thing you've done; grace redeems you from that! If it's present sin, go confess it. I've gotten so, the minute I feel haunted, let's say something with Luella, I go to her and say, “That was wrong, doesn't matter what's going on, I should never talk to you that way. Please forgive me. Pray for me. You know that I still need God's help and rescue,” and that's done.
But you have to fight the battle. I find myself repeating these things over and again, I'm going to repeat it again. “You know, no one's more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do.” You need to listen to your private conversation. What are the things you're saying to yourself? Are they the truth of the gospel? Or are you repeating lies to yourself, lies that are from the enemy?
And here's the spiritual battle, the enemy of your soul, Satan will give you your formal theology. He will give you your Sunday mornings, he'll give you your episodic moments of ministry, if he can control your heart and take your heart in places where it shouldn't go. And so, this is spiritual warfare. You fight spiritual warfare with the gospel, and that's why I mentioned that passage in Galatians 2:20!
BF: Thanks for listening. Come back on Saturday, and don't forget, we need your questions to make the “Ask Paul Tripp Podcast” happen. Email Ask@PaulTripp.com or fill out the form at PaulTripp.com/ask.
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