Transcript
Ben Fallon: Today's episode should be called, “I disagree with Paul Tripp.” Paul, it's fun to put these in front of you and almost always these critiques or disagreements come from a place of love and gratitude with an encouraging note alongside. But here's the disagreement.
You've written in multiple places that we're both a sinner and a saint, that these are two key parts of our identity. And without fail, every time you do, someone disagrees. So here are two of them. Denny writes, “I'm a bit confused. Am I a saint or a sinner? When I trusted Christ as my savior, didn't I become a saint? Wouldn't it be accurate to say, “I'm a saint who sometimes struggles with sin, but I don't continue to sin?” And then he references 1 John 3:6, “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”
Then Scott writes, “The Apostle Paul would have addressed all of his letters to: “The Sinners in Corinth,” “The Sinners in Philippi,” “The Sinners in Ephesus,” but he never did. He rebukes them for their very sinner-like behavior, but he never got the two confused. He always wanted them to be very clear about who they now were in Christ Jesus, new creations; see 2 Corinthians 5:16 and 17.” He continues, “I used to be a sinner, estranged from God, and at various times in the week, day, or even hour, I become a walking contradiction, a saint who sins. But I can't be a sinner because according to Galatians 2:20, Romans 6, and the first part of Romans 7, among other places in the New Testament, that sinner is now dead.” So how do you respond?
Paul Tripp: So, between the ‘already’ of our conversion and the ‘not yet’ of our home going, there are two things that we have to constantly hold on to and constantly affirm. One is an identity, and the other is a reality. The first thing we need to affirm is the stunning glory of our new identity in Christ. An example of this, I love this, in Ephesians, the phrases “in Christ” or “in him” are used twelve times in that little letter. Paul is hammering home, “new identity in Christ.” God looks at me now through the lens of the perfect righteousness of Jesus. And along with this new identity comes new potential as a child of God. We should never do anything or say anything that diminishes the glory of our new identity as children of God.
Having said that, it is as significant to embrace the reality of the presence and power of remaining sin. Romans 7 is in the Bible to remind us of our ongoing battle with sin. And the language there is very strong. Paul says sin is a law–he means like gravity; to deny sin is like trying to deny gravity. You can't decide one day to throw yourself out the second-story window because you've denied gravity, it won't work. Sin is a war–it's a constant spiritual battle. Sin is a prison–it takes us captive.
Now, we know from the context that this passage is describing the struggle of a believer with sin. Two reasons we know that. Paul uses himself as an example; it's all personal language, and he talks about delighting in the law. Unbelievers don't delight in God's law; they curse the law. And so, it's clearly a description of how deep and pervasive the battle with sin is in the life of a believer.
Now, we know that because we don't just believe in justification, but we believe in sanctification–the ongoing work of God to eradicate sin from our hearts. I say this, “God's grace won't relent until every microbe of sin is delivered from every cell of every heart of every one of God's children.” So, it's biblically inappropriate and spiritually dangerous to deny either one of these. And I just think it's so important to hold on to those two things rigidly.
I want to say this, “Affirming your new identity and new potential in Christ is the first best step in fighting the battle with sin.” I think the great example of that is Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ.” That's a statement of past historical redemptive fact. When Jesus died, I died. When he rose, I rose to newness of life. Second is a statement of present redemptive reality, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” He's not saying that he is physically dead; he couldn't be writing the passage. But what he's saying is, “What animates me now is not my power, my strength, my wisdom, but that of the indwelling Holy Spirit, that of Christ.” And then a statement of commitment, “The life I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”
That passage holds on to both of those realities. That commitment to follow Christ by faith is important because the battle with sin is not over. Stunning glory of new identity in Christ, dark reality of remaining sin–those two, that identity and that reality, must be held on to until we're on the other side.
And I want to say one other thing, “What we're dealing with here in modern communication are the weaknesses of short form communication, the weaknesses of little tweets, where you tend to emphasize one of those things because you have a limited time to communicate.” I just want people to understand that those two elements are deep in the heart of this man; I hold on to them all the time. I'm trying to promote both of those in the life of a believer because to deny either one is spiritually dangerous.
BF: These two questions from Denny and Scott came as a result of Paul's weekly email devotional, “Wednesday's Word.” And, if you're not subscribed to our email list, we'd love for you to sign up and get “Wednesday's Word” delivered each week straight to your inbox. You can subscribe at paultripp.com/email.
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