October/ 2000
Last month I watched the Olympics from time to time. Various stations would give a spotlight on individual athletes stressing their commitment from youth, their failures, and their drive to succeed. As I watched it made me think of Paul's encouragement to the Corinthians:
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1Co.9:24-27)
As I thought on this verse I began to consider Christianity in light of the civilized world and concluded that the typical Christian life in North America is not the 100 meter sprint of the Olympics, but rather a walkathon . You know: "go at your own pace"; "stop if it gets too hot"; "rest when weary"; and "pople should be grateful that I am doing this at all" mentality. After all, did not Paul in one of his final letters write:
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus. Php.3:12-14
Paul was not perfect, and we will never attain perfection in this life; so do we throw up our hands and say " What's the use? Why try?" Some Olympic athletes may be aware that they will not beat Donavon Bailey, yet they do not give up practicing and giving 100%. In the spiritual race, even though we will not become perfect, we must always strive for it:
We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. … Aim for perfection, (2Co 13:9,11)
As Christians, we must strive for perfection, the example Christ set. An Olympians goal is not to beat a certain runner; they train and race in the hope of doing better then what they did last time- their personal best. It is the same with Christians, as the verses that exhort us to press on, continues:
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things
. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Php.3:15-16)God is saying, "Strive for perfection, but keep up to what you have already attained- your personal best. As we continue to press on, our personal best will become better, being transformed into his likeness. God is interested in progressive sanctification, we will never attain perfect sanctification. However, we as Christians must never lose our drive to become like Christ, if we do, one day we might give up completely.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, (He.12:1-2)
We must not give up pursuing Christ-like-ness, or we will fall back into sin. Sin entangles us, preventing us from pressing on in the race. One of the most confusing lessons for me in my Christian life was to understand how God views sin. Let me confuse you in 1 John:
John tells us that we sin but goes on saying that if we continue to sin we really are not a Christian. Some say that some sins are permissible, others are not- depending on your church. This is not the case, for we read:
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all it (Ja.2:10)
Whether you steal a cookie from the cookie jar or someone's wife, you are a sinner. The law was to convict us that we were sinners and need a Savior. Once under the Savior we are no longer under law:
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. (Ro.7:6)
Once a Christian, we are under the new way of the Spirit. We read in the Bible that the Spirit convicts us of sin. Once convicted of sin we are accountable to overcome it living a righteous lifet. John clarifies sin when he writes:
If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. (1Jn.5:16-17)
John is not writing on different kinds of sin, but rather on two different attitudes by which we sin. It is written:
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge
of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. (He.10:26-27)We commit the sin that leads to death when the Holy Spirit convicts of sin and we say in our heart, "I don't care, I am going to do it any way." It is to deliberately chose sin rather then grace to overcome sin:
(Christ)
who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (He.4:15-16)The normal Christian life is not to sin, but if we are convicted of sin, we must confess it:
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. (1Jn.2:1)
Most Christians are unaware that the sacrifices in the Old Testament were for unintentional sin:
The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: `When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands-- (Le.4:1-2; note He.9:6-7)
In Christianity, the sin that does not lead to death, are sins with committed unintentionally or in ignorance:. Christ said:
"If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains." (Jn.9:41)
Christ teaches that if we are spiritually blind without conviction of whether an action is sin, we would not be considered guilty of the sin as it is done in ignorance. An excellent example of the two types of sin, can be seen in the crime of murder. Murder is the act of taking a life. But law defines it three ways: is it premeditated, deliberate or manslaughter. Manslaughter is an accidental taking of a life; no deliberately sought out or premeditatedly thought out. The sin that does not lead to death is done in ignorance; without being deliberately sought out or premeditatedly thought out:
If I had not come
and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now however they have no excuse for their sin. (Jn.15:22)If we know that some action is sin yet do it in spite of being convicted by the Spirit, our guilt will remain, thus commiting the sin that leads to death. Paul's life illustrates the sin that does not lead to death:
Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. (1Ti.1:13; note Jn.16:2,3)
The sin that does not lead to death is a sin committed in ignorance; even though the sin is committed, we are considered without blame. The Bible defines blameless as:
Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. (Ps.19:12-13)
The Bible calls us to be blameless; your personal best:
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. (2Pe 3:14; Eph.5:27)
We need to run the race with zeal, just as Paul's missionary team ran a blameless, holy and righteous race:
You are witnesses
, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. (Th.2:10)They were not perfect, but as their knowledge increased, so did God's grace to enable them to be blameless.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, (Php.2:9-11)
We will never be perfect, but we can live up to all He calls us to. As our knowledge grows, we will be conformed to the likeness of Christ. For God, who lives in us convicting us of sin, will give us the grace to be blameless:
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (1Th.5:23-24; 1Co.1:8, 1Th.3:13)
No, we will not be sinless but will sin less and less each day as He works in us what is pleasing to His sight. No we will not be perfect, but are being perfected, being transformed into His likeness. No, I do not believe in perfect sanctification, rather progressive sanctification as we continue to overcome the strongholds and footholds of sin in our life. Therefore, like the Olympians, let us not give up; but may we always keep that which we have attained while seeking our new personal best.