What's happen?

The Scripture declares that we're liberated from the bondage of sin and death through faith in Jesus Christ. "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference." (Romans 3:21-22 NKJV) Yet we still experience temptations and failures at times in the midst of daily commonplace lives. Is the declaration of the Scripture contradictory? By no means! The word of God is flawless and holy. The problem is our lack of understanding. 

Humans are three fold beings -- body, soul, and spirit. A natural born is without exception inheriting the Adamic nature which is called the flesh, the seat of evil. The alien evil is deeply embedded in our human nature since the fall of Adam. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." (Romans 5:12 NKJV) All natural born of humans are inevitably invaded by the vicious and malevolent evil one in body, soul, and spirit. 

As a result, all humans are doomed to submit completely and totally to the devil unless we're redeemed by someone with greater power than that of the devil. We were all dead and became the children of wrath. "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others." (Ephesians 2:1-3 NKJV) Notice that the whole being of human -- body, soul, and spirit were affected dead seriously. 

That's who we were and what we were in Adam. We did not have no other choice but to succumb to the power of Satan. "For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one." (Romans 5:17a NKJV) Believe it or not, it is true and real in every human life. We couldn't help but sin in Adam.

Right there, the good news has come in due time to humanity. A God became a human being and died on a rugged cross just as the Scriptures has promised, so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). We didn't make us alive or more precisely, we couldn't. God made us alive in Jesus Christ the Son by blood. We're cleansed and washed away from the iron grip of sin and death. 

What's happen? The moment of having faith in the Son's works on the cross is the moment of deliverance and liberation. The evil formula has been broken down that anyone who trusts in God who sent his Son may be liberated. The unwanted and inevitable marriage bond with the Adamic nature was broken by the death of the Son and the desperately wanted new marriage bond with Christ Jesus has been established and sealed by the Spirit (Romans 7:1-6). That's the good news.

Then why there are still struggles [sins] among the saints? Apostle John made an amazing statement in his epistle. "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." (1 John 3:9 NKJV) We, if genuinely born of God, cannot sin. Wait a minute! It's a very difficult truth to grasp. Agreed. What does it mean? It means we cannot continue to sin any more if we're truly born of God. Of course, there are temptations and failures down the road. However, Christians cannot simply continue to go on sinning, because something radical has happened -- Christ came into the hearts of believers by means of the Spirit. The indwelling Spirit of God in the saints is the key to understand this truth.

What's happen is that the human spirit has been freed [cleansed and washed away] by the blood and declared as righteous once for all. Those who are justified by the blood of the Son Jesus Christ has now peace with God and access to the throne of grace at anytime and anywhere. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2 NKJV) At the last of the Tabernacle Feast, Jesus invited people who thirst and hunger and promised to give the indwelling Spirit within the hearts of true worshipers. "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:37-39 NKJV)

Although we struggle, as Paul proclaims boldly and confidently in the letter to the Romans, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). It's because though we fail and will fail at times our spirit has consciously been cleansed by the blood once for all. Jesus Christ doesn't need to die twice (Romans 6:9). It's an eternal and timeless event. So, now we can overcome the flesh since God has pronounced the good news that we're justified by the Son and can stand righteously before His presence. "... much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17b NKJV) What is saying is this: In Adam we cannot help but sin, but in Christ we cannot help but be righteous all the more. 

But our human body has not yet been redeemed. Human body is the seat of evil. The evil has still access to our human body and soul, so we're often tempted. Paul reveals a wonderful truth about nature which groans for the liberation from the bondage of corruption by the coming of the children of God. Not only so, we humans also groan for the redemption of our body (Romans 8:23). We may and many ask this question. "Why did God not redeem our body and soul as well?" Well, that's the mystery of God. But we believe that there should be purpose and meaning which God doesn't disclose everything at least now. 

There should be the purpose and meaning of delaying the redemption of our body and soul. Perhaps that's why God allows us to live about seventy years or eighty years on earth. "The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years." (Psalm 90:10a NKJV) Every one is given life to live in order that we may learn the secrets [mysteries] of life step by step. Our God is generous and patient for each of us to grasp the truth of life. 

Now, what do we do with our body? Do we get rid of it? By no means! God loves our bodies. Don't miss the exhortations of the Spirit written in the Scripture. "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present our members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:12-14 NKJV) 

It's our struggle that it may take a while to learn this truth. But it shall not take too long to learn it. The secret of presenting our bodies as living sacrifice to the Lord is that we not under law but under grace. What does it mean? We cannot do it by trying hard to keep the law, but can do by relying on the Person of Jesus Christ. That's meaning of the phrase, "We are not under law but under grace." That's the reason Paul said quite boldly, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13 NKJV) That's the good news, is it not?