Rebuilding What Has Been Torn Down

"But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!  For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.  For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God." Galatians 2:17-19

For many Christians, the goal of the Christian life is to stop sinning. I don't share this belief, but for those that do, they will say things like, "[Christians] must do our part to disconnect from this world and the sin that abounds. We learn how to live out this Christian life from the Epistles and the many examples provided in the Old Testament ... God did His part through Jesus at Calvary. We have a role, similar to removing the mildewed carpet. We have to renew our minds and submit to Holy Spirit for total spiritual growth." I have no problem with renewing my mind and submitting to the Holy Spirit for spiritual growth. However, doing these two things is not going to lead a person into searching the Epistles and Old Testament for examples on how to live the Christian life. The goal of the Christian life is not to stop sinning, but to start trusting the Lord through the indwelling Holy Spirit. If I am going to look for "examples" on how to live the Christian life it is not by trying to imitate the lives of believers whether they be found in the Epistles or the Old Testament. This will only lead me to submitting myself to some form of law, which I am no longer under. Whose "example" do I follow? Is it David who, while being considered a man after God's own heart, committed adultery and saw to it that the husband of the woman he committed adultery with was killed in battle? He is not a good example of someone who stopped sinning. Perhaps, we should look at one of the authors of a New Testament epistles for a good example. How about Peter? After all, Jesus gave Peter "the keys of the kingdom heaven." But, it was Peter who denied knowing Jesus three times even after Jesus told him he would do it. It was also Peter who was confronted by Paul for his hypocrisy when dealing with the Gentiles because he was afraid of the men from James. Once again, we see another poor example of someone who failed at his attempts to stop sinning. Who then can we take from the Bible as our example on how to live the Christian life? It has to be Jesus Christ, right? Not only did Jesus never sin, He is God. Who better to emulate in our attempts to live the Christian life, disconnect from the world and stop sinning? What did Jesus have to say about how to live? Jesus said, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20)." And if that wasn't enough, He upped the anti by saying, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48)." How are we doing with these? If we are honest we are failing miserably. Jesus made these statements to show us that the only way we could enter God's Kingdom or live as He commanded, was by the grace and mercy of God!

When somebody says we have to "do our part to disconnect from this world and the sin that abounds," it is not through trying to find biblical examples and copying them. One, they do not exist. Two, Jesus is the only one that didn't sin and He is God. We are not God. Three, the only way to try and do this is to subject ourselves to living a life under some form of law. The Bible says, "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law (1 Corinthians 15:56)." Subjecting ourselves to any form of law designed to modify our behavior is to guarantee we are going to increase the sin in our life, not diminish it. Scripture is clear that we are not under the law, any kind of law. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4)." "But now that faith has come, we are no longer under the law (Galatians 3:25)." It is also important to understand that our sins are no longer being held against us. This isn't to say that sin is okay, but that God is no longer counting our sins against us. 2 Corinthians 5:19 says, "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them." God not counting our sin against is not Him giving us permission to sin, but presenting us with the only way we could have a relationship with Him. It is in this relationship that He is able to live His life in and through us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Bible says, "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age ... (Titus 2:11-12)" God's grace which is His complete forgiveness of our sins, His total acceptance of us, His unconditional love of us and His very life indwelling us, is what leads us to disconnect from this world and the sin that abounds. When we are receiving God's love and allowing Him to live His life, as only He can, in and through us, then we will begin to see victory over sin and a separation from this world. This is because, "Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10)." When I am loving my neighbor with the love I am receiving, and have received from my God, then I won't be sinning against them. And when I do sin, I can thank God that He is not holding my sin against me and I can, therefore, "approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16)." It is when I can confidently approach God's throne that I am able to discover why I wasn't trusting Him when I sinned and He can renew my mind, instruct me and love on me so I can grow in the knowledge of Him. Instead of subjecting myself to the law and rebuilding what has been torn down, or copying the actions of flawed saints, God can live the Christian life through me as I rest from trying to live it for Him.