“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9

Do you see it? He called us out of that dark life where we were ruled by a sinful nature, and into his marvelous light. We are not half-and-half. We were taken fully out of one, and brought fully into the other.

We are no longer in the darkness where we always anticipate sin and punishment, and always feel guilty and condemned. He called us out of that way of life and brought us into His life in light. We don’t fear punishment because guilt and condemnation have been done away with, along with the sinful nature. I have a dead flesh and my spirit is light; sin and darkness have nothing in me to hold on to.

To insist that we are halfway in between is to insist on living a lukewarm life.

Do I still have the ability to sin? Yes.

Do I still have the desire to sin? No.

“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” – 1 Peter 1:4

If I’m tempted, it’s not merely to sin, but to believe that the desire to sin is still in me. Once I accept that it’s my desire to sin, I’ll only resist it for so long before I give in. Out of that thinking comes sinful behavior (for the Christian). To say the sinful nature controls my behavior and yet I’m free from sin is as delusional as a slave who thinks he’s free but continues working for and being whipped by a cruel master.

I’m free indeed. The old darkness has been done away with, replaced completely by the light of Christ.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” – Eph. 5:8

You are Clean

“Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” – John 15:3

Those are red letters. The one who said, “Light be,” and light was without argument has spoken and declared you clean. Why do you argue? Why do you resist? Why do you insist that he was wrong? Or that he’s only playing make-believe? “I’m still a filthy wretch, but God only sees me as clean,” as if what he sees isn’t the truest version of reality.

My hands are clean, my heart is pure. Why? Not because I sang a sappy song begging God to make it so, but because He spoke the Word through His Son before I ever even thought to ask him to make it so! He loved me before it ever entered my mind that I needed his love at all.

Dead to Sin

“Yes, when Christ died, he died to defeat the power of sin one time—enough for all time. He now has a new life, and his new life is with God. (11) In the same way, you should see yourselves as being dead to the power of sin and alive for God through Christ Jesus.” – Romans 6:10-11

One of the most exciting few words in this verse isn’t “dead to the power of sin,” but “in the same way.” Paul talks about how Jesus died, and in His death the power of sin was defeated one time, for all time (once for all!). Now Jesus has a new life, and His new life is with God. Now “in the same way as that,” Paul says, “think of yourselves as being dead to the power of sin and alive to God.” In what same way? A “once for all” kind of way. I died once to sin, and I am dead to sin for all time.

When did this happen? On the cross. You can never convince me that sin lives in me because I’m dead to sin, once for all. And that’s a dead horse I can beat without apology! Compare how Paul told us to see ourselves with how so much of modern Christianity has taught us to see ourselves and you’ll see why so many Christians still struggle with sin, depression, lust, addiction, and so many of the things Jesus set us free from.

Conclusion

There are many, MANY verses that tell you you’re not destined to sin for the rest of your life. But you don’t get there by legal standards. If you try to get there that way you will doom yourself to the perpetual cycle of sin (see: Romans 7).

You get free by accepting that Jesus has already set you free from sin by killing the old you on the cross, and making you an entirely new person who doesn’t have those old desires you once did. Would you ever say Jesus has a desire to sin? Obviously not! That’s blasphemy! Well then, look.

“I no longer live, Christ lives in me!” – Gal. 2:20

If you believe you’re dead, and that Christ lives in you, but you still have a desire to sin, where do you think that desire is coming from?

“As Jesus is, so are we in this world.” – 1 John 4:17

As He is, so are you, in this world, right now.

“Those who have joined themselves to the Lord are one with the Lord.” – 1 Cor. 6:17

You are one. Jesus is not living in your heart as a separate entity, piloting your body from a driver’s seat in your chest. The two of you are one. So again, where would those evil desires you think you have even come from?