Cry Over Your Sin, Rejoice Even Louder Over Your Savior!

Christian, You Are a Saint:

Christian, by the grace of God you are a saint. So, by the grace of God you should be living like one! No, this is not a call to moralism, but a call to growth in godliness, and an encouragement to stop all the pessimistic nay-saying about your progress, or lack thereof, in sanctification. You can stop whining about your failure. The gospel is your hope, let it also be your confidence!

Yes, you should cry out over your sin, but you should rejoice in your Savior with an even louder voice! Loathe your corruption, but sing of God’s grace! And do not forget that “the mystery of Godliness” is neither strategy, nor striving, but Jesus himself! He is the secret, the one thing, that makes godliness the progressing reality in the life of his disciples. Yes, you must fight against your internal corruption and the attacks of the Devil. Kill your sin, and live for the glory of God. I’m not encouraging passivity. But, I am afraid that too often we lose sight of Jesus as our confidence. The most critical element in your growth in godliness is not doing, but believing.

What obstacles are confronting, even conquering you as you seek to grow in the grace of godliness? Sin? Circumstances? Satan? These are great enemies indeed, but Christ, the Mystery of Godliness, is with you, for you, and in you! And greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.

You are a saint, a “holy one” by the grace of God. And by the grace of God you can live like one as you abide in Christ.

From Joe Thorn