You’re not a Christian unless you struggle with sin -- R. Schumacher

I have a confession: after decades of being a Christian, I still struggle with sin, some of which have dogged me for a long time. In fact, the battle seems more intense in various ways than when I first became a believer.

But here's the thing: my struggle with sin is one of the ways I know I'm a Christian.

Perhaps you're now chomping at the bit to go off on me in the comments section on the subjects of holiness, sanctification, and right living before God. But before you do, hear me out.

Non-Christians don't struggle with sin. At least, not like Christians do.  

Let's step back for a moment and start at ground zero on this. The Bible is crystal clear on both our state before and after Christ when it comes to the issue of sin.

Scripture says we all arrive on planet Earth with a built-in law of failure when it comes to being righteous before God. David puts it like this in Psalm 51:5: "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." He says — contrary to what some secular philosophy and psychology teachers assert — we're not clean slates and innocent when we enter this world, regarding bad behavior.

For example, I bet you'd agree we aren't born patient but instead are naturally impatient. And self-centered. And prone to outbursts of anger. And unforgiving. And liars. And greedy.

These bad traits aren't learned (e.g., young kids don't learn to lie), but are innate to us, and not only do we not fight against them, but we also use them to serve ourselves and get what we want. As Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace said in response to a question on the subject, "before Christ, I didn't worry about sin; sin was my life."

So, in a very real sense, non-Christians have no battle where sin is concerned. There is a desensitization to it and no desire to turn from it, especially if it's feeding their appetite.

This isn't to say that people in general won't try to stop practicing behaviors that can boomerang back on them (e.g., alcoholism, stealing). But the remorse and attempts at change are still inwardly focused and done for their benefit alone.    

That's us before Christ.

After receiving Jesus, the Bible says we are born again (John 3:3), freed from sin as our only taskmaster (Rom. 6:22), and directed to repent and live a righteous life. Paul refers to both states when he writes: "We too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest" (Eph. 2:3).

While we previously swam in the waters of sin without regard to the pool we were in, now we're awakened to it, realize our predicament, and want to dry off. The problem is, we still have our original nature that wants to dive back into where we were.

That's because, as Tim Keller says, "Sin is not just an action but a power". *

May God be with you....Maranatha

*source:

() You're not a Christian unless you struggle with sin