Reply #114: True. But there is another side to the coin here as well. [View All]

[JVS]

Paul answers the question of what is a Christian to do when he/she fucks up. I'm going to talk about Bill Clinton and Jim Baker. I choose these examples because one is well liked in this forum and the other is disliked. Clinton professes Christianity as a Baptist, Baker also I believe is a Baptist. When each of these men got caught having extra-marital sex, there was a lot of hubub among people who disliked them. Both of them were termed unchristian by those who disliked them and frankly I think that was a bunch of pharisaical BS in both cases. Paul deals with the fact that being a Christian does not prevent a person from making mistakes and does not give them the ability not to sin. There is and probably has been a "no true scotsman" fallacy among people forever that no true Christian could do some particular bad thing. This false way of thinking extends to other ideologies as well. The problem with this is that it ignores the power of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not a mercy granted when things are going correctly, it is mercy granted that allows an improper state of affairs to be corrected.

Christ spoke of his apostles who slept in the garden rather than keeping watch with him by saying "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" Paul elaborates on this theme by acknowledging that he sins constantly, not doing what he wants to do and doing what he does not want to do. Paul knows that the Christian will continue to sin, but also knows that independent attempts to become righteous through observance of rules will fail. When one has done wrong, one should repent and try not to do it again, but we know that slip ups will happen. It is for this reason that we must trust in the forgiveness of God as Jesus promised when he said "Drink from it, all of you. 28This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins"

What it boils down to is that righteousness is not within our power to obtain or appropriate, it belongs to God. Reconcilliation between the Christian and God doesn't occur by the decision or action of the believer, but rather by Christ's work on the cross.