You ever see that bumper sticker that reads “Christians Aren’t Perfect . . . Just Forgiven“? Really? My issue is not so much with the first statement. It’s a given that Christians–or anyone, for that matter–are not perfect (depending on our definition of “perfection,” for we must reconcile it with God’s command in Leviticus 19:2 and Matthew 5:48 to be holy and perfect as our Heavenly Father is . . . but that’s a blog post for another time). I understand that Christians are attempting to rebut with a piece of plastic on their car the cultural sentiment that we’re all self-righteous. But “Just Forgiven“? Is that truly what defines and distinguishes us from all others? Is being forgiven how people will know who we are?
The Bible calls us many things . . . a peculiar people, royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), saints (1 Cor. 1:2, 6:2), children of God (John 1:12). Forgiveness is magnificent and I will be eternally grateful to God for it. However, forgiveness alone does not make us any of those things. There are many biblical ways we can and should identify ourselves. Regarding ourselves as sinners who are just forgiven severely overlooks the full reason for Jesus Christ’s coming to Earth. If we are seeking to boil Christians down to one thing, we need not look any further than the message of baptism.
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
-Romans 6:1-4
When Jesus died on the cross, he became for everyone in all of time the sacrifice needed to pay for our sins. That made our forgiveness possible. But Jesus did not come just to die. In fact, his disciples fell into despair at his death. And even though he told them on several occasions that he must die and that he would rise again, they did not understand or believe him until he resurrected on the third day, forever solidifying Jesus as the baddest dude who ever walked the earth! So not only did he provide us our forgiveness, but in his resurrection, he provided our ability to live a new life after forgiveness and escape (yes, even in this life) from the cycle of willful sin. Therefore, Jesus’ death and resurrection are how we Christians ought to identify ourselves. In baptism, when we submerge into the water, we identify with his death and hence the death of our sinful self. And thank God we don’t stay submerged and dead! When we rise out of the water, we identify with Jesus’ resurrection and the new life and self with which he imbues us!
If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin–because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
-Romans 6:5-10
Thank you, Paul. I really cannot say it better myself.
Maybe you’re wondering, “What does all this talk about dying to sin have to do with mental health?” Based on my previous post (The “S” Word), you can replace “sin” with any behavior, desire, emotion, or thought pattern that is against God’s design and intent. And now you can easily see that God does not want us to live the same life we lived without Christ. And just as the disciples did not believe until Jesus had new life, so many people will not believe the “Good News” we preach if they cannot observe new life in us.
In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
-John 3:3
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
-John 10:10
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
-1 Corinthians 5:17
Back in college, I got to talking with one of the maintenance men about the students on campus who came from Teen Challenge (a highly regarded international Christian drug and alcohol recovery program). He made a comment that I just absolutely needed to correct: “People don’t really change, right?” Unfortunately, I’ve heard this same sentiment from fellow Christian psychology students. Excuse me, the very idea of Christianity is that people can change. For that matter, the very idea of counseling is that people can change. It disheartens me when I hear Christians or counselors (or specifically, Christian counselors) state so matter-of-factly that the most we can do is hope that people can learn to manage their addictions or eating disorders or trauma reactions or depression or anxiety, etc. And of course, it bothers me when Christians are so shocked (or worse–skeptical) when they hear of people being healed of these very same disorders. Now, certainly there may be a wide range of expectations for the process of healing, and these expectations may need correcting; but the very idea of healing should not be something “believers” doubt.
Has being born-again lost its meaning to us? How can we be counselors if we don’t think people are actually capable of change? How can we as Christians tell the world that God is good if we don’t believe we can provide any evidence of his miraculous goodness in our lives? Yes, we must have faith when there is no evidence (hence its chief characteristic), but at one point we started having faith because of some evidence of God’s might in our lives.
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
-1 Corinthians 2:4-5
We need Christians and Christian counselors who aren’t afraid or embarrassed to go out on a limb and boldly declare that change is possible. That those with same-sex attraction and compulsions can find change in their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. That those with addictions can daily live free of the control of the addiction. That those with depression can live life to the fullest again (or for the first time). That the effects of childhood trauma can be overcome. That abusive spouses can learn to love, respect, and protect. That marriages can heal.
For now, I’ll make this single qualifier: Scripture teaches healing–not immunity. At no point does the Bible say that once you have experienced healing in an area, you are invulnerable to temptation again (Galatians 6:1).
I’ll make this real simple: either genuinely believe that people can really change or get out of the Christian counseling and pastoring field! Why not a bumper sticker that reads, “Christians aren’t perfect, but we are new creations“? Do we not believe that to be true?
PsychoBible 