Agonizing Sin

What is one to believe about sin in the life of a Christian?

When we sin after we have become born-again believers, what happens? Some denominations claim that once you have become a child of God, that status can never be revoked. Some say that once you are saved, that same salvation covers all of your future sins. Yet others claim that each sin you commit after having been initially converted requires you to once again repent and be baptized, for you have become unworthy once again. Still others claim that a return to sin is tantamount to falling away, and that there is no hope of redemption a second time. And some say that if you find yourself sinning after salvation, you should examine yourself, because that initial experience you had couldn’t have been salvation at all: you only thought you were saved.

So… what is one to believe about sin in the life of a Christian?

Continual Sin

“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 John 2:6)

In my recent musings about the presence of sin in the life of a Christian, and specifically in my own life, I have been circling a very uncomfortable question. Before springing it on you out of the blue, let me lead into it in much the same way that it has pursued me: one step at a time.

We all know that a Christian’s life should reflect the holiness of Christ. We should, as stated above, walk as He walked. But we also know that we are not perfect. We will stumble, even fall from time to time. Fortunately for us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

We also know that we must not abuse the gift of forgiveness, as Paul states in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Again, we are clearly supposed to be imitators of Jesus: walk as He walked.

But we do fail. It is inevitable. Worse yet, we will do so repeatedly, even if we are trying our very best to do the right thing. Temptation comes, and far too often, we succumb to its treacherous pull. My own experience with this began to make me doubt myself. Mind you, I do not doubt God, but rather I came to doubt whether my own faith was genuine. Here enters the question which has been stalking me: am I truly a child of God, or am I taking His name in vain?

Unknown Sin

So far, we have discussed the usurping sin of taking the Lord’s name in vain and the unpardonable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Today, we examine unknown sin: instances where we commit sins of which we are completely unaware.

Photo by Ann H on Pexels

You undoubtedly have heard the phrase, “Nobody’s perfect.” I would argue that there was one exception to that rule, but we (meaning humanity) nailed that individual to a cross roughly two millennia ago. Nevertheless, I’m sure that we would all agree that the sentiment is true today. The Bible states the situation quite concisely…

“…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23

Most of the time, we think of sin as happening at a decision-making point; we are faced with a situation where we must choose between two options: one which clearly honors God versus one which we would probably enjoy, but, for whatever reason, would put us clearly outside of God’s will. The problem is… life isn’t always so clear-cut. Sometimes, we may not even realize that we’re doing anything wrong!

Think back to your childhood. Did you ever get into trouble for doing something? Of course, you did! Were you ever asked, “Why did you do that?” Of course, you were! And I guarantee that you remember responding with, “I don’t know,” at least once. As (perhaps jaded) adults, we typically respond to a child who claims ignorance as a defense with disdain. “Oh, you know better than that!” But if I really search my memories, I’m certain that there were, in fact, times where I did things without thinking about whether they were good or bad. I just wanted to do it, and so, I did it.

Unforgivable Sin

Last week, we discussed the usurping sin of taking the Lord’s name in vain. In our investigation, we uncovered the seriousness of this sin; breaking the Third of the Ten Commandments…

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”  Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11

Image by Adis Resic from Pixabay

The explicit statement that God will not hold guiltless (will not forgive) anyone who takes His name in vain is a particularly unsettling thought. That’s a very steep penalty, especially in light of the New Testament, where salvation from our sins is based on the crucifixion of Jesus. Christ’s blood covers the sins of all who believe in Him, but we previously discussed why an outward statement of faith is not necessarily a true statement of what is in one’s heart. Even the New Testament mentions one sin that will not be forgiven. The unpardonable sin is revealed to us in Matthew 12:31, “…every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven…”

It might be easy to conclude that since both testaments mention a sin which will not be forgiven, the two sins in question must be the same. I have heard this argument made in sermons from time to time, but I believe it to be based on a misconception, much in the same way that people misunderstand what it actually means to take the Lord’s name in vain. Let’s explore the reasons why these verses refer to two very different sins.

Usurping Sin

I can't even begin to count the number of times that I’ve heard fellow Christians say something about how they feel when they hear someone “take the Lord’s name in vain.” We all know exactly what they are referring to: a particular bit of foul language that begins by saying “god” and ends with a word that sounds like the fruits of a beaver’s labor.

All misguided attempts at dad jokes aside, I know there are Christians out there who are sincerely bothered, even offended, by hearing the word in question. While “g-d” is considered by most people (even non-believers) to be one of the two biggest, or most intense, swear words (the other being the dreaded f-bomb), it has become almost ubiquitous in its usage in the entertainment industry and in the vocabulary which some people use commonly in their own personal conversations.

The Bible clearly says, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” This prohibition is important enough to be stated twice in the Old Testament: Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11. These verses are, in fact, the Third of the Ten Commandments!

Taking the Lord’s name in vain is a serious offense, as the text indicates that anyone who does so will not be held guiltless. Being held guiltless is a longer way of saying being forgiven, which in the context of Christianity equates to salvation; for only the saved are forgiven of their sins. In light of the New Testament, we now understand this to mean that anyone who takes the name of the Lord in vain shall not be saved by the atoning death of Christ on the cross. Clearly, it behooves us to understand exactly what act merits such a drastic outcome. As it turns out, an alarming number of Christians completely misunderstand this sin.

Speak No Evil (The Armor, part 15)

“If you can’t say something good, don’t say anything at all.” Countless parents have given this sound advice to their children over the years, but judging by what we hear people saying on TV, on the radio, in movies, and perhaps most appallingly on social media, the advice seems to have gone largely unheeded. Vile words have always been a problem. Paul’s advice to first century Christians sounded much like the timeless parental wisdom quoted above…

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

~Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)

Many Christians grow weary of the seemingly endless stream of profanity that surrounds us today, but the problem goes far deeper than “the F-bomb” and other words which have been singled out as taboo. While vulgar words are certainly things which a Christian should seek to eliminate from one’s own personal vocabulary, the use of otherwise polite language to demean, discredit, or destroy another person is a far more dangerous corruption of the tongue.

Image by ArtCoreStudios from Pixabay 

Let us once again consider the Helmet of Salvation, as represented by a first century Roman soldier’s gear. There is some evidence which suggests that the helmets worn by legionnaires were considerably less standardized than other pieces of equipment. Assuming that to be true, one can imagine that some soldiers would opt for helmets which would provide greater degrees of protection for the head and face. Almost certainly, the original readers of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians would have been familiar with various styles of helmets, including full-face models.

You’ve undoubtedly heard someone speak with their mouth covered. The sound is muffled, and it can be quite difficult to understand what’s being said. This would certainly be true of a soldier wearing a full-faced helmet, but we know that God would not want us to deliver muffled, hard-to-hear messages to the world around us. So how does the Helmet of Salvation affect our speech once we have put it on? The answer, as always, is found in scripture…

Filtered Input (The Armor, part 14)

In my youth, I had a very brief romance with motorcycles. Oh, I still love to look at sick choppers and big bad hogs, but my Honda Trail 70 and I had a falling out which permanently diminished my desire to ever again ride a bike. One of the things I really love about biker culture is the seemingly endless assortment of helmets available. You can create any aesthetic by simply changing from a simple open-faced helmet to a sci-fi themed full-face modular model. Or perhaps you want a more military look: you can choose from simple kaiser helmets or something that resembles special ops gear. The possibilities are endless!

A helmet’s primary purpose is to protect the brain, which is both the biological control center of the body and home to our minds, or thought processes. However, the helmet can protect more than just the brain; the helmets mentioned above provide various levels of protection for the eyes, ears, and mouth as well.  The eyes and ears are vital to our experience of the world around us.  What we see and hear has a huge effect on what we think.  The mouth is very important with regard to how we affect the world (specifically, people) around us.  The Biblical Helmet of Salvation has much to do with both how we perceive the world, and how the world perceives us.

Image by Steven Iodice from Pixabay 

Let’s turn our focus toward the Roman military helmets which first-century Christians would have been familiar with. Some types leave the ears open, while others cover the ears completely.  The advantage to having your ears covered is enhanced protection of the sides of the skull, but it brings with it a serious disadvantage:  you can’t hear as well.

What about protection for the eyes?  Most versions protect the face only with hinged cheek guards, providing good protection on each side, but leaving the eyes open and vulnerable.  Some helmets covered the entire face, leaving just the eyeholes open, which would provide much greater protection. Only small objects that could fit through those eyeholes would pose a threat to the eyes, but along with that protection comes the hindrance of a restricted field of vision. 

Put On Your Thinking Cap - The Helmet of Salvation (The Armor, part 13)

Thus far in our study of the Whole Armor of God, we have established that the Belt of Truth represents salvation by acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior, the Breastplate of Righteousness protects us from the consequences of sin by engaging in good behavior, the “boots” of preparation get us ready to spread the gospel of peace, and the Shield of Faith adds a layer of protection which keeps us spiritually safe, even when all else fails. In this installment, we will look at the Helmet of Salvation.

At this point, alarm bells might be going off in your head. ..

Wasn’t the Belt of Truth all about salvation?

Is the helmet just a repeat of that?

Keep calm and read on, dear reader, because the Helmet of Salvation plays quite a different role in our spiritual lives than the Belt of Truth. We can understand this better by considering the function of the Roman soldier’s helmet, or galea.

Photo by R. Gino Santa Maria

The galea in its simplest form consisted primarily of a skull cap of iron or brass.  Some versions included cheek flaps made of leather or other perishable material, while others sported hinged cheek plates of iron or brass.  Regardless of the material used, the flaps tied together below the chin, both securing the helmet and adding protection for the cheeks, mouth, and chin.  Some models of the galea had a rear neck guard, while cavalry helmets often featured a full faceplate, with only eyeholes cut out.  All versions of the helmet included an inner liner (probably of wool) which provided vital cushioning for impacts.

But what about the spiritual symbolism? Three times in scripture, a helmet is linked to salvation.