For
Paul there is no in between. It’s either/or.
I
count 5 times in the book of Ephesians where Paul reminds us of who we were and
who we are. The contrast is stunning. Read through Ephesians quickly and note
every time Paul makes this contrast.
The
change that happened inside of us was no superficial, throw-a-band-aid-on-it
type of change. It was as contrary to nature as the dead coming to life. We were
not sick, we were dead (Eph. 2:1). We were not dim, we were darkness (v.
8)—darkened in our understanding, with calloused hearts, and ruled by
deceitful lusts (4:17-22). Most chilling of all, we were not just distant from
God, we were without God and without hope in the world (2:12). Paul is far from
flattering us.
Why
does Paul harp on this issue?
Maybe—and
I don’t claim to know the thoughts of Paul—he wanted to make sure we
diagnose our problem properly. If we think we are sick, we think we need some
touch-ups. If we are dead, we need nothing short of resurrection.
What
hope does a person like Paul describe have? Certainly not salvation by
self-effort. The only hope for a person like that—like me—is the death and
resurrection of Christ.
And
it’s either/or. Either I am trusting in Christ or I’m trusting in something
else. Either I’m dead or alive. Either I’m light or darkness.
Christian,
no matter how much we struggle to put off the old man and put on the new (Eph
4:22-24), we are light in the Lord. So walk as a child of the light. Don’t get
discouraged by sin in your life. You are not an in-between Christian, some sort
of half-breed hybrid of Christ and the world. If you are in Christ, you are his
alone and he will keep you till the end.
Photo from: flickr.com/photos/richiepreiss/4290794529/
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