Obedient while disobeying
Is this just whacky?
In justification we are declared righteous. In definitive sanctification, we are made righteous. It isn’t just a declaration, but a true change in the individual. Of course, it isn’t an absolute change, because throughout this life we continue to sin. We are made righteous, and we grow in our righteousness, and, on the last day, we will be made completely righteous.
Analogically, I believe when we have faith, we are obedient. We aren’t perfectly obedient… we continue to sin. But having faith makes us fundamentally obedient.
These were my comments in reply to a question about David’s eternal destination had he died right when he touched Bathsheba:
He would have gone to Heaven. Because he believed and obeyed God. ‘What’s that’, you say, ‘he obeyed God? but he was in the middle of a disobedient act!’ Yes, that’s right. I believe David was a faithful servant, even in the midst of his sin. Why? Because he had faith. And faith is more than just thoughts in our heads… it is (to quote my friend Jason) ‘fundamentally, the disposition of a person to believe and obey God in all things’. Thus, I believe David was obedient, despite his disobedience. And this fundamental obedience was made manifest in his public confession of his sin. When we confess our sins to God and others, we are obeying God.
David was saved by faith alone, and so are we. I don’t want you to go away thinking I’m saying that God looks at our good works and says, “Oh, they did what I said. That means I can let them into Heaven.”, or anything along those lines. We are brought into Heaven because of Christ alone. He takes our sins and we receive His righteousness, and if it weren’t for that transaction, no one would ever be saved.
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2 comments
David I can understand. It’s Lot that really blows my mind. From the Scriptural record it doesn’t look like he ever did a rightous thing in his life, and yet the Lord calls him Righteous.
Here’s something else I just noticed, and I know it struck me because of your post – the call to repentance in the Daily Morning Prayer:
Then of course we go on to confess that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, not loving the Lord with our whole hearts, etc.
Interesting, isnt’ it?
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