Caught in Sin?

Some one asked the other day, ‘Can a person be saved living a life of sin?’

Possibly two or three things they could have meant by this: Is a sinful person ever able to be saved? or, is one who is saved ever going to sin again and are they in danger of loosing their salvation? For the first one, most definitely. Otherwise, none of us would have a chance for we are all sinners. When someone accepts Christ, they are saved once and for all. (Thank God for that!!!)
For the second, yes, sadly we may sin, in fact, we always will. We are sin-ners. Are we in danger of loosing our salvation? No, but the Bible exhorts us to test ourselves to see if we are really of the faith in the first place. If you really have faith in Christ, you won’t WANT to sin. For the most part anyway. We’re still tempted, mind you. Before we had the Law, but now we have the Law of Christ. Kinda like your parent’s told you to brush your teeth when you were little and they were strict about it. But now you are older, you don’t have to, but you know you should and you rather want to (in part because you know what happens if you don’t and also, because you like it. It’s refreshing – just like doing the “right” thing.)
One day we will be in a world without sin, where morality won’t really be spoken of except as maybe kinda of a joke. As for now, if someone is vehement about sinning, willfully sinning, with no regard to his Faith – indeed against it – then I would say he may not be Christian. He is calling “Lord, Lord,” but with no real regards to the Lord. Doing things for himself and saying they are for Christ. If I do something in my own father’s name, but I don’t really check to see if its in line with his plans or will or “morals” (and I SHOULD know anyway, as I am his son, right?) than, I’m not really doing it in his name, am I? Its in my name with a lie attached to it. Something likely to make him mad.

On the other hand, the individual may have the Spirit of God in them, and God has much to work with, so that the person may simply not be mature enough yet to a) know the difference or b) its so ingrained in them from a past nature, that God is kind of fixing the foundations before he starts building new walls. God will never satisfied with a coat of paint or wallpaper. He wants the whole thing down. Not a stone left. He is the stone. He doesn’t want a better looking apartment or even a house. He wants a mansion. He is coming to live in it Himself. That is why people who are “nice” are not necessarily saved. Having a pretty house or even a mansion is wonderful FOR THE WORLD, but if its only tenant is you, you are still just … you. And no matter how big that mansion YOU have built is, when God comes, he is going to claim ALL of it.

Do you get what I am trying to say? The Lord is not concerned with appearances, even beautiful ones. He is concerned with reasons. (and that includes the forthcoming actions, “faith without deeds is dead”) And the main reason He is looking for, is Him. Like I said yesterday, that is nothing to do with His being proud or wanting more, He is simple THE thing, THE being, THE most real, wonderful and true thing there is. (Even saying that sounds weird) But since HE IS Reality in and of itself, unless you are based on Him, you really have nothing to stand on. And humans are unique in this world (perhaps the universe) in that we alone can choose where we stand. Nothing else really can. So when we choose to stand on our own, we are really standing on nothing. If your friend is of the opinion that his actions are still his own, then he would be very surprised to find out that they are more a collection of things that has come flying at him his whole life, opinions forced on him and desires of libido, moods of digestion, and tastes of the palate. His own real opinion or desires, he has probably never known, and certainly not understood. A man can only truly understand himself in the Light of Christ. That is why so
many throw disdain on the Lord, because they haven’t come to see What or Who He Is. And when they do, they just fall down and cry HOLY HOLY HOLY.
It is easy to say you love God enough to die for Him. Muslims kill themselves (and others) everyday in that regard. But do you (or I?) love Him enough to LIVE for Him – even to the  point of someone killing you over Him?

Is your friend going to Heaven? I don’t know. But if he says “I trust my soul to Christ, and give my whole heart to the Lord God Almighty in Christ’s Name” then yes. Can your friend say that and mean it? (Can I? I hope so. And my Hope is Christ.)