By Ben Quine
****The way we act is shaped by the way we look at the world. Our lives are shaped by our basic assumptions and convictions. These Worldview Articles will explore what a “worldview” is. Each person has a worldview, whether they know it or not, and it determines every decision and choice a person makes. Do you have a Biblical Worldview or are factors other than the Bible informing your choices and decisions. In this series of articles, we will take an in-depth look at 7 Vital Worldview Questions, as the starting place for building a Biblical Worldview. (These articles are adapted from David Quine’s Answers for Difficult Days “Seven Vital Worldview Questions.” David is Ben’s father and the founder of Cornerstone Curriculum a Biblically based Homeschool Curriculum.)

So you’ve experienced spiritual salvation! Wonderful!! There is much rejoicing over you in heaven! But is that the end? Maybe you’ve read the previous articles and thought to yourself, “Yes, I became a Christian years ago, so I guess that’s it. There’s nothing left for me to do.”

Actually, your story is just beginning!

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)

If you are a Christian, because of Jesus death on the cross, he has taken away your guilt. You are justified (declared righteous or not guilty) and forgiven. You are freed from the penalty of sin.

So what else is there?

[Jesus said] “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)

Jesus calls those who have been forgiven into a life of continual fellowship, dependence, and communion with him. We are called to remain, or “abide” in him, like a branch that wants to bear lots of good fruit, but which must be constantly drawing its life from the vine, in order to do so.

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin… So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:6-7, 11-14)

To bear much fruit, to be the salt and light of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16), we are called to live holy lives freed from the power of sin. But we cannot do this in our own strength.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate… For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me…

For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:14-15, 18-20, 22-24)

As the Apostle Paul discovered, even after we have been saved (Jesus called it being “born again” in John Chapter 3), there is still a conflict waging inside each of us. We still do things we hate. We still hurt our brothers and sisters and find ourselves falling into old, self-destructive patterns and disobedience. In other words, sin still dwells within our flesh and is struggling for control.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Corinthians 12:9)

We are weak, but God is strong. And He loves to show Himself strong on our behalf!

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:16-24)

The process of becoming more and more holy, freed from sin’s power, and better able to reflect the image of our holy God, is called sanctification. God continually shapes us day by day through the power of His Holy Spirit within us, to make us the people He wants us to be.

Not just forgiven, but freed from the power of sin, so that we can live a new life of righteousness and obedience; freed to be His hands and feet today, shining with His light in a world of darkness.

“We have seen that once we accept Christ as Savior, we are justified… While justification deals with the past (once I have become a Christian), sanctification deals with the present. It has to do with the power of sin in the Christian’s life. Justification is the same for all Christians, but obviously, sanctification has proceeded further in some Christians than in others. For a book-length study of the subject of sanctification, [read] True Spirituality.” (Francis Schaeffer)

But even as believers who are born again and experiencing daily sanctification, we never reach perfection here on earth, and we long for Heaven…

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23)

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (I Corinthians 15:51-55)

We are groaning with the rest of creation now, but on that wonderful day, we will all be changed in a nanosecond. We will be glorified. Perishable bodies are replaced with imperishable bodies. Mortal replaced with immortal. At that moment, we will be fully delivered from even the very presence of sin.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is. (I John 3:2)

What an inspiring and encouraging reminder it is, that one day we will be glorified: given new bodies that are not subject to death or sin or decay. We will be with the LORD forever and He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. (Revelation 7:17, 21:4)

As the word ‘salvation’ is used here and throughout the New Testament, it has a much wider meaning than is usually given to it today. Today it is often limited to becoming a Christian. The scriptural use of the term includes all those things in the past, present, and future that will come to the man or woman who has accepted Christ as his or her Savior. (Francis Schaeffer, 12 Basic Bible Studies)

The sinful hearts we inherited from Adam cheat, manipulate, and steal. They oppress the poor and hurt each other. The only answer to our personal sin problem and the only answer to our social problems is the Gospel. Only through Jesus can we be freed to lead truly virtuous lives.

Jesus gives us the ability to show love to our culture and bless all those around us by following and teaching wisdom, demonstrating righteous character, and embracing Biblical principles.

So until that day of Christ’s return, let us live that new life, doing what is right, and walking in obedience.

But wait, how can we know what is right and what is wrong?? We’ll discover that in our next couple of articles…

Ben Quine is Vice President of Christians Engaged and is the Director of Curriculum Development and Strategic Ministry Partnerships.

Learn more about Ben on our website: christiansengaged.org/leadership

Find Ben’s corresponding “Answers for Difficult Days” books in our Christians Engaged Store