Perfection in Christ

Ron Block is a musician with Alison Krauss and Union Station. He wrote the following encouraging words in response to an inquiry:

"Although I know the sense in which you mean 'I by no means am perfect,' to clarify, we are perfect, according to the Word: 'By one sacrifice He has perfected forever (in their being) those who are being made holy.' Sanctification is both a static one-time event (the perfection of Christ being put in us and made one with us--Peter calls us 'partakers of the divine nature') and also a process: 'By one sacrifice He has perfected forever (the one-time event) those who are being made holy (the process).'

"Paul talks about 'those who are in the flesh cannot please God.' The unregenerate person (look up Eph 2:2) cannot please God, even as a churchgoer. As believers 'you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of Christ dwells in you.' If we have the Spirit of Christ, we are in the Spirit--that’s the Fact.

"Now, does this mean that everything we do is spontaneously Christ directing us? Not at all. We can walk according to the Spirit (by resting in who we really are, combating temptation with 'That’s no longer who I am--Christ lives in me--I am dead to sin') or we can walk according to the flesh. Now, most Christians think of 'walking according to the flesh' as sin that looks like sin: Getting drunk, fornication. It’s easy to focus on the more spectacular sins. But 'walking according to the flesh' involves thinking we are just independent beings who can do our own thing; whether 'our own thing' happens to be obvious sins or the sneakier ones like trying to be like Christ through flesh-effort (leading to commendation or condemnation) really doesn’t matter. That 'independent I' is a lie--a false consciousness generated by Satan. There is no such thing for the believer (or unbeliever, which is another story) as the independent 'I' that can choose good.

"We walk according to the Spirit simply by resting, trusting, relying, actively seeing Christ living in us. The horse before the cart. I see Christ in the mirror, and so He lives. The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us when we walk according to the Spirit--by faith.

"This often doesn’t happen immediately. If we have long standing issues with self-effort, fear, bondage, it takes hanging on to God’s stated Facts through the maelstrom of circumstance or besetting sins in our lives. But faith is the thing that pleases God. If I try to vacuum without plugging the thing in, I’m not very pleased with the results, no matter how much and how violently the vacuum is moved around on the carpet. It doesn’t pick up diddly. But plug it in and it becomes a vital tool for cleaning up mess.

"But God doesn’t plug us in. That’s the one area where we have free will. Plug in, or not. Unplug, or stay plugged in. He who abides in Me shall bear much fruit. Once we’re plugged in, the Spirit uses us for Kingdom work. Unplugged, we just move the mess from one spot to another.

"All analogies break down. But that is our one choice, every moment of every day. Trust God, trust His stated Facts, rely on His indwelling power--or do it 'my way.' 'I can handle this one, Lord. No problem. I will be careful to do all that You have commanded.' Try-sin-repent-try-sin-repent-try-sin-repent.

"These days when I temporarily and unwittingly step back into Romans 7 it isn’t long before I say, 'Yuck! I’m going back to 8.'"