There’s an important balance throughout Scripture, and one that ought to be seen and embraced by spiritually healthy Christians. And these two poles that we must balance between are seen quite clearly in the book of 1 John.
The New Creation Versus Our Flesh
We are a New Creation…
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
1 John 3:9
But we also have our flesh…
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
1 John 1:8
I’ve chosen the two verses above for emphasis, and because they come from the same book, 1 John. But these verses are both emblematic of two very real and valid ways to view the Christian life. And each one should be accepted and integrated into a Christian’s walk.
On the one hand, if we go too far off to the “yes, but there’s the flesh…” side, then we risk becoming overly introspective, self-condemning, and may develop a cynical, limiting view of God and ministry. (And it is my suspicion that this tendency probably occurs much more often among those who seek out and read messages like these.) Nevertheless, the purpose of this article is dealing with the other side of this spectrum, and what can happen if we take an approach that emphasizes the “we’re a new creation!” aspect too heavily at the expense of self-reflection.
I’m fine, everything’s going great
