Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Does God have a special section in the Kingdom for a certain class of people who think they cannot overcome sin? Does He have a double standard for His everlasting Kingdom? Can some "saints" plead that their evil temper is so deeply rooted in their genes that they cannot overcome? Or their sexual lust? Or their love of money? Or their habitual lying? On and on.
A false gospel which Paul calls "a different gospel ... than what we have preached to you" (Gal. 1:6-8) says "Yes!" You can cling to your besetting sins--you'll have a special section in His Kingdom. To change the metaphor, the idea is you'll be given a white robe of righteousness that only legally "covers" your filthy robes underneath that you keep on wearing.
In contrast, the true gospel says you give up every stitch of those filthy robes so that the white robe of Christ's righteousness is not only legally "imputed" to you but is also experientially "imparted" to you; it no longer hides cherished character deformity underneath.
We find the idea surfacing all through Scripture: "to him that overcomes ... as I also overcame" (Rev. 3:21); "these ... washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (7:14); "they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb" (12:11); Christ as High Priest "is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him" (Heb. 7:25); "the God of peace ... make you complete [perfect] in every good work to do His will" (13:20, 21); "Therefore you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48).
An impossible standard? If all we have is that counterfeit "different gospel" Paul warns against, the "gospel" of "Babylon [that] is fallen"--yes; but thank God for the Good News of the true "gospel [which] is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16).
The problem is our spiritual pride that insists on remaining in that certain class when healing is given us "in Christ." Let's humble our proud hearts and learn to "hunger and thirst for righteousness" [by faith--the only kind there is!] (Matt. 5:6).
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 9, 1998.
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