sip from his glass and asked, “When you say, ‘I am a sinner,’ does this statement set you free?”
I could feel my inner conflict with his question and paused in consideration before I spoke, “No, it condemns me.”
“The truth has set you free! When you say that you are a sinner, you are believing with your soul’s heart and thinking with your soul’s mind and living your life as if you were bound by the old law of sin and death. Therefore, you are condemned by the old Law, under which you believe you are living. But Romans 8 says, ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’ There was condemnation before the new law and the new covenant, but now there is no condemnation for those who believe in Christ.”
“That is pretty cool, Joshua and you are right. Sometimes we get confused on what we have actually received through our faith.”
He nodded his head in agreement stating, “Yes! I hear many Christians say, ‘I have the righteousness of Christ living in my heart,’ and then, with their very next breath, state, ‘I am a sinner.’ I’m sorry, but a person who has the righteousness of Christ is not a sinner! Interesting dichotomy, isn’t it?”
“It sure is. So, what’s really going on when we say these things?”
He answered by quoting a verse, “James 3:7-10—All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.
“When you say these things, you are initially looking at your Spirit and the righteousness it contains, then in the next moment, you are gazing at the inherent sin nature of your flesh. This is where the confusion arises. What you really need to consider is the nature of your soul. Your soul is where the battle exists. Because of your faith in Christ, your soul now lives under a new law and new covenant which doesn’t mention sin. Let us examine this new law and covenant currently governing your life.”
Joshua pulled a sheet of paper from between the pages of his book and handed it to me. I stared at the written columns it contained as he walked toward the rear glass doors of the country club.
“Where are you going?” I asked in mild confusion.
He turned and smiled with his servant’s reply, “Why to get you more iced tea, Sir. We still have much to discuss.”
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