Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. [2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT)]
Jesus clearly promises forgiveness of our sins but some people treat this gift like Monopoly’s “Get Out of Jail Free” card. In John Bunyan’s wonderful allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress, we meet such a person—Mr. Selfwill. Confident in God’s promise of “eternal security,” Selfwill feels free to live any way he wants. Since David committed adultery, Rahab lied, and Jacob deceived, Mr. Selfwill reasons that he can deliberately do those things, as well. He thinks anyone who believes that Jesus has forgiven his sins has the freedom to sin willfully as long as he has some virtues to go along with his sins. Foolishly thinking his good deeds cancel out his bad ones, the unregenerate pretender deliberately sins.
Because we are sinners, all Christians will struggle with sin and it is not until we see Jesus face to face that we’ll be completely free from sin. Nevertheless, Christ didn’t die on the cross so mankind would continue to sin! Bunyon’s characters Honest and Great Heart explain to Selfwill that falling into sin and deliberately committing it are not the same things. There is a difference between a stumble into the mud puddle and an eager and deliberate leap into the muck so one can wallow in it! Selfwill, however, has the attitude of, “Since I’m saved and all my sins are forgiven, I can (and will) keep sinning.”
While a genuine believer won’t lose his share in Christ’s salvation when he sins and repents, Mr. Selfwill isn’t a genuine believer. Nor is he repentant! Confident that he can’t lose his salvation when he eagerly and intentionally sins, Selfwill doesn’t realize he’s never been saved! Believing that Jesus died for our sins is the correct doctrine but believing in a doctrine is not what saves us. We are saved when we believe in and give our lives to the right person—Jesus Christ—a distinction Selfwill missed. We don’t just believe in Jesus with our minds; after all, even Satan believed in Him. We must believe in Jesus with our hearts and souls—our entire being! Forgiveness is not something to be taken lightly and, for the true believer, willfully continuing to sin is not an option. Rather than deliberately committing a sin, the true believer wants to be delivered from his sins.
If we are living a life that is indistinguishable from that of an unbeliever, it’s time to look in a mirror and examine ourselves. Have we truly received Christ as our Lord and Savior? In Bunyon’s book, Mr. Selfwill bypassed the narrow Wicket Gate opening into the Way. When he (and others like him who climbed over the gate) arrive at the Celestial City, they will find the door locked and be unable to gain admittance. The same will be true in real life for those who’ve not been reborn—whose lives have not been transformed by the Holy Spirit.
