The Race the Believer Is Called to Run. Hebrews 12:1-2. (62 Min)

If there is no war with sin in a man then there has been no victory won by Christ for him at work in him. At least, we should never presume such without the fruit of warfare. Our war with sin is not the grounds for our grace with God, but is an evidence of its possession. The Christian has to understand the scope of the Gospel to fully understand the Gospel. What I mean is that it’s not just some, “clean slate” with God, or an, “Opportunity to maybe escape death.” It’s life. It’s eternal life. It’s the sure promise of having already passed through death with Jesus and never therefore having to face judgment, John 5:24. It pardons a sinner by placing a person in a state of grace to fight against sin in true peace with God. A preacher recently said, to believers, something I truly loved to hear. He said: “The only sin a person can make any progress against is a forgiven sin.” I find that truth enrapturing. If you get that, you are on your way to waging good warfare against your sin. Far from making someone inclined toward sin, the more we understand how great this salvation is, the more likely we are to be aware of our growing repulsions against sin. Romans 6:1-2. Christians have been justified already. Romans 5:1-2. In that fixed/certain/God-granted/amazing state of grace, they’re called to live their lives as in a race to win. This is what we call, “Sanctification.” No one training to win such a race wants to hold on to unnecessary multiplied extra pounds of weight. This message is ultimately about Christian warfare.