When Holiness Seems Too Far Away

Jul 29, 2011 by desiringvirtue

Many of us are familiar with the classic Disney movie The Lion King. If you aren’t or it’s been a while, here is brief synopsis:

When Simba (the young lion cub) leaves his home in fear and shame after his father’s tragic death (which he thinks he is responsible for), he is befriended by two comedic characters who convince him to live a life of “no worries” and “no responsibilities.” He quickly (within the time it takes to sing a song) learns to enjoy his new found freedom and forgets his past life as the son of a king. His life is “problem free” until one night when Simba gets a visit from a pesky monkey who wants him to return to his old life and take his place as king. Simba is unmoved by his entreaties, until the monkey (a sort of tribal shaman) summons his father’s spirit to have a little one-on-one conversation with the rebellious should-be king. Mufasa (Simba’s father) proceeds to give his son a pep talk from the clouds. This spiritual visitation does the trick and sends Simba racing home to fight off an evil villain and take back his rightful place as king.

Despite the obviously disturbing departure from Biblical truth inherent in a dead father’s spirit visiting his son (I mean come on, we are already outside the realm of reality what with all the talking and singing animals), there is a very touching conversation that happens between Simba and his father. Listen in with me:

Mufassa: Simba, you have forgotten me.

Simba: No, how could I?

Mufassa: You have forgotten who you are and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself Simba, you are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life.

Simba: How can I go back? I’m not who I used to be.

Mufasa: Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king. Remember…

Upon watching this scene recently I was struck by how similar God’s entreaties are to us. So often we find ourselves in moments of temptation, moments when we desire to give in to sin, moments when we give in to sin. It seems as though our entire lives as Christians are spent in a struggle against our “old self.” As Elizabeth Prentiss wrote in her book Stepping Heavenward, “the road to heaven is uphill.”

At times it is tempting to give in, or to give up. Those selfish, angry words slip past your tongue once more. That lustful or envious thought takes hold of your mind for the day. You react quickly and harshly to your disobedient child. You fight against your husband’s authority with a hasty word. Back in the pit you go, drudging around in the slop of your old life; the life of an unregenerate person. In so many small, sinful choices you make light of the gift of grace and take advantage of the mercy shown to you.

It is in these moments, when our sin seems to have mastered us and holiness seems too far away, that God desires for us to remember who we truly are in Christ. We may feel as though we are powerless or that the situation is just too difficult, but God calls us to lay hold of our true identity as redeemed people. We must remember that we are his children now and have been given new natures!

“How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life… We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin… So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you ar enot under law but under grace.” (Selections from Romans 6)

We, who were once slaves to sin are now free! Our very souls have been loosed from the shackles of sin’s dominion. Christ, through his perfect life, sacrificial death, and powerful resurrection has raised our dead souls and given them true, everlasting life.

When we give in to sin, we are giving in to a nature that no longer has power over us. Yes, sin is still tempting, yes our flesh still cries out for it, but we needn’t give in, we needn’t give up. Christ has given us the ability to deny our flesh and the lure of sin.

But these are hard truths to remember in the heat of the moment and when you do, repeating them in your mind doesn’t necessarily activate some kind of magical transformation.

This is a state of mind that must be cultivated, a reality that must be sought after and worked out in our practical, everyday lives. Because we have not yet been glorified and are not yet with Christ in heaven, we must actively seek to live in a way that reflects our heavenly stature. Just look at some of the commands given to us in relation to living out our standing before God:

“Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11 ESV)

“Present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness” (Romans 6:13 ESV)

“Put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24 ESV)

These passages reveal an inner struggle to stand in the state of reconciliation that God has gifted us with. Daily, the task set before us is to live in the grace provided through the cross rather than in the sinful desires of our old life. It is an acceptance of what God has done for us, a willingness to allow him to have complete control. This is what theologians refer to as the “already, not yet” idea. We are indeed already completely justified and glorified with Christ in the heavenly places, and yet at the same time we struggle today against our old sinful ways.

The most wonderful news of all is that we need not look to ourselves (or “inside ourselves” as Mufasa told his son) for the strength and power to live out our redeemed identity, but rather we look to the one who has already done it, already lived a perfect, holy life. He lived that life, so that you and I could live in the abundance of his grace and reach for holiness ourselves. He died so that we could be forgiven for the times we fail and he was resurrected so that we could have the ability to choose righteousness over sin.

What marvelous grace there is for us in every moment of desperation! We need only reach out to Christ for the power to overcome even the most tempting of sins and he will provide the way of escape. Praise God for such a salvation! Praise God for such a Savior!

Photo Credit: A Cold Sunset