... the mere (though glorious) fact of regeneration does not suddenly cause all temptations and struggles with sin to vanish away. Christ's work on the cross completely eliminates the penalty of sin, progressively eliminates the power of sin, and does not eliminate the presence of sin. Sin continues to dwell in believers just as good continues to be done by unbelievers. We will avoid much confusion and simplistic overstatement if we remember both the remaining presence of sin in the regenerate and the remaining presence of the image of God in the unregenerate. (Ortlund, Dane. A New Inner Relish: Christian Motivation in the Thought of Jonathan Edwards. Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2008. 122)
Friday, October 22, 2010
More from Ortlund
Why do we still struggle with sin after having been born again?
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This skewers Perfectionism. God leaves nothing for us to be dependent on but Him for every second of our lives and then, I think, even more so in eternity, hence, incorruption, immortality, and etc.
ReplyDeleteVery good, very Edwardsian indeed.
Just curious though; I have noticed that you have read plenty of Edward's writings for yourself. If you don't mind me asking, what drew you to read a secondary source?
A few things: I really enjoy Dane Ortlund's blog; I really enjoy Dane's father's writing (Ray Ortlund); and I was thinking a lot about motivation at the time of purchase.
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